Well, Mr. Weezy and I continue to prepare for our move the most/best we can with nine weeks yet to go until we leave. I've been checking online for rental homes to get a sense of what is available and what the rental process might entail Mr. Weezy has been working on just how he is going to arrange our motorcycles in the moving truck. In the midst of our preparations, we received a phone call. From my mom. Oh, boy ... She has been living with my brother and sister-in-law in Durham, North Carolina for the last year. Because of her age and her health, we had to move Mom out of her house in Miami; she just wasn't able to live alone anymore. My brother and sister-in-law were in the best position to take care of her because they already had a house, and my brother had a pretty flexible work schedule. Without going into details of how that situation worked out, I will say that my brother is ready to hand off the Mom duties. So, Mom either moves into a nursing home or comes and lives with Mr. Weezy and me. A nursing home would not be a good financial decision (read $$$$), and despite her age, Mom is in decent physical and mental health, so there isn't any reason she needs to be in a nursing home at this point. That means she and her cat will move in with me, Mr. Weezy, and our two dogs. Like I said ... oh, boy.
Now I'll have two new tricks to learn that I hadn't anticipated. The first is living with my mother in a completely new context; that is, I'll be the caretaker now, not her. The second is getting our two dogs accustomed to (or maybe accepting of) living with a cat. Our female pretty much loves everyone and everything, so I'm not too worried about her. Our male, on the other hand, seems a little more aggressive. I get the impression when we are walking him and he sees a cat, he would try to kill it if we let him off the leash. I've already talked to our vet about the best way to introduce the animals and get them used to each other. I am going into this with the same attitude I have for the whole move: we are going to find a way to make it work. Hey--if this dog can learn new tricks, so can the other ones, right??!!
This new living arrangement completely changes the type of rental home I now need to find. To start, we need a 3/2 now, not a 2/1. Many of the 3/2's in our price range are newer homes that have two stories. That is OK except Mom obviously has to be on the first floor, which is usually where the master bedroom is. We have a king sized bed, so that means if we find a two-story house, we have to make sure one of the bedrooms on the second floor is big enough to accommodate our bed!
We have narrowed our home search to Charlotte/Concord/Kannapolis, North Carolina. In my searching around on the internet, I discovered what I believe to be an incredibly helpful website called Neighborhood Scout. I first found it when I was researching crime statistics for the cities where we are looking for houses. The site does way more than give crime stats, though. You can enter a property address, and under the "description" tab, find out all kinds of information about the neighborhood like home values, average rent, whether most properties are owner or renter occupied, vacancy rates, and the income classification of the area (average, below-average, etc). This information will be very useful in further narrowing our possible rental homes. I am going up to Charlotte the first weekend in August expressly for the purpose of seeing places we are considering, so giving more focus to our search means less time spent driving around to look at places.
I feel close enough to our leaving now that I am getting excited. Of course, that may be partly due to the fact that the heat and humidity here in South Florida are positively oppressive right now, and I know that as fall progresses in North Carolina, we can look forward to more comfortable temperatures, something we wouldn't be able to do here.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
A Father's Legacy
If this post has anything to do with learning new tricks, it would only be in relation to a decision my father made back in the 1970s that was maybe a harbinger of how fathers would begin to change their attitudes toward their daughters; they would be the old dogs learning new tricks.
When I was 15 years old, I fell in love with motorcycles. There was nothing I wanted more than to have my own bike. This was back in 1976, when a learner's permit was all anyone in Florida needed to ride a motorcycle. Since I had mine, nothing would keep me from riding, except of course my parents not allowing me to buy a motorcycle.
My mother was a stay-at-home mom, and I pretty much went to her to ask for anything I wanted. Part of that was due to the fact that she was always around; the other part was due to the fact that she said "yes" way more than my father did. When I found out one of my friend's cousins was selling his Kawasaki 100, I saw my opportunity to become a motorcycle owner. I went straight to my mom to ask her if I could buy the bike. Without hesitation, she said, "Go ask your father." Big sigh ... To me, that was the same thing as her saying, "When hell freezes over!"
Still, I really wanted that motorcycle, so I approached my father and asked him if I could buy the bike. He thought a moment, and then came back with, "Give me a few days to think about it." That response caught me completely off guard as I was expecting a resounding, "Not in this lifetime!" The answer wasn't "yes," but it wasn't "no" either, so I held out some hope. Not much, but some.
The few days passed, and my father told me he'd made his decision. Here is how he framed his answer to me: "If you were my son, I would allow you to buy the motorcycle. The fact that you are my daughter is not a reason to say 'no,' so yes, you can buy the motorcycle."
Holy crap, was I one happy adolescent! I bought my motorcycle and spent many enjoyable hours riding it, including to school every day with a group of other kids who had bikes. Of course, I was the only girl who rode a motorcycle to my high school, and I have to admit, I enjoyed that notoriety.
I started spending time at a local shop that sold motorcycle accessories, and the guy who ran the shop introduced me to flat track racing and then road racing. I would go along to the races with him (just to spectate, not participate), and man, did I ever love being at the track. Still do. And guess who I met for the first time at the track? Yep--you guessed it: Mr. Weezy! He raced flat track back in the day, and I must say he was quite the bad ass. He was fearless on the track.
I am forever grateful to my father for making a decision that allowed me to pursue what has been a lifelong love of motorcycles. But more than than, I am grateful for the incredible lesson he taught me when he explained why he was allowing me to buy my motorcycle: Gender should never be an obstacle that prevents you from doing what you want to do.
Thanks, Dad. Miss you.
When I was 15 years old, I fell in love with motorcycles. There was nothing I wanted more than to have my own bike. This was back in 1976, when a learner's permit was all anyone in Florida needed to ride a motorcycle. Since I had mine, nothing would keep me from riding, except of course my parents not allowing me to buy a motorcycle.
My mother was a stay-at-home mom, and I pretty much went to her to ask for anything I wanted. Part of that was due to the fact that she was always around; the other part was due to the fact that she said "yes" way more than my father did. When I found out one of my friend's cousins was selling his Kawasaki 100, I saw my opportunity to become a motorcycle owner. I went straight to my mom to ask her if I could buy the bike. Without hesitation, she said, "Go ask your father." Big sigh ... To me, that was the same thing as her saying, "When hell freezes over!"
Still, I really wanted that motorcycle, so I approached my father and asked him if I could buy the bike. He thought a moment, and then came back with, "Give me a few days to think about it." That response caught me completely off guard as I was expecting a resounding, "Not in this lifetime!" The answer wasn't "yes," but it wasn't "no" either, so I held out some hope. Not much, but some.
The few days passed, and my father told me he'd made his decision. Here is how he framed his answer to me: "If you were my son, I would allow you to buy the motorcycle. The fact that you are my daughter is not a reason to say 'no,' so yes, you can buy the motorcycle."
Holy crap, was I one happy adolescent! I bought my motorcycle and spent many enjoyable hours riding it, including to school every day with a group of other kids who had bikes. Of course, I was the only girl who rode a motorcycle to my high school, and I have to admit, I enjoyed that notoriety.
I started spending time at a local shop that sold motorcycle accessories, and the guy who ran the shop introduced me to flat track racing and then road racing. I would go along to the races with him (just to spectate, not participate), and man, did I ever love being at the track. Still do. And guess who I met for the first time at the track? Yep--you guessed it: Mr. Weezy! He raced flat track back in the day, and I must say he was quite the bad ass. He was fearless on the track.
I am forever grateful to my father for making a decision that allowed me to pursue what has been a lifelong love of motorcycles. But more than than, I am grateful for the incredible lesson he taught me when he explained why he was allowing me to buy my motorcycle: Gender should never be an obstacle that prevents you from doing what you want to do.
Thanks, Dad. Miss you.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Moving Truck or Storage Pod? That Is the Question.
Mr. Weezy and I live in a one-bedroom apartment, so it's not like we're moving a whole house full of stuff. Though, as I mentioned before, Mr. Weezy never gets rid of anything, so we probably have as much crap as anyone can possibly fit into a one-bedroom place. We could easily rent a truck or storage pod that would accommodate our stuff, but we also have a car, a truck, and two motorcycles, and that's where the real challenge comes in here. How do we move all of those vehicles?
After doing our original research, we were really leaning toward the pod. I mean, the company delivers the storage unit to you, and once you've filled it up, they pick it up and deliver it to your destination. Also, it is basically level with the ground, so no going up and down a ramp to load the truck. It seems much less strenuous than moving with a truck. Granted, it's a little more expensive, but we figured it would be worth the extra expense because it would make it easier to move the vehicles. Mr. Weezy could tow the motorcycles with his truck, and I could drive the car.
But then we found out it could be 10 days between the time the company delivers the pod and the time the pod arrives to our new place. We are only going to Charlotte, NC, so we could make that drive in a day, two if we wanted to take our time. That would leave a lot of days with no stuff. Did you hear that? That was our little bubble bursting.
Truck it is, then. Looks like we are going to have to rent a 24' truck because we are going to take up 8' of that space with the bikes. Yep, we are going to put the bikes inside the moving truck, which Mr. Weezy will drive. He is also going to tow his pickup behind the moving truck. I do not envy him in this endeavor. Me, I just have to drive the car. Moving this way is going to be quite an undertaking, I think, but Mr. Weezy especially thinks it is the most feasible. It is only about a 10-hour drive to Charlotte from here, but we won't be able to drive real fast (not to mention we don't need any speeding tickets!) with our "big rig," so we will drive about half way the first day, and then complete the trip on the second day. I think that will also work out better because we will get to Charlotte at a decent hour and while it's still light out. It's kind of exhausting to think about this move but also very exhilarating. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I love change, and I'm always excited at the prospect of moving somewhere new. My mother claims it is because we moved a lot when I was a kid, so I just got accustomed to moving. Maybe so.
We are already packing, even though we are T minus 12 weeks. And Mr. Weezy continues to work on his plan for what to put where in the truck. If anyone has moving experiences or advice they'd like to share, please feel free. I am always open to suggestions.
After doing our original research, we were really leaning toward the pod. I mean, the company delivers the storage unit to you, and once you've filled it up, they pick it up and deliver it to your destination. Also, it is basically level with the ground, so no going up and down a ramp to load the truck. It seems much less strenuous than moving with a truck. Granted, it's a little more expensive, but we figured it would be worth the extra expense because it would make it easier to move the vehicles. Mr. Weezy could tow the motorcycles with his truck, and I could drive the car.
But then we found out it could be 10 days between the time the company delivers the pod and the time the pod arrives to our new place. We are only going to Charlotte, NC, so we could make that drive in a day, two if we wanted to take our time. That would leave a lot of days with no stuff. Did you hear that? That was our little bubble bursting.
Truck it is, then. Looks like we are going to have to rent a 24' truck because we are going to take up 8' of that space with the bikes. Yep, we are going to put the bikes inside the moving truck, which Mr. Weezy will drive. He is also going to tow his pickup behind the moving truck. I do not envy him in this endeavor. Me, I just have to drive the car. Moving this way is going to be quite an undertaking, I think, but Mr. Weezy especially thinks it is the most feasible. It is only about a 10-hour drive to Charlotte from here, but we won't be able to drive real fast (not to mention we don't need any speeding tickets!) with our "big rig," so we will drive about half way the first day, and then complete the trip on the second day. I think that will also work out better because we will get to Charlotte at a decent hour and while it's still light out. It's kind of exhausting to think about this move but also very exhilarating. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I love change, and I'm always excited at the prospect of moving somewhere new. My mother claims it is because we moved a lot when I was a kid, so I just got accustomed to moving. Maybe so.
We are already packing, even though we are T minus 12 weeks. And Mr. Weezy continues to work on his plan for what to put where in the truck. If anyone has moving experiences or advice they'd like to share, please feel free. I am always open to suggestions.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Perception is Everything
Sometime over the last several months, I read an article in Reader's Digest about how we handle what we perceive as shortages of something, like time for example. I wish now I had kept the article for reference, but this is more or less how I remember the point of it: When we perceive we have a shortage of something, we obsess over it, thereby creating a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. The shortage becomes as bad as we think it is. Only it doesn't.
I think I have fallen into this--what would you call it?--pattern? Or maybe trap is a better term. Granted, I work two jobs, and my second job is teaching college English. That means a couple of nights a week, I go to school after my day job, then home and to bed after class. It also means that at least part of my weekends is taken up with lesson planning and grading papers. Add to that Mr. Weezy and the pups, and I have a pretty full life. Still ...
I am constantly complaining about how I don't have time for anything. In fact, I would go so far as to say I whine about it. A lot. And it makes me unhappy. Yes, I'm busy. But in reality, I know my time shortage is not nearly as large as I think it is. If it were, I wouldn't have seen so many reruns of Castle and Bones, right?
My students are forever bemoaning their busy lives that make it so difficult for them to get their schoolwork done, and I forever reply that if they tracked their activities for a couple of days, they would realize things like TVs, computers, Smart Phones, and tablets are sucking up a lot of their time, and that in truth, they do have the time to do schoolwork. Hmmm ... could this mean that if I stop watching reruns, I might be able to get all of my tasks done?
I always take an inventory in my classes of how many students have daily planners, whether paper or electronic. Very few of them do. I proceed to give them the whole spiel about how a planner is crucial to their college success because they will never get everything done without using one. I tell them that it isn't enough to have the planner though--they actually have to use it. Time to take my own advice, I guess. I have a planner, and I do use it, but apparently not enough and/or not efficiently enough.
So, from this point forward, my intention is to use my planner in the right way. I am going to schedule everything I have to do every day, making sure to schedule in some time for exercise and enjoyment, too. I mean, all work and no play ... well, you know the rest. Now, let's just hope I find the time to do it.
I think I have fallen into this--what would you call it?--pattern? Or maybe trap is a better term. Granted, I work two jobs, and my second job is teaching college English. That means a couple of nights a week, I go to school after my day job, then home and to bed after class. It also means that at least part of my weekends is taken up with lesson planning and grading papers. Add to that Mr. Weezy and the pups, and I have a pretty full life. Still ...
I am constantly complaining about how I don't have time for anything. In fact, I would go so far as to say I whine about it. A lot. And it makes me unhappy. Yes, I'm busy. But in reality, I know my time shortage is not nearly as large as I think it is. If it were, I wouldn't have seen so many reruns of Castle and Bones, right?
My students are forever bemoaning their busy lives that make it so difficult for them to get their schoolwork done, and I forever reply that if they tracked their activities for a couple of days, they would realize things like TVs, computers, Smart Phones, and tablets are sucking up a lot of their time, and that in truth, they do have the time to do schoolwork. Hmmm ... could this mean that if I stop watching reruns, I might be able to get all of my tasks done?
I always take an inventory in my classes of how many students have daily planners, whether paper or electronic. Very few of them do. I proceed to give them the whole spiel about how a planner is crucial to their college success because they will never get everything done without using one. I tell them that it isn't enough to have the planner though--they actually have to use it. Time to take my own advice, I guess. I have a planner, and I do use it, but apparently not enough and/or not efficiently enough.
So, from this point forward, my intention is to use my planner in the right way. I am going to schedule everything I have to do every day, making sure to schedule in some time for exercise and enjoyment, too. I mean, all work and no play ... well, you know the rest. Now, let's just hope I find the time to do it.
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