Weirdness

 I'm not gonna lie, since that first great experience with the painting girl, things have been weird people-wise.

My landlord kept putting off bringing me the keys. I was in the apt for a week before he finally came over because I said I needed to do laundry (the washer and dryer are in the basement, which you must enter from outside and the door is locked). The weirder thing is that the keys were in the lock box in the foyer the whole time - I guess he forgot. When he gave me the keys, he asked if I would make a copy for him. Okaaay.

The painting girl keeps assuring me that she will come over and finish the (very minor) painting that she was commissioned to do, but it's been a week and I haven't seen her. I'm in no hurry, but again, kinda strange.

I saw the upstairs neighbor (Mika) the night I moved in, but she walked past me without saying hello (she was on the phone, but still). I saw her again a couple days later, again on the phone, but I stuck out my hand and introduced myself. She shook my hand and told me her name, but that was it. I haven't seen her since. I wasn't expecting a covered dish, but you'd think she'd want to know a little something about the person living in the building with her...

When the landlord brought the keys, he told me that she has lived upstairs for 5 years. Much of that time, the downstairs apt has been used for AirBnB and for visiting nurses. I didn't get too many of the deets, but Mika was managing it and decided she didn't want to deal with it anymore. He told me he's selling his big house and looking for something smaller, and said  he would move upstairs if Mika left (but doesn't want to live downstairs apparently, which was implied but not explicitly said).

Not quite what I was hoping, in terms of neighborly interactions. Not that I expected by building mate or my landlord to end up being my best friend, but I was kind hoping for more of a welcome for a person who just moved from out of state... 

Welcome home

 Finally arrived and starting to get settled in my new abode. I really, really thought it would be easier to pack up and move than it has proved to be. I lived in such a tiny house and tried not to accumulate stuff over the 2 years I lived there (and I got rid of lots)...but, holy moly, it took days to sort and pack everything, and get the house ready for the renter. I was pretty impressed with my tetris packing job on the trailer, but I realized I could have fit a couple of things in the nooks and crannies that I ended up cramming into the car (and, in one case, leaving behind, sob!)

The drive was brutal. I left later on Tuesday than I planned (of course); I had to stop for gas every 2 hours, and it took much longer than I expected to just get to Sioux Falls (I scrapped the plan to stop in Sioux City) at 55 mph (required for the trailer). I hoped the second day would be better (at least I would be driving in the daylight), but it rained all day and took just about as long as Day 1. 

But the Universe had my back - the person who was doing some painting in the apt was there when I arrived and insisted on helping me unload. Such a blessing. She's a talker, but it was worth it to get all that help. She even helped me get that crazy mattress into the house. Whew!

I slept 10 hours that night and felt a little better the next day. The wifi is finally connected and I'm starting to figure out how to put things away (though it's challenging and kind of stressful). Whoever renovated this apt (I don't think it was my current landlord) doesn't cook, because the kitchen set-up is whack. But I'll make it work (because I spend so much time in the kitchen!) I've cooked in a lot of kitchens over the years, and this is just one more that is far from my ideal (maybe some day!)

Kitty spent the first evening hiding under the bathroom sink and still retreats there regularly, but she's slowly getting bolder, and I think we will both end up being very comfortable here.

The neighborhood is a little less neighborhoody than I thought, but there's two gorgeous parks nearby, and I hope to ride my bike to both of them soon. There's a nice coffee shop close enough to ride to (and maybe walk, I'll see). The public radio station is also nearby, which seems like a good sign. And downtown is walking distance (though maybe not riding as it is down a long hill that would be very challenging to ride back up). I haven't had much time to explore, but I look forward to discovering many gems, once my apt is in better order. 

Anger management

 Not sure what the Universe is trying to tell me! In the course of saying goodbye to some of the folks I work with, someone told me they will miss me including how I manage my frustration - just letting things go. What? They went on to say they kind of talk themselves down when they get angry by thinking about me and how I handle it. This is a wild situation - no one on Planet Earth (maybe even in the entire Solar System) associates me with handling frustration gracefully. Well, until now I guess. Hmmm.