Saggitarius or Spy?

This was an interesting read today for my horoscope...I don't know if it is coincidence or someone is stalking me and giving out personalized horoscopes...haha...whatever the case, it was one of those things that just makes you go hmmmmmm...

"You're likely aware of your writing abilities, Sagittarius, but you may not realize the extent of your talent. It would be worthwhile to devote more time to your craft. You can't improve much if writing time is interrupted by other obligations. Take some time to produce something of value. Why not give it a try, even if just for a week or so, to see what you can do?"

That's IT!

Two weeks ago, everything I owned fit into my van. Now I have an apartment full of furniture. Granted, I haven't spent a lot of money, but it all came together rather easily and quickly. The next door neighbor moved out and left me her ugly floral sofa and loveseat, and a large television, old style. Great location...she even helped me move it into my living room. So I ditched the ghetto sofa, and left it on the curb for the Salvation Army. I picked up the coffee table a few nights ago for $15. Solid wood, and huge. I love it. I also picked up the dresser/tv stand a few days back too, free, curbside after a tip was phoned in, ha ha. I painted it deep pink, ran out of paint, will finish another day. Now THAT IS IT. I don't want any more furniture. It will start to look like my mother's if I try to squeeze anything else in here.

I am enjoying life outside the van. I no longer have to go to another building to use the bathroom. There is very little traffic on my street, and my bedroom is set way back from the street. One of the things I hated most about the RV parks was the huge pick-up trucks people rumbled through the parks with day and night, and had them idling while they tried painfully to park their beast. The bathroom is much appreciated. Most of the private park bathrooms, particularly in the states were hideously filthy and run down, if they worked at all. The state parks were in better condition, but their campgrounds also did not have power, which I needed, so I stayed mostly in RV parks. I'm finding it much warmer in the apartment though, to sleep. It always cooled off quite nicely in the van, but my apartment holds more heat I reckon. I have the bedroom window open all the time, but can't leave the living room window open - it's ground floor with no fixed screen, just a slider I put in to keep the bugs out.

Aside from the bathroom joys, I am also enjoying cooking in my own kitchen again. I could cook in my friend's kitchens along the way, but to be honest, there's nothing like your own kitchen, your own space, and cleaning things up at your own pace. My new kitchen is so small, I can usually reach everything from one spot, ha ha.

I really enjoy being able to jump in the van and take off at a moment's notice, without having to dread packing up the camper and then later unpacking again when I parked for the night. I do try to walk somewhere every day, but when errands come up that are too far to walk, or involve carrying very heavy things such as furniture, I take Karma out. Sometimes I forget how much she stands out. People talk to me every single time I take Karma out. Today I was stopped in traffic when a couple of guys in a pick-up truck stopped next to me in the turn lane. One guy was half hanging out of the truck window, commenting on the van and informing me he was really drunk...it was 12:30pm. I still get lots of thumbs up, peace signs, honks, remarks, whistles, hoots, you name it. Karma soaks it all up...go Karma

The Writer's Life

So I've been in my apartment for 2 weeks now. Have mostly settled in, just waiting for the neighbor to move out this weekend and leave me her sofa and loveseat. I've rescued some curbside furniture and painted it up. All of the painting is finally done in the apartment, though mr handyman has been here nearly every day since, working in other units, or on the building itself. It hasn't been too distracting, but I do see him pass in front of my window several times a day. Not as much however, as the Brit next door. She paces the walkway and the driveway on the other side of the privacy hedge, smoking and chatting on the phone. My window is usually closed, so I don't hear her, thankfully. I just happen to notice her.

I've been getting some writing down, some research started, a fair bit of reading. I am finding the days fly by though, I wish they'd slow down. I checked into taking a sign language course this winter at the University of Victoria, however I have to take the first course, offered this fall. I can't do that as I'll be on the road for a few weeks, missing several classes. So I'm looking at taking some writing workshops in late fall from somewhere else. They have November dates, so that works for me.

Stormy has settled right in and I had him out for his first walk today. I hadn't taken him out before as I didn't have his harness. I forgot to ask my daughter to pop that in the cage with him. I picked one up this morning and let him get used to it before we went for a short walk. He likes to sniff everything, so it ends up being a lot of standing, not much walking. Almost like visiting a museum with someone who likes to take their time...hard on my back and not real entertaining.

I haven't been feeling up to snuff all week, mostly due to my fibromyalgia...got an achy breaky body...GAWD how I hated that Billy Ray Cyrus song...so I've been doing a lot of restless resting...can't get comfortable, too tired to sit all the time, and too sore to do much walking. I did walk over to my former host house last night for a couple of drinks, and paid for that on the way home. Thankfully it was cooler, so at least I wasn't overheated and sore. Just sore. It's what I love so much about Victoria's weather - cool nights. Always. Thank-you Victoria.

And now, with my writing put away for now, I'm going to sack on the ghetto sofa with Stormy and watch Ellen. She makes me laugh.

Thanks But No Thanks

Okay, I have had 4 visits from neighbors already today. 4 more than I was expecting or desired. First with the drill bits that weren't drill bits and now Anita has come pounding on my door with a blouse she thought I might like. I told her I stopped wearing clothes like that when I quit my government job. But thank-you just the same. She walked away, holding the so-not-my-taste blouse in front of her. I wear t-shirts and tank tops, not frilly-old-lady-office-manager-who-shops-at-Sears. Oh, and the Brit was back again. She's also shouted hello through the window where my desk looks out. I'm going to have to shut this down real quick or I'll be packing soon. I didn't realise that in being friendly with them in passing would quickly develop into "here are some clothes I thought you might like". Personally I think she was trying to get a look in at my apartment, as her neck near stretched off her shoulders while I was talking to her at the door.

I was looking for a quiet refuge to get some writing done. I may have to work at creating that. It might result in the purchase of some kind of window covering. I had wanted to be able to look out the window but that appears to come at a price. The view is so pleasant though, other than the neighbors...it's a beautiful tall green hedge with trees woven in and around it. Sigh...whine, whine, whine.

On a brighter note, I did get some writing done this morning, despite the interruptions and feel pretty good about that, and pleased with how easily it did flow when I got going. I was worried I would be facing some of the same block I had on the road. Nope - I'm off and running...to Walmart right now for something to cover the window...probably a sheet in a bright color that will keep nosy neighbors out but still let some light in.

Overly Helpful Neighbors

Okay, so we know about being left the drill without the drill bits last night. I failed to mention the two older ladies who thought they had drill bits for me. Both went digging in their apartments only to come up with screwdriver tips, and no actual drill bits. They both showed up at the door proudly showing me their find...Ladies, I need a drill bit, something to DRILL WITH, not something to put screws in with. I have that already, it's called a SCREW DRIVER. I need to make tiny holes through the planks into the bed frame so I can then use drive screws into those holes without splitting the wood. Apparently I must have been the topic of conversation today. I only mentioned it to my next door neighbor last night when I bumped into her as I was stomping down to the recycling with my empty boxes, fuming about the lack of drill bits. This afternoon, as I was just falling off to sleep in a good catnap with Stormy, the second gal came pounding on the door. I only got up because I thought it was mr handyman looking for his drill. I was planning to pounce on him and ask him for the bits. Sigh...no sign of mr handyman today, even though he said he expected to be here all day today.

There was also an older male neighbor who threw his hat in...and came up empty. Thought he had drill bits too, but came back with nothing. He didn't own a drill, but thought he may have some bits...If I have to go buy a damn drill bit just to put my bed together, I am going to be unhappy. The real irony is that my father's extensive collection of tools contains probably dozens and dozens of drill bits, in both imperial and metric sizes, with many duplicates. Dammit. His tool collection is about 6500 kilometres from here. I slept on the bed last night and while it was fine, it also feels like it won't take much stress, as the centre support is not in place yet - it also needs to be drilled and screws to position.

Apartment News

So, the painting is finally finished in my apartment. They still have to install a tub liner, but that won't be in for about 6 weeks or more. I picked up my bed frame today and attempted to put it together. 3 hours later and much swearing, I finally got the frame together and was ready for the support slats. I had asked mr handyman to leave his drill behind for me. I also showed him the screw so he could leave me the proper bit size. I should have checked to be sure. I was left with a drill and NO bits. Kind of like loaning someone your car but forgetting to put the tires on. Pointless.

Sigh...so the bed slats are laying on the frame, and I am hoping they won't slip. I don't have a box spring as the slats are the support, but if they shift, I may find myself on the floor...so no monkeys jumping on the bed I reckon. The bed is otherwise, lovely hardwood. Someone in the building gave me the little nightstand. It was battered and paint chipped when I got it, originally plain wood, then white paint, then black paint. I spray painted it 'plum preserve' aka purple. The pillows came from the van, the bedding was all less than $40 at Walmart, and the curtain is a sheet I bought at Value Village in Halifax for $3. The lamp came from the same guy as the table. The storage cubes also came out of the van. I reckon the bed will hold it's value should I want to sell it when I leave here. Otherwise, it's worth storing while I hit the road again in the spring. There isn't anything on the walls yet, not likely to be much as I don't own much artwork, just a few posters and small paintings, nothing with a frame. I reckon I'll just put some larger posters and cloth items on the wall to add some color. Funny how different the room looks with and without flash. The walls are apartment beige but look yellow without the flash.

The living room isn't quite set up yet. The next door neighbor is giving me her sofa and love seat next week, so I just need some kind of coffee table. www.usedvictoria.com is a great site to find stuff. I already bought a table for my desk last weekend off there. After that, there won't be much else I really need or want to have in here. It is the least cluttered living space I've been in, as I lost all that STUFF in the fire. I'm okay with not having as much STUFF to deal with. Empty closet space...empty cupboards...WHAT? Perfect.

Van Morrison's Moondance

I nearly forgot to post about the Van Morrison concert a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time I went solo to a concert, but it didn't matter. When I first arrived at the Gorge, there weren't many campers, but more arriving all the time and while it looked like a pretty tame crowd at first, it wasn't long before things were rocking at the campground, as people got jazzed up for Van. I met some rather interesting young folks who were from the Tacoma area, and leaving to drive back after the show as one of the gals had classes in the morning - dedicated I say. They camped there the night before, as I had considered but wasn't sure if anyone would be there, so camped at Walmart instead...I should have gone with my instincts, which was to go to the campground anyhow. I just didn't want to find myself out in the middle of nowhere and no one else is around...

I also met a couple who were spending their anniversary at the concert, while relatives watched the wee ones. They were such a cute couple, and though I risked being a third wheel, I linked up with them to head over to the concert and the line-up was almost non-existent - they had wayyy more people checking bags this time, unlike Tom Petty where two souls had to check 35,000 people...in any event, we sailed through quickly and went about searching for the best seats. We bypassed the concert gear table, although I had thought I should go before the show rather than later...I waited and when the concert was over, all the tour shirts were sold out. Dammit...oh well, I have my memories. Van did not disappoint. He was not at all friendly and rarely chatted with the crowd and when he finished playing he simply walked off the stage and left. His music, however, was awesome and sure jazzed up the crowd. There were lots of folks older than me, but also quite a few young folks who likely discovered Van Morrison in their parent's music collection.

He sang all the oldies that we all enjoyed, including Moondance. My favorite is still, and always has been, Into the Mystic...I just love those lyrics...I went to sleep late that night, listening to Van's tunes as they wafted through the campground, everyone else charmed by his music as I was. It was a good concert, and I have only grainy BlackBerry photos that I have not yet uploaded. That's okay...I have my memories...thanks Van, ya old curmudgeon...you still have it.