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Nov. 4th, 2007 11:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prosodicTea is my saving grace today...mmmmmmm caffeine. I'm SO tired right now. We were up at 7 this morning because Lance had to take the truck in for detailing, since it's being shipped off tomorrow. So I had to follow him to the detailer guy's house in Brunssum. We are scheduled to pick it up at 4 this afternoon. We were skeptical that he would get it finished by then, but when we drove by his house 2 hours after it was dropped off, he had already completed the washing and waxing.
Anyway, we went to Schinnen so Lance could get bulbs to replace the ones that burned out in his daytime running lights. But true to Schinnen form, they didn't have any in the size that he needed. Color me shocked.
But it wasn't a wasted trip. Since my only decent suitcase got busted on the flight back from Seattle last week, I had to replace it (the handle that pops out to pull it got jammed and would not pull out, so I had to carry the suitcase, and it makes things very difficult).
I'm telling you people, it's one thing to be thrifty (as I am), but some things are just worth splurging on. Luggage is one of these things. I've gotten through my years here in Europe on a 5 piece luggage set that cost me $99 at Target, but the suitcases are definitely showing their wear and tear. So now I'm throwing out the one that got damaged last week and I'm keeping the largest suitcase of that set just for this next flight back to the States...then I'm throwing that one away because it's torn up pretty badly. (We are both allowed 2 pieces of luggage each for our flight, and we're certainly taking advantage of this, since most of our worldly possessions that were not shipped will be stuffed in our suitcases.)
Anyway, my new suitcase is from Eddie Bauer and it seems good and sturdy and should last a good long time. It's not quite as nice as the Samsonite hard-shell that Lance bought a month ago, but the important thing is, I can pull it.
FIVE WEEKS FROM TODAY, WE ARE MOVING TO THE US.
I have fewer mixed feelings about this than I did 2 weeks ago. Buying a house helps. But it would also help if I actually knew some people in the area (not counting you LJ people that live in the area...although I've never met any of you in person). We were warned about this thing called "The Seattle Freeze," in which it appears that Seattle residents are standoffish toward new people in town (not unfriendly, but just not interested in becoming friends).
This article doesn't exactly fill me with hope:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.html
So who knows? Kent isn't Seattle. But it's close.
In other news, we have a washer and dryer picked out now. The laundry room at the house is so tiny that we had to measure the depth and width of the space in order to find ones that will fit. Some of them are too big. We also wanted an Energy Star compliant washer, and Lance was partial to the LG brand, but they cost upwards of $800. We found a GE one that has received great reviews overall, is still Energy Star compliant, and cost less than $600. And the corresponding dryer is less than $500. And they fit in that room. And the washer is front-loading, which I need because I will have to put shelves above both the washer and the dryer in order to store my laundry supplies (either that, or get drawers to go underneath them, which are sold separately and are not cheap). Still working on picking out a fridge, but I got the choices narrowed down to 2: one at Sears and one at Home Depot. We're still hoping the fridge will be left at the house when we move in, but it's not supposed to be (our agent asked if we could have it as a consolation prize for having to pay $5K more than the asking price for the house). All other appliances are included, but the microwave and dishwasher are as old as the house (1989). They are under warranty for a year after we move in, so I'm hoping they both break so they will be replaced without expense to us.
Anyway, we went to Schinnen so Lance could get bulbs to replace the ones that burned out in his daytime running lights. But true to Schinnen form, they didn't have any in the size that he needed. Color me shocked.
But it wasn't a wasted trip. Since my only decent suitcase got busted on the flight back from Seattle last week, I had to replace it (the handle that pops out to pull it got jammed and would not pull out, so I had to carry the suitcase, and it makes things very difficult).
I'm telling you people, it's one thing to be thrifty (as I am), but some things are just worth splurging on. Luggage is one of these things. I've gotten through my years here in Europe on a 5 piece luggage set that cost me $99 at Target, but the suitcases are definitely showing their wear and tear. So now I'm throwing out the one that got damaged last week and I'm keeping the largest suitcase of that set just for this next flight back to the States...then I'm throwing that one away because it's torn up pretty badly. (We are both allowed 2 pieces of luggage each for our flight, and we're certainly taking advantage of this, since most of our worldly possessions that were not shipped will be stuffed in our suitcases.)
Anyway, my new suitcase is from Eddie Bauer and it seems good and sturdy and should last a good long time. It's not quite as nice as the Samsonite hard-shell that Lance bought a month ago, but the important thing is, I can pull it.
FIVE WEEKS FROM TODAY, WE ARE MOVING TO THE US.
I have fewer mixed feelings about this than I did 2 weeks ago. Buying a house helps. But it would also help if I actually knew some people in the area (not counting you LJ people that live in the area...although I've never met any of you in person). We were warned about this thing called "The Seattle Freeze," in which it appears that Seattle residents are standoffish toward new people in town (not unfriendly, but just not interested in becoming friends).
This article doesn't exactly fill me with hope:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.html
So who knows? Kent isn't Seattle. But it's close.
In other news, we have a washer and dryer picked out now. The laundry room at the house is so tiny that we had to measure the depth and width of the space in order to find ones that will fit. Some of them are too big. We also wanted an Energy Star compliant washer, and Lance was partial to the LG brand, but they cost upwards of $800. We found a GE one that has received great reviews overall, is still Energy Star compliant, and cost less than $600. And the corresponding dryer is less than $500. And they fit in that room. And the washer is front-loading, which I need because I will have to put shelves above both the washer and the dryer in order to store my laundry supplies (either that, or get drawers to go underneath them, which are sold separately and are not cheap). Still working on picking out a fridge, but I got the choices narrowed down to 2: one at Sears and one at Home Depot. We're still hoping the fridge will be left at the house when we move in, but it's not supposed to be (our agent asked if we could have it as a consolation prize for having to pay $5K more than the asking price for the house). All other appliances are included, but the microwave and dishwasher are as old as the house (1989). They are under warranty for a year after we move in, so I'm hoping they both break so they will be replaced without expense to us.
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no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 11:08 am (UTC)I really enjoy reading about your house and all of your plans for it, and I'm sure things will work out well in Seattle for you!
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 11:17 am (UTC)I have found that people in the area are really polite, but many of the people I talked to went well beyond just a smile and a hello. They actually stopped to have conversations. So perhaps the situation isn't quite as dire as the article would suggest. Of course, these people I talked to might also be transplants.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 08:38 pm (UTC)If I face that enough on a daily basis, it will turn me back into a wallflower. I didn't use to be this outgoing...it's something I had to work on.