Moving!

With the exception of my final walkthrough at my old place, I am officially moved!

The moving itself went a lot smoother than I expected.  This is my fourth move since graduating college and my first move since making the trek from Virginia last year.  Using a freight service for a long distance move really changes your perspective on moving.  Before last year, I always just used the "anything goes" method of packing.  "Just throw it in the back seat!"  "Don't wrap those pictures!"  "A laundry basket and trash bag ARE acceptable packing materials!"  When you have to use a freight service (like an Atlas or a Delta Van Lines), EVERYTHING has to be packed in boxes or they won't take it.  When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING -- including dirty clothes!  If it's not wrapped correctly, then they will charge you extra to crate it or they simply won't take it. Originally I had the "oh I'll just take it in the car" mentality but quickly realized that my car was too small for, um, basically anything.  Unless you're moving from a mansion, you have to share the tractor trailer with other people's stuff, so the moving company will tag it and then you hope it gets unloaded at your house (and not someone elses).  Fortunately I grew up in a small (slightly redneck) town in Maryland, so I put neon duct tape on every single box so that there was no mistaking my stuff.  Instead of hoping that I had made enough friends to help me move, I hired movers but I may have gotten over-zealous in this year's packing.

What resulted was a minor freak-out when I got to the new place and couldn't even see through the mountains of boxes.  My new place is a few square feet smaller but with a much different layout so there was a lot of "OMG WHAT DID I DO?!  ITS TOO SMALL!".  I unpacked the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom within the first 24 hours and then realized that it wasn't as small as I thought (and I'd be ok).

With all of my IKEA furniture, I figured I'd have a few fallen soldiers but I (surprisingly) had none!  The only hiccup I had throughout the entire process was with the furry one.  She has a new trick of opening cabinet doors from the front.  Unfortunately she hasn't figured out how to prop them open or open them from the back so she sometimes gets stuck.  On moving day, she got stuck in a bathroom cabinet for EIGHT hours at the old place.  Whoops.  Don't worry.  She recovered quickly with lots of treats.

I had a pretty strict budget for this year's move and I stuck pretty closely to it for all the major things.  I always forget though how much the little things add up.  For instance, you have to tip the movers (usually in cash and at a per person rate).  Also there's the household things like curtains.  Usually curtains are the last thing I buy but my new blinds are flimsy (read: see through) so they jumped to the top of the list.

All in all, I think the move was a success.  My new place has much more a 'neighborhood' feel and it's certainly quieter.  But that's to be expected when there isn't a freight train 500 feet from your back door.

Friday Favorites

Can I double plagiarize?  It's my blog so yes!  I stole Shannon's Friday Favorites...

I recently moved --- that's a whole separate post --- and I was so impressed by southern hospitality!

Seriously I talked about moving enough that everyone in the entire southeast knew.  Most of you reading this are probably in the mid-Atlantic region of the US and thus make up any excuse possible not to help someone move.  In fact, you've probably spent most of this past spring with your phone off for this very reason.  Remember The Oatmeal's comic about it?  It's funny because it's true!  But I can't even tell you how many people texted, called, and offered to help me from everything from packing to disassembling to transport and moving to reassembling and even rearranging furniture.  I just figured everyone was being nice pre-move but then people called and texted the day of and after!  Southern hospitality is real, ya'll.

Like I noted in my last blog post, I've been a little technology challenged recently.  In addition to these woes, I've been sick of all my standard wallpapers for my iPhone.  First world problem, much?  Luckily, the app Paper'd provides me with a little dose of modesty for the day AND provides both a matching lock/home screen:

People who don't know how their Facebook privacy settings work and allow me to see their entire life without being friends with them.  No, but for real.  This wasted like an hour of my day earlier this week.  For those of you who do not wish to be stalked by the bored and creepy --- (or worse, get robbed like one person who posted pictures of cash) --- Do yourself a favor and read this.

Last but not least is SUMMER!  I am so happy that summer is OFFICIALLY here.  Bring on the BBQ, baseball, beer, and FUN here in Atlanta:

Technology Fails Me.

Not me.  I prefer to use the remote control.  JK JK.

It's been one of those weeks months with me and technology.  Of course this happens as I am in process of moving so I can't respond to the moving company's emails, look up how to register my car in a new county, or post witty commentary on the move to Facebook.  In no specific order, here is a list of May/June's technology fails:

DVR - My DVR and TV have played nicely for almost an entire year without a problem.  Sometime in May, they decided that they no longer like each other.  Anytime I try to watch anything in HD (including on demand and recorded shows), the DVR box flickers with the "DVI" error and the TV adjusts resolution.  Some days I can't even get through a full episode of 16 and Pregnant without this occuring but other days it's flawless.  Maybe the DVR is sick of all the crap that I watch?

Dell Laptop - I was a sophomore/junior in college when laptops started becoming mandatory for students.  At the time, they told us to expect the life of a laptop to be about 2 years (if you were lucky).  I have owned my current personal laptop for approximately 4 years this fall.  It was a birthday gift to me from my boyfriend at the time and I was so touched that someone would spend so much money on a gift for me that I've taken extra good care of it.  I have never spilled anything on it.  I have never dropped it.  Except for the occasional Starbucks trip, it has stayed in my apartment mostly.  Over the last year, it's started having problems.  First the battery stopped holding a charge.  Then I started getting a lot of "disk checking" when I started up.  Now it's overheating.  I can use it for approximately a half hour at a time before it starts a shutdown cycle.  You call it inconvenient.  I call it effective time management.

iPhone - I went to a information security training last week and now I'm convinced that my iPhone has been hacked.  Symptoms?  Sporatic alert tones.  Dropped calls.  Failure to send/receive text messages.  Drained battery while I'm not using it.  When I shared this with Matthew, he made the same smirking noise that he makes when I inform him that I think I have diabetes/shingles/malaria and told me that it's more probable that I've downloaded a buggy app.  He does know my affinity for free apps.  (My current favorite is "Paper'd").

Work Voicemail - Can someone please explain to me how I never ever receive voicemail messages and the week that I receive THREE very important ones is the week that my voicemail stops working.  Dial number.  "Welcome, Megan!  Please enter your password."  Enter passcode.  "Please hold."  Busy signal.  Hang up.  Dial number again.  "Welcome, Megan!  Please enter your password."  Enter previous passcode.  "This is not your password.  Please enter password."  Rinse, repeat.  Luckily, this was easily fixed from FIVE help desk communications.  Problem?  My passcode started with a zero.  Why did the system even let me change it to that if it couldn't handle it?!

Random work software - There is one piece of software in particular that I have not mastered.  Things I've done just this past week that required outside support to resolve?  Locked myself out of it.  Submitted a time sheet for the wrong date and couldn't delete it.  Pretty much the only thing I have been consistent with is the string of expletives that I say while I'm using it. 

Given my major in college and work experience, I feel like a mechanic who has a problem with every car they own.  This list doesn't even include the random other things (like my conference call number at the office, my pharmacy rewards, an outlet in my bedroom) that aren't working.

Tuesday RAGE is back

Dear Leasing Agents and Landlords of Atlanta,

After spending the last two weeks visiting 17 apartment complexes and scouring Craigslist ads, I feel the need to enlighten you:

1.  If there is a freight train that passes within 20 feet of your apartment complex that blows an airhorn all night, disclosure is key.  I appreciate you hiding things like mold or bed bugs from me as I may or may not be affected but a freight train that blows an air horn once an hour?  Not so easily hidden, my friends.

2.  If Google reviews and apartmentratings.com both say that you have a bug problem, then maybe you should at least make sure your model apartment has been sprayed.  Moreover if I say "hey there's a cockroach on the wall back there", please don't respond with "are you sure that's a cockroach?"

3.  No pictures of your property?  Or worse yet, pictures of your property in winter?  Hey friends, it did not snow in Atlanta this past winter.  You do the math on the age of THAT picture.

4.  First and last month's rent?!  Are you serious?  No one's doing that anymore.  Either you're trying to make a large profit or support a drug problem.

5.  Be prepared for questions about crime and demographics.  You may think that "it backs up against a wooded state park" sounds great but all I hear is "and then the serial killers can attack you and retreat back into the woods of the state park."

6.  If I comment to you about things I don't like about the property, don't try to give me a workaround.  For instance --- "hey I can see right onto that neighbor's balcony from mine.  I could basically spit on him."  An appropriate response to this is not "yeah you can just put up a bamboo curtain."  For what?  So we can play peek-a-boo?

7.  Don't play car salesman on me.  I want to know the bottom line of what I have to give you in a check each month.  Don't tell me that the rent is "really low" and then tack on fees for trash and sewer and water and the key fob and your latest raise.  Tell me what how much I need to write a check for at the end of each month.  Period.

8.  I know that your little sales training probably told you that it's easier to make a close face-to-face.  However if I email you asking about a specific apartment that is available on your website, it's because I want to know  if it's actually available and in my price range.  If you're going to tell me to "come in and sit down" then why bother having an email address at all?

9.  Offering me a Diet Coke?  Nice touch.

Until next time,

Friday Favorites

Internet, I hate to say it but I was actually pretty boring this week.  Does boring mean that I'm becoming a real grown-up?  I hope not --- maybe I need to introduce some binge drinking into my life just to ensure that doesn't happen.  My days were busy and filled with work and my evenings were filled with the continuing search for apartments.  Whenever I needed a laugh, this VT-themed website served its purpose:

On Saturday I have the great privilege of presenting to the local Systers Meetup about IT Audit and why it's important, how I got into it (minus the compensation part), and how it affects what you do (do you like online banking, for instance?).  Systers is such a great email community of women in computing sponsored by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.  I've been a member since 2007 when I attended the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing as part of the Association for Women in Computing at Virginia Tech.  In my Computer Science graduating class of 99 students, I was one of 4 women.  I was the only woman in many of my classes and I expected the workforce to look like that too.  I can't describe how shocked I was at GHC to see thousands of women and the great things they were accomplishing.  The conference's namesake, Grace Hopper, was a brilliant woman with a hilarious personality:

Callie has been quite vocal lately...maybe she is angry that she's not getting enough attention on my blog?  Actually it's probably because I'm not paying enough attention to her in real life.  Like a true parent, I decided just to buy her affection.  She is enjoying this contraption that I purchased for almost half off and is as tall as me!  It's been keeping her quiet and also from sleeping on my furniture so I'm enjoying it too!

Beating the Homesick Blues: Thanks!

I am overwhelmed by the amount of support I have gotten in the last few days from friends, family, and people that I didn't even know read my blog!  I have a bit of a hard time reaching out for help sometimes and I can't express my gratitude to those of you that texted, Facebook messaged, called, emailed, and gave me hugs!  I just hope that I meet someone struggling with homesickness some day and can pay it forward.

Beating the Homesickness Blues: First Holiday

If you've spent any time talking to me, texting me, emailing me, or even looking at my Facebook status, then you would know that I've been struggling with the big H.  That's homesickness, not hemorrhoids, Internet.  I'm aware that pretty much everyone from my life (DC Metro and Atlanta) is tired of listening to me complain about it and one brave soul today challenged me asking what exactly it was that I was so homesick over.  (Note if this isn't funny enough for you, don't click the line break and read on.  I'll post a regularly scheduled rage entry tomorrow for your entertainment.)