We have made it to Amarillo, TX. Home of the "Free" 72 oz steak dinner at the Big Texan! The dinner consists of a "specially cut 72-oz. top sirloin steak, a baked potato, salad, dinner roll and shrimp cocktail." The fine print states that you have to pay (currently $72) prior to beginning the eating challenge and if you finish in under an hour - your meal is free. Check out the "Facts and Stats" for some disturbing information.
On a more appetizing note... Our accommodations along the Syracuse - Albuquerque journey have been notably accommodating!
Drury Inn & Suites gets 5 stars from Dave and myself and here is why:
1) Free popcorn in the lobby at all locations.
2) Pet friendly completely - no charges, no questions.
3) Really comfy beds and nice bedding.
4) Fridge & microwave in all the rooms.
5) Waffle Maker at the free breakfast in the morning (Dave gives 2 thumbs way up).
6) You do not have to eat 4 and 1/2 lbs of cow to get a restful night of sleep.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Vanishing Cat
We stayed at a place (StudioPlus it is called) across from Wright University in Dayton, OH that has a kitchenette and was just so-so qualitywise - comfy bed but smelled weird. We were awakened from our very restful sleep this morning (5:00 am) to ravenously hungry kitties. After feeding them, I went back to sleep until the alarm at 7am.
At 7 we got up and were readying our things for departure. Dave and I took a load down to the car and retrieved the kitty valium from the car so that we could dose the kitties for our departure. When we returned to the room 5 minutes later... Snowflake was nowhere to be found... he had VANISHED!!
Now, I must emphasize that there were quite a few nooks, crannies, and cupboards he could hide in but we are essentially talking about ONE room with only ONE door which exited to a long hallway on the second floor of the hotel! We checked all the obvious places... cupboards, drawers, stove, refrigerator, freezer, under the bed, inside the box springs, all the obvious kitty hiding places. He was nowhere and after 30 minutes of searching we were starting to panic... Maybe he'd escaped into the hallway and stealthily made his way to the outdoors, craving the grass beneath his paws and the fresh air in his nose. Maybe he'd been kitty-napped by some evil-doer who wanted nothing more than to fuck with some cat people at 7am on a Sunday morning. Who knows...
Finally, after literally an hour plus of searching inside, outside, and even checking with the front receptionist for any "lost and found" pets :) - it was his big brother, ever the protector, that helped to locate the scaredy-cat named Snowflake.
As we pulled out and lifted the mattress and boxspring for the second or third time, Swayze stuck his head around the edge of the back of the nightstand and attempted to crawl UNDER the nightstand through a gap roughly 5'' high. Because Swayze is big boned, he was unable to actually get underneath the nightstand but of course in watching his ill-conceived attempt, a great big light bulb went off.
Sure enough, we moved out the other nightstand and tilted it up to have a look...
Tonight we are in Springfield, MO. Cozy at the (free popcorn in the lobby at all locations) pet-friendly (no charges, no questions) hotel "Drury Inn & Suites". Where will he find to hide tonight?
At 7 we got up and were readying our things for departure. Dave and I took a load down to the car and retrieved the kitty valium from the car so that we could dose the kitties for our departure. When we returned to the room 5 minutes later... Snowflake was nowhere to be found... he had VANISHED!!
Now, I must emphasize that there were quite a few nooks, crannies, and cupboards he could hide in but we are essentially talking about ONE room with only ONE door which exited to a long hallway on the second floor of the hotel! We checked all the obvious places... cupboards, drawers, stove, refrigerator, freezer, under the bed, inside the box springs, all the obvious kitty hiding places. He was nowhere and after 30 minutes of searching we were starting to panic... Maybe he'd escaped into the hallway and stealthily made his way to the outdoors, craving the grass beneath his paws and the fresh air in his nose. Maybe he'd been kitty-napped by some evil-doer who wanted nothing more than to fuck with some cat people at 7am on a Sunday morning. Who knows...
Finally, after literally an hour plus of searching inside, outside, and even checking with the front receptionist for any "lost and found" pets :) - it was his big brother, ever the protector, that helped to locate the scaredy-cat named Snowflake.
As we pulled out and lifted the mattress and boxspring for the second or third time, Swayze stuck his head around the edge of the back of the nightstand and attempted to crawl UNDER the nightstand through a gap roughly 5'' high. Because Swayze is big boned, he was unable to actually get underneath the nightstand but of course in watching his ill-conceived attempt, a great big light bulb went off.
Sure enough, we moved out the other nightstand and tilted it up to have a look...
Tonight we are in Springfield, MO. Cozy at the (free popcorn in the lobby at all locations) pet-friendly (no charges, no questions) hotel "Drury Inn & Suites". Where will he find to hide tonight?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Move to ABQ is Underway!!
Just a quick little post to my sadly neglected blog.
Synopsis - Friday we loaded the truck with the unbelievably helpful assistance of Larry, Jenny, and Frank. Jenny was the star of organizing and kept me on task - which I greatly appreciate - Larry, Dave, and Frank were the heavy lifters - way to go strong men! We JUST fit all of our stuff into a 26 foot Penske Truck over a 15 hour day of packing, cleaning, loading, and finally falling over into a coma like sleep for all of 6 hours before we were up and starting all over with last minute cleaning before hitting the road around 10:00am!
We drove for about 10 hours (traveling time 11-12 hours) through mostly good weather (torrential downpour on and off for about an hour outside of Cleveland) and minimal traffic. We landed in Beavercreek, OH (Hometown of my dear friend Jenny) with three very happy to be out of the car kitty-kats at 9:30pm! The sedative worked VERY well for about 8 hours today - we'll see how they do tomorrow since tolerance tends to develop quickly to the kitty valium.
Tomorrow we are on to Springfield, Missouri! I am letting go little by little of Syracuse and know that the real grieving process will only hit me once I am in ABQ and missing the ease, fun, and friendship of my life as a graduate student!
Anywho, much much more to post about on this and other topics but I must sleep and map the course for tomorrow!
Synopsis - Friday we loaded the truck with the unbelievably helpful assistance of Larry, Jenny, and Frank. Jenny was the star of organizing and kept me on task - which I greatly appreciate - Larry, Dave, and Frank were the heavy lifters - way to go strong men! We JUST fit all of our stuff into a 26 foot Penske Truck over a 15 hour day of packing, cleaning, loading, and finally falling over into a coma like sleep for all of 6 hours before we were up and starting all over with last minute cleaning before hitting the road around 10:00am!
We drove for about 10 hours (traveling time 11-12 hours) through mostly good weather (torrential downpour on and off for about an hour outside of Cleveland) and minimal traffic. We landed in Beavercreek, OH (Hometown of my dear friend Jenny) with three very happy to be out of the car kitty-kats at 9:30pm! The sedative worked VERY well for about 8 hours today - we'll see how they do tomorrow since tolerance tends to develop quickly to the kitty valium.
Tomorrow we are on to Springfield, Missouri! I am letting go little by little of Syracuse and know that the real grieving process will only hit me once I am in ABQ and missing the ease, fun, and friendship of my life as a graduate student!
Anywho, much much more to post about on this and other topics but I must sleep and map the course for tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Phase 1 of the Moving Process: To Lighten the Load, "Signage is KEY"
The two pieces of wisdom I gained from Phase 1 of the Moving Process were:
1) Lighten the Load
2) "Signage is KEY"
Our two-day "moving sale" was hugely successful despite weather conditions that included rain, rain, and more rain. However, people came in their rain-gear prepared to buy anything and everything that was not nailed down, including Dave's motorcycle and the plants in our front garden area. Far exceeding our wildest dreams, we sold at least 80% of what we put out and made a whopping $720!! Adding to the monetary profit was the solace we took in letting go of some major boat anchors including our snow related gear (shovels, snowblower, snowtires), a once used breadmaker, and a papasan chair. We also got rid of at least one hundred books (people even took the ancient engineering books from the free bin), some pieces of furniture, bags and purses, clothing, shoes, kitchen stuff, and the list goes on and on. People will buy anything!
The other, more practical lesson from the moving sale experience was that Signage is Key. On the internet, I found the advise: "Make sure the signs you make are large, clear and, if possible, waterproof. Use well made, creative signs because they will attract more buyers." Following this advice, I created weather-proof bright green poster board signage with clear information about the dates and address. Living near a busy intersection also definitely helped to draw more people.
Overall, the sense of relief and accomplishment that we took away really bolstered our spirits! Letting go of the old really frees you up!
1) Lighten the Load
2) "Signage is KEY"
Our two-day "moving sale" was hugely successful despite weather conditions that included rain, rain, and more rain. However, people came in their rain-gear prepared to buy anything and everything that was not nailed down, including Dave's motorcycle and the plants in our front garden area. Far exceeding our wildest dreams, we sold at least 80% of what we put out and made a whopping $720!! Adding to the monetary profit was the solace we took in letting go of some major boat anchors including our snow related gear (shovels, snowblower, snowtires), a once used breadmaker, and a papasan chair. We also got rid of at least one hundred books (people even took the ancient engineering books from the free bin), some pieces of furniture, bags and purses, clothing, shoes, kitchen stuff, and the list goes on and on. People will buy anything!
The other, more practical lesson from the moving sale experience was that Signage is Key. On the internet, I found the advise: "Make sure the signs you make are large, clear and, if possible, waterproof. Use well made, creative signs because they will attract more buyers." Following this advice, I created weather-proof bright green poster board signage with clear information about the dates and address. Living near a busy intersection also definitely helped to draw more people.
Overall, the sense of relief and accomplishment that we took away really bolstered our spirits! Letting go of the old really frees you up!
Monday, May 19, 2008
The 2000 Mile Journey Begins June 28th
Oh what fun it will be to drive across the country with 3 sedated kitties...
I have been contemplating our upcoming travel plans. Dave will be driving the big moving truck with Snowflake as the co-pilot and I will drive my car with Swayze and Dusty as my co-pilots. With some help from Google maps and intention to drive no less than 500 miles/day, I came up with the following tentative plan:
June 28th - Day 1: Syracuse, NY to Dayton, OH (543 miles; 8 hrs 40 min)
June 29th - Day 2: Dayton, OH to Springfield, MO (575 miles; 9 hrs)
June 30th - Day 3: Springfield, MO to Amarillo, TX (544 miles; 8 hrs)
July 1st - Day 4: Amarillo, TX to Albuquerque, NM (287 miles; 4 hrs)
View Larger Map
So, July 1st is our anticipated date of arrival in Albuquerque!! The last day of driving will be somewhat light so that we can arrive with time to upload and set up a place to sleep!
There is much to do between now and then - switch stuff from Syracuse and Troy, garage sale, pack boxes, clean, finish dissertation, play tennis & golf, sleep...
... all good things! I am getting more and more excited about the journey and new adventure in New Mexico!
I have been contemplating our upcoming travel plans. Dave will be driving the big moving truck with Snowflake as the co-pilot and I will drive my car with Swayze and Dusty as my co-pilots. With some help from Google maps and intention to drive no less than 500 miles/day, I came up with the following tentative plan:
June 28th - Day 1: Syracuse, NY to Dayton, OH (543 miles; 8 hrs 40 min)
June 29th - Day 2: Dayton, OH to Springfield, MO (575 miles; 9 hrs)
June 30th - Day 3: Springfield, MO to Amarillo, TX (544 miles; 8 hrs)
July 1st - Day 4: Amarillo, TX to Albuquerque, NM (287 miles; 4 hrs)
View Larger Map
So, July 1st is our anticipated date of arrival in Albuquerque!! The last day of driving will be somewhat light so that we can arrive with time to upload and set up a place to sleep!
There is much to do between now and then - switch stuff from Syracuse and Troy, garage sale, pack boxes, clean, finish dissertation, play tennis & golf, sleep...
... all good things! I am getting more and more excited about the journey and new adventure in New Mexico!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Notes and Observations on Moving
Sunday: Dave is golfing (in the rain) and I am multitasking in preparation for upcoming garage sale (May 31st).
Observations for future reference: One cannot subsist on only caffeine and chocolate. Real food is needed in order to avert marital conflict, general chaos, and rash decision making.
Action Item: Obtain real food. I am on my way to meet Dave and Jeong (in celebration of Dave's "best round of golf ever") at Alto Cinco - chips and salsa here I come!
Observations for future reference: One cannot subsist on only caffeine and chocolate. Real food is needed in order to avert marital conflict, general chaos, and rash decision making.
Action Item: Obtain real food. I am on my way to meet Dave and Jeong (in celebration of Dave's "best round of golf ever") at Alto Cinco - chips and salsa here I come!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
I will not burden you with the details of our adventure in Albuquerque house hunting. Such details are not digestible without the aid of a comforting, reassuring glass or wine or cup of coffee, either of which should be accompanied by chocolate.
As with all great adventures, the prize (a clean, safe, modern, beautiful house with a great landlord/owner) was made all the sweeter, and the recipients all the more grateful, for the trials and tribulations endured along the way.
Indeed, in the wake of sheer exhaustion and despair, we met victory head on and welcomed its generous embrace in the form of:
1) A backyard with grass, several full grown trees providing the perfect shade for a sunny day, which welcomes the presence of our felines and future canine friends.
2) The Sunflower Market (two blocks west of home). It just opened and is glorious!
3) TWO TENNIS COURTS located two blocks east of home - in a park with more grass, tress, playground, and wide open space for dog training!
Victory is so SWEET!!
As with all great adventures, the prize (a clean, safe, modern, beautiful house with a great landlord/owner) was made all the sweeter, and the recipients all the more grateful, for the trials and tribulations endured along the way.
Indeed, in the wake of sheer exhaustion and despair, we met victory head on and welcomed its generous embrace in the form of:
1) A backyard with grass, several full grown trees providing the perfect shade for a sunny day, which welcomes the presence of our felines and future canine friends.
2) The Sunflower Market (two blocks west of home). It just opened and is glorious!
3) TWO TENNIS COURTS located two blocks east of home - in a park with more grass, tress, playground, and wide open space for dog training!
Victory is so SWEET!!
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