quand même

nothing to do

All of last week's visits went very well. I was about the Worst Hostess Ever(TM) for both couples...didn't really cook a thing, and I basically just sent them blindly into the city with maps and walking tours. Fortunately neither couple seemed to care, and I think they all enjoyed their visit.

My parents, on the other hand, got caught up in the French-American slave trade (according to my brother). My dad did so many little tasks in our apartment that we all lost track. You know that big renovation project that we undertook last year? Well, we got to a point where we were quite happy with the results, moved our stuff back into our rooms, and have just been living happily in our much-better-than-before home. Dad, of course, sees little details all over the place that were leftover trim from the previous owners' big renovation projects...stuff that we've barely even thought twice about since moving in. These things (like missing baseboards in a three-inch section around a door frame, or a three-cubic-inch chunk of concrete missing at the bottom of the arch in our living room, or the area behind the toilet that isn't all quite tiled) are now done, or at least much-better-than-before. He also painted our entryway and bathroom. We're thrilled. Samy has to still do the woodwork around our bedroom door, and a few other odds and ends...but overall, Dad accomplished in 4 days what it would have taken us a month to do. (Well, not really...because we wouldn't have even noticed that a lot of it needed doing...but you get the idea.) Go, Dad!!

They left, and I've spent the last two days preparing for our move. The goal was for everything to be well enough organized so that when we get to the desert to unpack, everything will be packed with some sort of logic. You can never really count on movers to do that for you--especially when stuff really is "all over the place". So we spent a lot of time throwing things away, and putting glasses with glasses and books with books. We also had to put aside all of the stuff that we can't bring with us...like food, and almost anything electrical. So we've been working hard.

Today, though, the movers came. And I can't do anything! I just have to sit here and watch them as they put all of our nicely-organized possesions into boxes. They're protecting everything nicely, and all of the furniture is very well wrapped...including our enormous sofa-bed-that-I-hate. I warned them that when we moved in here, all big furniture was handled by some very cheap local movers (no regrets) and we didn't wrap any of it. We didn't have to--we were ony moving about 200 yards. Once they got here--they were glad it wasn't wrapped, because that's about the only way we managed to get some things up the stairs and through all required doorway maneuverings. When I say "some things", I'm mainly talking about our bed, the sofa-bed-that-I-hate, and Samy's piano. Our bed is a california king-size, which is takes up about twice the volume of a typical french bed. The sofa-bed-that-I-hate is probably no worse than any other sofa-bed...but really, could those things BE any more awkward? And Samy's piano? Well, let's just say that when we first arrived in France and unloaded our container, we got to the very back where the piano was, and the movers looked at us and said, "Oh you WOULD have to have THAT model...the HEAVIEST and LARGEST upright that Yamaha makes..." Bringing it into THIS house, there was about a centimeter of slack getting it into our door. So I suspect that they're going to be in for a big let-down after they get that puppy all wrapped up and try to wheel it out of here. But they won't be able to say that I didn't warn them...because I DID...in FRENCH...THREE TIMES.

So I'd say that I've done my part in this move...and I realized that for the first time in a long time, I have absolutely nothing to do. So I'm writing in my blog.

Well, I was. Now I'm done.

Posted by amy at July 4, 2005 12:13 PM