I need house elves, or maybe just a portkey

8/6/2002

I spent most of Monday packing again, and freaking out. Also sweating a great deal. It went up into the mid-nineties Monday, and of course we still don't have an air conditioner. It's phenomenally funny to me that although I'm moving farther south, I'm hotter in Boston because air conditioners just aren't as common. Wild.

I had a phone interview with the Georgia State archives Monday afternoon -which went well, I think - and then Jennifer came over to have a late lunch with me one last time. She took me out to the Brown Sugar Café right down the stree6t, where I enjoyed Thai food one last time. I had Brown Sugar Jade Noodles. Jennifer had Pad Thai. We caught up on a great deal of gossip about people we used to live with in the dorms, and of course about each other. It made me so happy to see how much Jennifer has changed in the past two years. She's so much more comfortable with her body than she was when I first met her, so much more happy. She's moving to D.C. next week, and I think it's a great move for her. D. C. is such a nice place.

After the pleasant afternoon with Jennifer, I was shocked by the moving van company. Budget/Ryder rentals had confirmed my online reservation for the truck to be just under $800, but when I went down to the place yesterday afternoon to check on a few details, I found out that I have to have just over a grand today to even get the truck off the lot. I expected them to hit me with some fines, but over $200 worth? Plus I need a place to sleep Wednesday night somewhere in Virginia, plus I have to eat, plus - a million other things! Gas! Batteries for my CD deck! Well, I have faith that it'll work out, but I have to find about $300 before 2 o'clock today. I've been in worse spots; it'll all work out, I'm sure. Magicly there was a check for $35 in my letter box yesterday from Devon, the web editor of Scribbling Mob. That should at least get me a tank of gas and dinner on the first night. Thanks Devon; I'll think of you at the BP station where the money will be spent.

Last night I made Aral a special birthday cake, a chocolate torte that had the cake layers separated with both chocolate and amaretto whipped crème. I meant to spend the evening packing as well, but thank goodness Aral and I talked each other into sitting around watching Harry Potter and eating good food. In addition to the cake we had both leftover nan from out Indian feast and leftover pinwheel from the night before. Getting a little tipsy and discussing Harry Potter was so very pleasant. One last evening of critiquing popular culture and getting silly with Aral was a good thing.

Now I just have to get everything in order by 11 tonight, so I can hop in the truck at dawn and drive down the eastern seaboard for two days straight. Wish me luck…