Although my brain is a mud puddle right now--after running around like a crazy person the last couple of days trying to get as much done as possible before returning to Maryland--just a few anecdotes that need to be...downloaded...from my brain before they disappear forever...
--Even though it's not quite mid-June, it got hot enough here to thunderstorm on Monday night. (I'm sorry, what I meant to say was: "torrential downpours accompanied by booming thunder and dazzling flashes of lightning"...) Then today, as I was leaving the house to run a quick errand (blithely ignoring the helpful text alert that I had just received about Flash Flooding--"Eh, it's not even raining yet, how bad could it possibly get?" she wondered unconcernedly...and unwisely...) it started to HAIL. Visibility dropped to, oh, approximately -5 (yeah, that's when you can't even see past your steering wheel...ask a meteorologist...) and chunks of ice began dinging off my roof and hood. Jeez, Louise, they're serious about weather down here!
--Yesterday, I met with a wallpaper-remover-guy and a painter. I liked both of them, so I decided to go ahead and schedule the work. Mr. Wallpaper had left me a voicemail saying he could start Thursday, but when I tried to get in touch and give the green light, his phone kept informing me that it wasn't accepting messages. Since I'm also leaving on Thursday, I wanted to get this set up, and thus was feeling frustrated. So I called Mr. Painter and told him my dilemma. He chuckled kindly. "You're from Maryland, right?" he asked. Um...yeeeessss? "They do things differently up there," he said knowingly, "but if he already said he'd do the job, he will." He continued, "After you've been here a while, you'll get used to it." Ohhhh, I get it...basically you're telling me in the nicest way possible that the stressed out Northerner doesn't need to worry about it, and can just relax? Alrighty then! (I should have known I was in a different world when NONE of the contractors I interviewed asked for any money up front. They're all okay just sending me a bill when the work is completed....this is a totally foreign--but not at all unwelcome--concept to me...I could get used to this...)
--So, having hired my crew, I headed back to Target and Home Depot for supplies. Target was fine, although more expensive than my usual, everyday trip of course. (10 curtain rods will do that!) However, when I tried to check out at HD, my card was declined (nowhere even remotely close to my limit, I promise). Granted, the total was...shall we say...somewhat scary...but what the HECK? Then I got the email about possible fraudulent activity on my account...Ah, yes! They must think I'm some kind of...interior-designing-identity-thief...or something. Well, thanks very much for the embarrassment at the register, MasterCard, but it's just ME, attempting to outfit my new house. It never occurred to me to inform you ahead of time that I'd be traveling and making purchases...in North Carolina! Sheesh. I promise, all I'm buying tomorrow...is lunch on the road!
For now, it's so long, Southland. But in less than 2 weeks, Team WestEnders will return in force...and then you'd better watch out, 'cuz we're gonna start...acting like we live here!
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