San Antonio, Issue 1

A chronology of our San Antonio experience thus far.

July 26th, 2005 Day One.

All is well so far. Jen and I departed Mission Viejo this morning within thirty minutes of our scheduled departure. The movers packed everything into the truck yesterday so this morning it was just a matter of getting in the car and putting the hammer down. Tears were minimal. This is a good day.

July 27th Day Two

We made it as far as Las Cruces, NM last night—we're about halfway there. Since we're ahead of schedule, and our furniture isn't scheduled to arrive until August 3rd, we've decided to head to Carlsbad Caverns today. It will be a short day compared to yesterday and I am looking forward to seeing one of the sights Chris and I missed on the Year 2000 Road Trip Extravaganza!

July 28th Day Three

We stayed at the Bates Motel last night and lived to tell the tale. When I called enroute to make our reservation, I asked if they had any vacancy for that evening. I found out when we arrived why the girl on the phone chuckled a little when I asked her that question. It's not that it was an old hotel in disrepair, or there weren't any other cars parked out front…actually it's a lot like that. It was actually a Best Western, only 7 miles from the entrance to the Caverns. That distinction earns them $100/night for a motel that should probably be collecting about $30.

July 29th Day Four

We rolled in this evening just after six, too late to get the keys to our apartment, so we had to stay at the Hilton. A welcome upgrade after the Bates (and ironically not that much more expensive).

July 30th Day Five

Home at last. Our apartment is brand new. Although the complex is three years old, this unit has somehow never been lived in, although someone is receiving mail at this address. It's by far the nicest apartment I've ever rented, and in another turn of irony, cheaper than some I've rented as well.

July 31st Day Six

We got tired of sitting on the floor or standing all the time, so we went to Wal-Mart last night and bought some resin patio chairs. Eventually they'll work perfectly out on our balcony, but for now they are our dining room furniture. It got a little boring last night, so I proposed to Jen to spice things up a bit. I hope our furniture comes soon, I wasn't planning on getting married in Texas.

August 1st Day Seven

It's been a week now since we left sunny California for sunny Texas. Today was the first day of work for both me and Jen. So far, so good.

August 2nd Day Eight

According to our contract, the movers should be arriving no later than tomorrow with our furniture. I call them every day to check up on things. The truck is still in California and they don't yet have a driver assigned to it. I figured it wouldn't be here by the 3rd, but hopefully it will arrive by week's end.

August 3rd Day Nine

Work is going well, moving van still in California. The resin chairs were fun for the first couple days, but now our asses are getting sore. We've regressed back to the floor most of the time except for eating. It might also be time to invest in a new air mattress. The one I brought has always worked fine for me in the past, but I've never used it for five consecutive nights.

August 4th Day Ten

I lost my sunglasses today. Actually, I think it would be more accurate to say they were stolen, but I can't prove anything. Yes, they were expensive. My only consolation is that the site I work for is on a 9/80 work schedule, so we get every other Friday off. I picked the perfect week to start because tomorrow is a 9/80 Friday off! I was hoping I would be able to unpack my new 37" LCD High Definition television, but that is not likely. I'll check in with the movers in the morning and then we're off to Austin for the day. We did buy a new air mattress—an Aero bed—and it's much firmer than the old one, so we should sleep well tonight!

August 5th Day Eleven

I hate this Godforsaken place. Allied has assigned a driver to my shipment finally. He is scheduled to leave California on the twelfth—SEVEN DAYS FROM NOW. By their estimates, he won't be here until the seventeenth. I mention at this juncture the movers name ALLIED because I wish to soil the shit out of it. Those bastards have my TV and, for all I know, it's because of them that I lost my sunglasses yesterday.

August 6th Day Twelve

I've had just about enough of this pseudo-camping bullshit. Allied is sending us $500 for our trouble. It will cover most of the stuff we've had to buy to survive in this empty godforsaken apartment, including the new Aero bed, which I'd like to shove up their tractor-trailers.

August 7th Day Thirteen

We checked into the Radisson. I'll get back to y'all when my furniture arrives.