Things

Shmauren is visiting this weekend from Boston!  Tonight we're meeting at Sweet Afton in Astoria to catch up, meet her new (to us) beau, and bring all the boys along.  Tomorrow night there are more festivities planned in Manhattan at some of our favorite old haunts, and I wasn't sure if I could go due to packing plans, but I think I'm in decent shape so after putting some time in during the day, I should be able to head out again.  Hike will probably stay home to study tomorrow, but that's fiiine.  Girl time-ish!  And then I can go home sort of early (maybe?) and see him later in the evening.  Exciting!  I think Sunday is unplanned, so probably I'll be packing and maybe we'll see some family -- tbd.

So everything worked out OK with the car, though it is totaled.  He is going to get a nice settlement check from the insurance company and bank that puppy, so we'll sign up for Zipcar for the foreseeable future.  We don't need the car too often -- mostly for trips to LI to see the family and the rare weekends away, so Zipcar makes more sense economically right now.  Plus, how fun to try a different car each time!  And it looks like we'll still have the insurance-covered rental through next weekend, so I can use the car to move with (thank god.)  I was very worried about that, since I plan to drive over some fragile things, all my hanging clothes, and drive over to meet the movers on the other end and let them in. 

I've packed a few boxes each weeknight this week, except for last night which was book club.  (We Talked About Kevin a lot.)  I'm nearly to the point where I can't pack more until a day or two before we go, so that's under control.  I was a little nervous because we're having issues setting up Time Warner since the current tenants' hadn't cancelled it, and now they have but for Feb 29 (they're supposed to leave tomorrow?) so we can't officially put in our order until then, which means we may not get an installation as early as we wanted, but OH WELL.  I mean, I'm annoyed, but at this point it's not worth worrying about.  If I have to miss some work, I will -- especially since I'm not taking any time off to move.

I should be low-stress, which I am, part of the time.  I'm also just super excited to go!  Oh, last weekend (I will get into that shortly) I had a few moments of trepidation and wondering if I was doing the right thing, but as soon as we got back home, the roommate was up to her usual nagging, moving my stuff around in the shower, laughing obnoxiously at everything on tv, etc., so I was like GET ME OUTTA HEEEERE.  It's so time.

The weekend in Amish Country was nice!  Very rural and relaxing.  We got in on Saturday afternoon, and our room had a really nice shower with two shower heads and a fireplace and a canopied bed and a porch swing, and it was nice and cozy.  We christened it right away (ahem) then had some snacks in the room (complimentary) then he researched restaurants and I got pretty and we went to a lovely Italian place.  We did get into a fight at dinner (as usual) because somehow we cannot talk about the future without fighting now, but it got resolved.  It seems when I try to broach the topic of "how can we make this an exciting thing and not a fight fest?" it seems like I am criticizing, and so then he gets mad?  I don't really get it.  I'm not asking him to propose right now, but I am asking him to stop telling me one timeline and then pushing it back, and also to stop being so MEAN about the thing.  Or you know, be more sensitive to the fact that I compromised on living together and I want this to be something to look forward to.  Whatever, it seems better since then.  Somehow everything I was saying on the topic sounded like pressure to him, which I don't understand.  But it's better.

Sunday we drove around the towns and looked at farms and tried to find a market (but the Amish won't sell on a Sunday) and had lunch at an old brewery then did an Amish buggy ride and bought a Christmas ornament souvenir and then went to a fantastic seafood restaurant (go to one if you have one near you!) and then back for some romance.  Romance has been tough with his school schedule and our winter blahs and everything lately, so I'm really happy we were all crazy for each other again.  PLUS HE'S GOT A NEW TECHNIQUE.  I won't elaborate, but it was very thrilling.  And then I also had a dream orgasm for the first time!  Anyway, it was good.  Then Monday we stopped at a few markets and a chocolate store on our way out of town, and we had an uneventful drive home.  It was nice to get away, but it went so quickly. 

So that's what's going on, folks.  Oh, apparently moving in together is a huge deal and he just wants to get through that first (um, meant in a less negative way than that sounded) and I've obviously not given it enough thought because I'm moving in first, anyway, and I'm thinking about all the details of setting up an apartment.  But yeah, I need to reflect on stuff like that more instead of being all "next challenge, please!"  But really, I'll have time once I'm settled in.  And I'm not going to change my mind, but just sort of see the significance or WHATEVER.  I do know I'm not ready to be engaged yet, and we're not ready together yet, so I think things are fine as they are right now.  I need to stop checking off items on my life to-do list, as always.

Happy weekends!