My Envigado & Jay Jay (plus my kitties in Lansing too)

Well, the apartment complex that I really wanted to move to with the cats has taken soooooo long to finalize all the verifications, that I've decided to take an apartment in the upstairs portion of a duplex. I sure hope this one works out. If the other place still wants my hard earned money, they have until 10AM on Monday to get in touch with me!

I always liked smaller arrangements. Apartment complexes seem to have weird management and weird rules. I know that there is one in Michigan that is always sending me email about rent/utilities/etc. Ummm... I live in VA. The person they want has a similar name, but completely different email. I know that I'd be really concerned if a complex was slack about verification for an application or couldn't keep my contact information straight, I'd be worried about how well they managed the facilities. Could they keep the maintenance stuff straight? Could they remember that I had paid my rent?

Good luck! Let us know what happens. You and Bob can share moving adventure stories.

Hoo! Gauntlet thrown! What's the duplex one like? I assume the kits are welcome there?

With the apartment complex on the South side of town, I am more annoyed than I am concerned. This is mostly because I have a new job where I am getting lots of work and I can't exactly keep switching the time I want off to move! *wishing there was an emoticon with smoke coming out its ears to insert here!*

The duplex is an upper half of a house about downtown-ish. It is owned by an insurance agent and his wife that even allow Pitbulls! The thing I like about this place is it has windows with kitty-perfect views. The sills are no more than six inches off the floor so they are even perfect places for kitty beds The down side to this place is that it is at the top of a narrow staircase. Any furniture that I can get in there will be what I can carry up that thing by myself, at least until spring anyway. I surely don't want to injure myself or any help I might get on an icy staircase

Sounds like kitty heaven! (As long as they don't run into the pit bulls. But I and my late beloved Shop Dog certainly approve of the open minds!) Moving, on the other hand, doesn't sound very peoples friendly. Can you make do until Shpring?

I'll be fine as I can get by on amazingly little...well, hopefully little I was amazed that this particular insurance agent didn't seem to mind pitbulls...that is most unusual, but welcome. Patty was a bit frightened for me at first since the people that lived below me were ARNI volunteers and were kicked out because they were irresponsible pet owners. When she found out that the landlord was an insurance agent that allowed them, she started getting excited for me...and probably happy that I'm moving out of her house!

Have you met and talked to this man and his wife? Even in these cutthroat days, I don't necessarily equate insurance agents (who are just people with jobs, after all) with insurance companies (which are soulless entities of evil ). My Grandad was an insurance agent and, while he was a practical man whose job gave him insight into both sides of the equation, he always advocated for his clients whom he considered his neighbors. (Okay that was about a hundred years ago, but still.)

I can sympathize with how frustrated you are about all this...........and I hope it all works out in the end. Moving is a huge hassle, in fact it's in the top 10 most stressful things you can go through in your life. At least the kitties are welcome in either place, and they're good for your peace of mind and sanity.

The insurance agent is the owner of the place that I and The Kitties will be living in. He is the one I have been dealing with directly he just seems a bit nervous and busy, but otherwise O.K.!

Now though, I'm back to being stressed about moving! I asked for three days off work to move and took special care for two of those days to be ones that I normally wasn't scheduled. This request was made a week before the schedule was made- AND I DIDN'T GET THE EXTRA DAY OFF!! What makes me stressed and a tad angry is there are some co-workers who routinely call in "sick" right before their shift and continue to remain employed!!

So frustrating when you strive to act with integrity and are forced to see slackers given a pass. Lesser beings would succumb to a *WTF* attitude and be tempted to take a pass themselves, but I know you won't.

What you WILL do (I hope) is rely on "the kindness of strangers". Ask your friends and family, and ask Patty to ask hers, to help you. This move can be done, in the time allotted, with help. There's no shame in asking for it when you need it, and you give others the op to do good deeds (which we all sorely need to do!). I wish I could be there!

If you have enough volunteers and vehicles to help you can move faster than you ever thought imaginable. The key is to have EVERYTHING packed and ready to go. My family moved once in only 3 hours but we had 3 trucks, six good strong friends, and ourselves and our car. And you would not believe how much stuff my mom had packed in that trailer we used to live in. (she is a major packrat with EXCELLANT space efficiency skills ) The guy would only buy our trailer if he could move in that night so..........we ended up moving into the house that wasn't painted yet in the inside, and had no carpet yet. But we managed.

Just had to pop in and say that I ended up getting next Tuesday off to move...today all the carpet covered kitty climbers go over!

So you got your extra day after all? AND moving progress is being made! Excellent!

Wait, now. What will the kitties climb on until they get to the new place?? Oh, yeah. You!

Oh yesh, and whatever kitty furniture she happens to have on hand.
Hos'd the move go so far? Just wondering.

The move has been made and me and all three kitties are in downtown Lansing. All three seemed to be really comfy with the place fairly quickly. We've been in there about a week now and only Envigado lets out the occasional yowl, but he seems to be o.k. At this place I don't have a linen closet but I do have an ample shelf for such things in the bathroom. I thought this shelf was a bit to high for the kitties to reach..., but Beans seems to think this is her kitty bed and has become quite comfy up there!

I don't have internet of my own yet so I won't be on as much for the next month or so. The last four years have been difficult to say the least and I will be adding such extravagances back very slowly. The library downtown would be a wonderful walk...if the weather wasn't so cold!

Just catching up with this. Happy to hear that you're move went fine and the kitties
are settling in nicely. I bet you're happy to have all three back with you. As to calling in
sick right before their shift, well at least they are calling in around here community service just don't show
up and they don't call.

Congratulations!!! Y'all finally have your own place, and are setting about making it truly your own (at least, Beans is! ). My guess is that Envigado may be doing the same with his occasional yowls -- kinda like a lion voicing his complaints and establishing territory with roars. Hopefully you'll have internet at home soon, but we'll all keep good thoughts for you as you adjust even if we don't see you as much as we'd like. The library walk will be great on nice days (may there be many!) and something to look forward to in Spring.

Talk to us when you can, love. Hugs to all of you!!

I am so glad everyone is settling in. And you finally have a place to call all your own again. Guess you'll have to get used to hairyied towels now. Maybe E was voicing a complaint that he never gets a turn to nap on clean towels on the shelf? Give the kitties hugs from me.

I walk to the library all winter long if the roads are too nasty for the bike. Just bundle up in layers, and strip when you get there. As long as there's a terminal with some space next to it you'll have a place to put those extra layers. Heck, I took 3 layers off and ended up putting one back on it's so chilly in here today.

I guess when I was thinking of going to the library, I was thinking of walking ALL THE WAY THERE with my laptop in tow...with cold weather. Sometimes I forget that the library has computers there- silly me

That first night we were all at the new place, Envigado seemed preoccupied with sniffing the floor. That was pretty cute, especially since I was expecting him to be in the carrier for the first day or two!

Gotta wonder if the previous tenants had furkids and E was sussing them out, sniffing the floor. Maybe he's yelling to demand they show themselves! Hopefully, after a while, when no interlopers appear, he'll conclude he's driven them off and be content to overlay own smells.

Yeah, no matter what us peoples do to rugs somehow our furkids know that other furkids were there ages ago, laying down scent that says "I was here!"

Envigado's settled in fine now and has even taken a few timid steps onto the top landing for morning coffee outside...I've missed doing that so much!

Also, one thing's just been settled for sure...I'll NOT be walking to the library downtown! On the way here, I got propositioned twice! Thankfully I can handle myself well! Just the same, I think I'll be driving to the Southside branch until I can get the 'net at home!!

Oh, no no no. No walking through dicey neighborhoods!! How's the public transport there?

Definitely not a good thing to get propositioned.......that situation has the potential to get scary. Hope you get 'net access at home soon!

Well, there are not really any dicey neighborhoods between mine and the one where the library is. The one where I was very mistakenly propositioned was right on Michigan Avenue in clear view of the Capitol Building!

Getting back to the kitties...

Bello and Envigado have returned to their old pattern of snuggling next to one another. This time its to share the sizeable sunspot that takes over my living area in the early afternoon. Once I get my apartment squared around, or maybe more honestly, my camcorder found , I'll share this picture-worthy moment!