The ups and downs of the Christmas week
I'll start this blog entry with last Wednesday the
21st because I can't remember the couple of days before that. I'm assuming that
either nothing happened, or it was so traumatic that I'm better off without the
memories.
WEDNESDAY:
Nothing happened... and when I say "nothing", that's what I mean. We were supposed to hear that my mother-in-law's car had been fixed and head down to Calgary to pick it up and drop off the rental. Well it wasn't the timing belt that had gone, it was the computer. A new computer couldn't be delivered until the following day. That was that. I sat around the house all day and relaxed.
THURSDAY:
The day started out with another call to the mechanic. The computer had come in, but the eprom chip was fried in the old computer and the guy didn't know that 'cause they never fry so now he had to order another one of THOSE and that would take a day to arrive and then... Okay - so no trip to Calgary again. I called Hertz and found out that the car was $59 daily, $259 weekly, but that we'd have to pay a penalty of $159 if we dropped it off at a different location. We'd already had the car for more than two days meaning that if we paid the weekly rate and could avoid returning it in Edmonton, we'd save money by keeping it. If my mother-in-law's car was ready within the next five days, we'd be in good shape.
FRIDAY:
Again, the day started with the mechanic call. The eprom chip had come in, had been installed, but the car still wouldn't start. "Might be the starter motor," the guy said. Bummer. Obviously, it wasn't going to be finished in time for us to get down and pick it up before Christmas. It would have to be the 27th (the 26th, Boxing Day, is a holiday in Canada.) Then we got the really bad news: When the shop closed at the end of the day, that would be it through the holidays until January 2nd! We decided that we'd just keep the rental - that $159 penalty for dropping it somewhere other than where we picked it up was absolutely galling. That night, we decided to go and see the Edmonton Oilers play the Los Angeles Kings at Rexall Place arena. (Please see pictures below.) The Kings looked pretty good through the first two periods but a lacklustre third period led to a 5.3 defeat for the Kings. Wendy was happy.
SATURDAY (CHRISTMAS EVE):
I think I did my last minute Christmas shopping. Again, I wasn't really paying attention - still suffering from "the fog" of moving. Christmas Eve was nice - mellow - relaxing - exactly what I needed.
SUNDAY (CHRISTMAS DAY):
Again, mellow and relaxing... still what I needed. Gifts were exchanged. Stephen and his family (my brother-in-law) came over in the afternoon. We all ate too much for dinner and more gifts were exchanged. My father-in-law got a really unusual game which we all ended up playing later in the evening. (Please see picture of "Polarity" below.)
MONDAY (BOXING DAY - U.K. AND CANADA):
I picked up a gift certificate on Saturday for Wendy so she could get skates. We decided we'd hit the stores with the other schlubs, pick up her skates, and then go skating. They didn't have the ones I had in mind for her at the Spruce Grove store, so we had to go to Edmonton. It was nice to head towards the city - civilisation. I'm looking forward to spending more time there when everything settles down. Skating was nice, and I only fell once. Wendy was a little wobbly, herself, having not skated in quite some time. Exciting stuff, eh? Don't worry... it gets better.
TUESDAY:
I woke up with the yen to skate so I went in the afternoon. You see, I'm determined to get past this beginning stage where my feet hurt. (For anyone who hasn't skated before, you tend to try to sort of grip with your feet, tensing up your arches, and your feet get tired fast and very, very sore.) I was out for about an hour at a local park where they flood the walking path and Zamboni it for ice skating. It was great, and I only fell twice - both times on my knees. (Boy was I glad of the knee pads I'd picked up when I bought Wendy's gift certificate - I didn't feel a thing!) As we were eating dinner, Wendy told me that she wanted to go night skating at the same place. We ran a few errands on the way, and hit the ice afterwards. Thing is that I literally hit the ice. Earlier in the day, I had figured out how to do those cool sliding stops where the snow goes up in the air... you know, hockey-style. I'd only figured out how to do it to the left, though. Wendy's feet were getting sore, so she sat down and started taking her skates off. I started going in slow circles and trying the cool, hockey-style stops to the right. On the first two, I just kinda turned - no stopping. The third time, my left skate hit something (the risk of skating outdoors, I guess), and, as I over complensated, I found myself falling backwards, sideways, and twisted. The pain when I hit the ice was like nothing I've felt before. I immediately thought I was going to be sick. I tried to jump back up (as you do), but I couldn't sit up. In fact, it would be about five minutes before I managed to turn over onto my stomach and push my way up onto my knees. I sat down on the ice leaning against a wall and started feeling dizzy and even more ill... and then I got the sweats. I definitely wasn't feeling right. I pulled my toque off (warm, woolly cap) and gloves and undid my jacket and started dumping snow and ice all over myself. While I was writhing around on the ice, three young girls had come over and were putting on their skates trying not to notice me. Well, as you can imagine, they were having a hard time with that. I looked at them and said, "hi, I'll be your entertainment this evening" as I half sat, half laid on the ice scooping the stuff up with an ungloved hand, now completely drenched as it melted on me. What a sight.
Anyway, it was probably another fifteen minutes until I managed to get my skates off and get to the car. I spent the rest of the night in relative agony and didn't sleep at all.
WEDNESDAY:
The day before, I had received a call from the moving company saying that we'd be able to get our stuff finally. We were to meet the driver at Canadian customs by the airport at 8am - too damned early, but it didn't matter as I couldn't sleep the night before anyway. Wendy had to drive because I could barely get in the car, let alone operate it. I had been warned by my father-in-law (who had tried to take our stuff through customs a couple of weeks earlier with a letter giving him power of attorney) to be prepared for the worst - that the woman there was, at best, uncooperative. Amazingly, we were in and out in ten minutes. (Maybe I really do have a way with people as Wendy's been trying to convince me...) The driver told me that he had to go and pick up the rest of our stuff from the bonded warehouse and that he'd meet us at the storage facility in about two hours. Wendy and I headed back to Spruce Grove to have breakfast.
I called the driver after breakfast to find out how it was going, and he told me there was a problem with the warehouse - that they couldn't find anyone to open it up - so he'd be at least another three hours. He told me to meet him at the storage facility around 1pm.
By 1pm, I was standing at the facility waiting. I decided to use the time to walk around slowly and try to loosen up my back. After a half an hour, I decided I'd better call to see where our stuff was. I talked to Hakkan who, I didn't realise, is the owner of the company. He told me that the problem was the Christmas break - that the warehouse needed 24 hours notice to open up and that, seeing as Vega Line hadn't given them 24 hours notice, they couldn't do anything until tomorrow. That was that. I went home and watched the Memphis Grizzlies beat the L.A. Lakers in a pathetic display of typical Laker basketball.
THURSDAY:
I woke up with my back feeling quite a bit better. I managed to get out of bed without any help (oh, did I forget to mention I had to get help the morning before?), and felt even better after a shower. The moving company had told us the night before to be at the bonded warehouse by 10am, sharp, and to ask for Dave. We were there by 9:30 just to be on the safe side. When I found Dave, he told me that there was a balance due of $1,507. Ouch! I figured that was for shipping on the stuff that had been left behind. Okay, so I guess I kinda knew that was coming. I had to split it up on two credit cards - the expense of this move was definitely starting to catch up with us. Shortly after I'd settled the bill, the other moving company showed up. (The driver who had been there on Wednesday had to leave for another job, so Vega Line had sub-contracted the job out to Provincial Movers based in Edmonton.) After a few formalities, they started loading the van, and we left.
The rest of the job went smoothly. I showed up, and they started unloading everything. I had them put studio-related stuff aside (and any film gear for "Due North"), and put things that I thought we might need towards the front. We had rented two 10x30 foot units. In the end, everything fit into one. I was VERY happy about that - that's $209 a month to go towards paying off this little adventure... and then they hit me with a bill: Another $1,270. THIS bill was for shipping the extra stuff from Oxnard. It turns out that the $1,507 had been JUST for the warehouse. Ouch! Not much to be done at this point, though. However, I soon found out that we'd completely tapped out all of our credit cards. My mother-in-law came through in a very big way and drove out to pay the bill. Thank you, Margo!! Jeez, how humiliating. Still, by the end of the day, our stuff was in storage and I even managed to get the guys to haul the studio gear back to the house and put it in the basement so I don't have to rent a van and move it myself. A big relief, there, especially with my back in the condition it's in.
... and speaking of my back, nearly five hours standing out in the cold (it was about -5ºC today... 23ºF) AND helping to lift a few things (it just kinda happened that way) really didn't help. By I got home, I could hardly sit down. After sitting for about half an hour, I'd stiffened up and couldn't stand up straight. I'm a mess. In fact I was so tired and sore that I decided just to come downstairs, write this blog entry, and go to bed. I've nearly finished the blog entry, and it's just after 9pm.
So a few things got dinged up and I couldn't find the dolly that goes on the camera track (so there won't be any tracking shots in "Due North" - bummer!)... but yet another loose end has been tied up. Also, on a happy note, I found out that Homes 4 Rent, the property management company in Oxnard, gave us all but $50 of our security deposit back. That's the first time anyone's actually withheld anything, but still, I had a feeling they were going to screw us. Anyway... now, it's just the minivan in Shelby, Montana, my mother-in-law's car in Calgary, and the situation with the rental car that need sorting out... and then I think we're in good shape!
Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta - the home of the Oilers.
The L.A. Kings on their way to a 5-3 loss.
How bizarre looking is that, eh? It's all magnetism. If you can find the game, I recommend it - called "Polarity". Be warned: It takes some practice.
I just liked this - a poster on the wall at the warehouse.
Tell 'em what's behind door number 4, Johnny. "It's everything you own!"
My life in three crates. (Actually, it was six - one wouldn't fit into the frame, and two were behind me.)
Pieces of my studio sit outdoors in subzero temperatures. I really hope this stuff still works.
Nothing happened... and when I say "nothing", that's what I mean. We were supposed to hear that my mother-in-law's car had been fixed and head down to Calgary to pick it up and drop off the rental. Well it wasn't the timing belt that had gone, it was the computer. A new computer couldn't be delivered until the following day. That was that. I sat around the house all day and relaxed.
THURSDAY:
The day started out with another call to the mechanic. The computer had come in, but the eprom chip was fried in the old computer and the guy didn't know that 'cause they never fry so now he had to order another one of THOSE and that would take a day to arrive and then... Okay - so no trip to Calgary again. I called Hertz and found out that the car was $59 daily, $259 weekly, but that we'd have to pay a penalty of $159 if we dropped it off at a different location. We'd already had the car for more than two days meaning that if we paid the weekly rate and could avoid returning it in Edmonton, we'd save money by keeping it. If my mother-in-law's car was ready within the next five days, we'd be in good shape.
FRIDAY:
Again, the day started with the mechanic call. The eprom chip had come in, had been installed, but the car still wouldn't start. "Might be the starter motor," the guy said. Bummer. Obviously, it wasn't going to be finished in time for us to get down and pick it up before Christmas. It would have to be the 27th (the 26th, Boxing Day, is a holiday in Canada.) Then we got the really bad news: When the shop closed at the end of the day, that would be it through the holidays until January 2nd! We decided that we'd just keep the rental - that $159 penalty for dropping it somewhere other than where we picked it up was absolutely galling. That night, we decided to go and see the Edmonton Oilers play the Los Angeles Kings at Rexall Place arena. (Please see pictures below.) The Kings looked pretty good through the first two periods but a lacklustre third period led to a 5.3 defeat for the Kings. Wendy was happy.
SATURDAY (CHRISTMAS EVE):
I think I did my last minute Christmas shopping. Again, I wasn't really paying attention - still suffering from "the fog" of moving. Christmas Eve was nice - mellow - relaxing - exactly what I needed.
SUNDAY (CHRISTMAS DAY):
Again, mellow and relaxing... still what I needed. Gifts were exchanged. Stephen and his family (my brother-in-law) came over in the afternoon. We all ate too much for dinner and more gifts were exchanged. My father-in-law got a really unusual game which we all ended up playing later in the evening. (Please see picture of "Polarity" below.)
MONDAY (BOXING DAY - U.K. AND CANADA):
I picked up a gift certificate on Saturday for Wendy so she could get skates. We decided we'd hit the stores with the other schlubs, pick up her skates, and then go skating. They didn't have the ones I had in mind for her at the Spruce Grove store, so we had to go to Edmonton. It was nice to head towards the city - civilisation. I'm looking forward to spending more time there when everything settles down. Skating was nice, and I only fell once. Wendy was a little wobbly, herself, having not skated in quite some time. Exciting stuff, eh? Don't worry... it gets better.
TUESDAY:
I woke up with the yen to skate so I went in the afternoon. You see, I'm determined to get past this beginning stage where my feet hurt. (For anyone who hasn't skated before, you tend to try to sort of grip with your feet, tensing up your arches, and your feet get tired fast and very, very sore.) I was out for about an hour at a local park where they flood the walking path and Zamboni it for ice skating. It was great, and I only fell twice - both times on my knees. (Boy was I glad of the knee pads I'd picked up when I bought Wendy's gift certificate - I didn't feel a thing!) As we were eating dinner, Wendy told me that she wanted to go night skating at the same place. We ran a few errands on the way, and hit the ice afterwards. Thing is that I literally hit the ice. Earlier in the day, I had figured out how to do those cool sliding stops where the snow goes up in the air... you know, hockey-style. I'd only figured out how to do it to the left, though. Wendy's feet were getting sore, so she sat down and started taking her skates off. I started going in slow circles and trying the cool, hockey-style stops to the right. On the first two, I just kinda turned - no stopping. The third time, my left skate hit something (the risk of skating outdoors, I guess), and, as I over complensated, I found myself falling backwards, sideways, and twisted. The pain when I hit the ice was like nothing I've felt before. I immediately thought I was going to be sick. I tried to jump back up (as you do), but I couldn't sit up. In fact, it would be about five minutes before I managed to turn over onto my stomach and push my way up onto my knees. I sat down on the ice leaning against a wall and started feeling dizzy and even more ill... and then I got the sweats. I definitely wasn't feeling right. I pulled my toque off (warm, woolly cap) and gloves and undid my jacket and started dumping snow and ice all over myself. While I was writhing around on the ice, three young girls had come over and were putting on their skates trying not to notice me. Well, as you can imagine, they were having a hard time with that. I looked at them and said, "hi, I'll be your entertainment this evening" as I half sat, half laid on the ice scooping the stuff up with an ungloved hand, now completely drenched as it melted on me. What a sight.
Anyway, it was probably another fifteen minutes until I managed to get my skates off and get to the car. I spent the rest of the night in relative agony and didn't sleep at all.
WEDNESDAY:
The day before, I had received a call from the moving company saying that we'd be able to get our stuff finally. We were to meet the driver at Canadian customs by the airport at 8am - too damned early, but it didn't matter as I couldn't sleep the night before anyway. Wendy had to drive because I could barely get in the car, let alone operate it. I had been warned by my father-in-law (who had tried to take our stuff through customs a couple of weeks earlier with a letter giving him power of attorney) to be prepared for the worst - that the woman there was, at best, uncooperative. Amazingly, we were in and out in ten minutes. (Maybe I really do have a way with people as Wendy's been trying to convince me...) The driver told me that he had to go and pick up the rest of our stuff from the bonded warehouse and that he'd meet us at the storage facility in about two hours. Wendy and I headed back to Spruce Grove to have breakfast.
I called the driver after breakfast to find out how it was going, and he told me there was a problem with the warehouse - that they couldn't find anyone to open it up - so he'd be at least another three hours. He told me to meet him at the storage facility around 1pm.
By 1pm, I was standing at the facility waiting. I decided to use the time to walk around slowly and try to loosen up my back. After a half an hour, I decided I'd better call to see where our stuff was. I talked to Hakkan who, I didn't realise, is the owner of the company. He told me that the problem was the Christmas break - that the warehouse needed 24 hours notice to open up and that, seeing as Vega Line hadn't given them 24 hours notice, they couldn't do anything until tomorrow. That was that. I went home and watched the Memphis Grizzlies beat the L.A. Lakers in a pathetic display of typical Laker basketball.
THURSDAY:
I woke up with my back feeling quite a bit better. I managed to get out of bed without any help (oh, did I forget to mention I had to get help the morning before?), and felt even better after a shower. The moving company had told us the night before to be at the bonded warehouse by 10am, sharp, and to ask for Dave. We were there by 9:30 just to be on the safe side. When I found Dave, he told me that there was a balance due of $1,507. Ouch! I figured that was for shipping on the stuff that had been left behind. Okay, so I guess I kinda knew that was coming. I had to split it up on two credit cards - the expense of this move was definitely starting to catch up with us. Shortly after I'd settled the bill, the other moving company showed up. (The driver who had been there on Wednesday had to leave for another job, so Vega Line had sub-contracted the job out to Provincial Movers based in Edmonton.) After a few formalities, they started loading the van, and we left.
The rest of the job went smoothly. I showed up, and they started unloading everything. I had them put studio-related stuff aside (and any film gear for "Due North"), and put things that I thought we might need towards the front. We had rented two 10x30 foot units. In the end, everything fit into one. I was VERY happy about that - that's $209 a month to go towards paying off this little adventure... and then they hit me with a bill: Another $1,270. THIS bill was for shipping the extra stuff from Oxnard. It turns out that the $1,507 had been JUST for the warehouse. Ouch! Not much to be done at this point, though. However, I soon found out that we'd completely tapped out all of our credit cards. My mother-in-law came through in a very big way and drove out to pay the bill. Thank you, Margo!! Jeez, how humiliating. Still, by the end of the day, our stuff was in storage and I even managed to get the guys to haul the studio gear back to the house and put it in the basement so I don't have to rent a van and move it myself. A big relief, there, especially with my back in the condition it's in.
... and speaking of my back, nearly five hours standing out in the cold (it was about -5ºC today... 23ºF) AND helping to lift a few things (it just kinda happened that way) really didn't help. By I got home, I could hardly sit down. After sitting for about half an hour, I'd stiffened up and couldn't stand up straight. I'm a mess. In fact I was so tired and sore that I decided just to come downstairs, write this blog entry, and go to bed. I've nearly finished the blog entry, and it's just after 9pm.
So a few things got dinged up and I couldn't find the dolly that goes on the camera track (so there won't be any tracking shots in "Due North" - bummer!)... but yet another loose end has been tied up. Also, on a happy note, I found out that Homes 4 Rent, the property management company in Oxnard, gave us all but $50 of our security deposit back. That's the first time anyone's actually withheld anything, but still, I had a feeling they were going to screw us. Anyway... now, it's just the minivan in Shelby, Montana, my mother-in-law's car in Calgary, and the situation with the rental car that need sorting out... and then I think we're in good shape!
Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta - the home of the Oilers.
The L.A. Kings on their way to a 5-3 loss.
How bizarre looking is that, eh? It's all magnetism. If you can find the game, I recommend it - called "Polarity". Be warned: It takes some practice.
I just liked this - a poster on the wall at the warehouse.
Tell 'em what's behind door number 4, Johnny. "It's everything you own!"
My life in three crates. (Actually, it was six - one wouldn't fit into the frame, and two were behind me.)
Pieces of my studio sit outdoors in subzero temperatures. I really hope this stuff still works.
Posted: Thu - December 29, 2005 at 08:16 PM
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Published On: Dec 30, 2005 03:33 AM
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Published On: Dec 30, 2005 03:33 AM