Moving day

Moving sucks. There is just no sugar coating it. In five years, I have accumulated way beyond what a single woman should own. It took ages to go through all my stuff, get rid of a ton of it and pack the rest into about 439 boxes. One slight complication is that I have a piano. Not just any keyboard. This is a full-sized console piano that weighs about 700 pounds. The thought of selling it was just too painful. It's like my pet.

I think this is the prime reason I had to bribe people to help me move with beer and pizza.

A group of my friends/co-workers loaded up the truck Sunday, right after my going away party the night before.

We started with some boxes, then my couch. My piano sat in the corner like an elephant we were too afraid to confront with less that full mental preparation. We finally got it onto the dolly, wheeled it to the edge of the sidewalk, practically dragged it through the gravel to the connecting sidewalk, went down the long side of the apartment building, down a shallow set of stairs, across a parking lot and up a ramp into the truck. I think every one of us was sweating out all the beer we drank the night before.

I nearly had a panic attack at least three times.

The next day, I drove the truck to Napa Valley, with two of my friends following me. A few people from my new job met us the next morning to heist the piano up another set of stairs into my new apartment.

It sits against a wall, with a few more scratches, but in tact. So now, with the help of Sean, Vanessa and my mom, I am pretty much moved into a cute apartment on the second level of a house right downtown.

Lessons learned: I have really good friends.

Summer craziness

Right after lofty promises of frequent posts last time I wrote, I have gone the longest ever without updating this blog. I have some good excuses. In the past two months, I've been all over and lots has changed.

Here are a few highlights:

• My friend Megan and I went to Los Angeles to celebrate my birthday. We went to the beach, went out, went shopping — you know, all the things you are supposed to do in L.A. It was fun to celebrate turning 29 by getting out of town.

• At the last minute, I booked a trip to Montana for my high school friend Jessi's wedding on Flatehead Lake. It took some masterminding, and a mix of trains, planes and automobiles to get there, but I made it. It was worth every kink in my back from wrestling my luggage from one mode of transportation to another.

• I've also been back and forth between Sebastopol and Napa a couple times. More about why later.

• I helped my friend Lakes edit his book.

• My friends Sean, Vanessa and I took a road trip to the Seattle area for the Fourth of July.

• I got a speeding ticket and had to take traffic school. Don't get me started.

• I have been ghost writing a book for another friend. (There will be more about this later as well).

• I have been going to open mic night at a local bar and recorded a demo record of six songs I wrote.

• I got a new job and moved to the Napa Valley.

• Right now I am in the airport about to board a plane back to Montana another wedding. This time it is Anna, who is one of my closest friends, who is getting married.

So there are my excuses. Not bad, huh?

Lessons learned: I've good at excuses.