Oh, Shenandoah

I’m bound to wander.

And now I’ve arrived at my new residence here on a street named Shenandoah Bend.

Said street as it appears in front of my apartment.

The actual moving part yesterday was every bit as bad as I imagined it would be and more. It took three trips in the Hash truck and several more in my driver’s car. When I moved here I brought two suitcases and mailed one box of stuff from Korea. I was astounded by how much crap I’ve accumulated in just three years.

A small portion of the move.

Making things more difficult was that it rained periodically during the move, necessitating pausing to wait for a break in the storm before making a dash up the hill to my new place. I hired four Filipino helpers to lug my heavy shit out to the truck then offload it in my new place. That included a refrigerator, stove, freezer, bed, washing machine, grill, and TV.

I was exhausted just supervising the operation.

Of course, the unpacking has been just as tedious and tiring. I’m probably 90% done now, but I’m going to need to get better organized I think. One of the big differences between here and my old house is that I have much less storage space available. It will all be fine once I get settled in and used to everything.

The boys are adapting to their new environment as well. I’m sure they don’t have a clue about what the hell is going on. After the dog walk this morning, Buddy tried to tug me back in the direction of the old house with a look of “where you going?” on his face.

As tired as I was yesterday I still went out for a few beers at Palm Tree. Took a trike back home and experienced what I expect will be a regular occurrence–the trike didn’t have enough power to make it up the big incline leading to my house. So, I guess I’ll be walking/stumbling the last couple of blocks home from now on.

There is a backway/shortcut I can take up to my place when I’m walking. Wouldn’t try it in the dark though.
The backside of my apartment as seen from the shortcut path.

This morning I went into Olongapo and had keys made. I needed extras for the front gate, front door (keys), and the maid’s room, which is now occupied by Inday and her boyfriend.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to. Sorry I couldn’t squeeze out a post yesterday. I did sleep great last night, hope that becomes a trend.

The way things look from my balcony just now.
Say wha? The way things were looking fourteen years ago. I didn’t have a clue then about what was in store for me. I still don’t, but I’m much better at living in the moment.

Alright then, we’ll try to get on with the new normal around here starting tomorrow. See you then.

So help me, God.

This too shall pass.

3 thoughts on “Oh, Shenandoah

  1. Maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were moving slowly, over several days. No?

    Anyway, congrats on the new digs. Smaller, but hopefully better.

  2. It is amazing how the amount of crap expands to fit your available space. LOL Nature abhors a vacuum (or empty space) I guess!

    While working in Taiwan, I spent almost two years in a company guesthouse in Taiwan, basically the size of a hotel room. When it came time to leave, I was like, “how in the hell did I fit all of this stuff in my room????”

    I guess that is a good thing about periodically moving. It does allow you to purge stuff that you dont really need.

  3. Kevin, spreading the move out was my intent, and then the internet people messed that up by installing my service in the new place ahead of schedule. There are some things I like better about this place, but honestly, I’m going to miss my old house. It was more convenient. No regrets though, the move wasn’t so much about money as it was maintaining my pride and dignity.

    Brain, yeah, I hear you. My intent has always been to minimize stuff. When China comes rolling in, I’m going to pack my suitcase and head on out. I’ll be leaving a lot more behind than I thought I would.

    Having said that, I’m already planning to acquire some more stuff to better accommodate the stuff I already have. Need some shelving in the living room and a clothes rack in the bedroom to start with. Ah well, living in a poor country and complaining about having too much stuff seems pretty messed up…

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