Ahem. Is this thing on? Good. Some vacation. I didn't even lose TU status all the while I was away. Well, with that out of the way...
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What I Did on My Forced Internet Vacation
Good evening, live from the new VC3 Compound in Southwest Charlotte, North Carolina. And it’s all mine! MINE! Okay, well, I’m renting at least. But I made it in one piece.
Still, the adventure was in getting here, as always. Let’s give you a daily summary of the highlights of The Biggest Move in My Life.
SATURDAY, JULY 31:
Watched “Point Break” that evening, because I wanted to watch one more movie before I left Maryland and that was the only one I was interested in at the time. This, while beginning to pack up clothes and junk. Okay, so I watched “Private Parts” too, because it came on later that night on HBO. And it wasn’t a midcore porno.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 1:
Shut off TV and disconnected from FiOS at 4:30am. Started serious effort to pack, which lasted until about 8:00am, where I took a nap for an hour. Then, finished moving carts and boxes out of my room. Went to pick up the rental truck at 11:30am, returned and finished cleaning out. You Know Who and Friend show up to help load truck—couches, large HDTV set (Mom’s), Sofa/Loveseat (now mine), dinner table (now mine) and other boxes. By 5:30pm, I left that apartment, never to return.
Drove up to Randallstown, where we unloaded Mom’s stuff into a den at her friend’s house (not You Know Who’s)…couldn’t move the Big Chair she liked into the Den—and now I have Big Chair. By 7:30pm, we’re done. I had an option of going back to the apartment in Laurel, but instead I opted to hit the road. One last sunset, and I was off at around 8:20pm.
And then, I forget my insulin. Luckily, Mom calls me as I’m going down backroads (the truck had a mileage limit, so I took short routes everywhere) and I meet her up at a Safeway outside our old home in Silver Spring. This would be the last we’d see of each other. I still get choked up seeing her face as she told be to “be careful out there”.
By 10pm, I’m over the border into Virginia. By 11pm, I’m hit by a speeding tractor trailer…well, the low side of the mirror, anyway, luckily for me. I was a little bent out of shape for a bit, but eventually nothing came of this, thanks to a really nice and hungry fellow at the rental truck facility where I made the drop for the truck a week ago. Thanks, dude! Hope you had a great lunch with the Jackson I spotted you! (That's no sarcasm; this man saved us $200 for a mirror replacement, and I basically made sure he was fed by sacrificing 10% of that. BARTER FTW!)
MONDAY, AUGUST 2
Drove through Central Virginia all night and into morning; stopping in Falwellville—that’s Lynchburg, home of Liberty University, and a pathetic small airport named after him (not Lynchburg Regional), for gas and a snack. Made it to Charlotte and to apartment complex by 7:20am. Rental office: open at 10am. Waffle House, then a short nap, then into rental office…only to find they don’t take personal checks, AND I still had no power in apartment anyway—by law, they won’t give you keys to a place with no power. With that day’s move in screwed…I retreat to a motel next door to the apartment complex. Worst. Hotel Stay. Ever. For $40, I got to stay in a room that smelled like piss, and was roach infested. Shudder. At least the energy thing was taken care of over the phone.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3
Checked out of the Hell Motel (it has a brand name, but…I don’t want to embarrass them. However, if you look at map of Charlotte, specifically Exit 4 on I-77, and see the one with the K? That’s the chain. Also, I live right next to the little lake to the north of there)…went to Food Lion to pick up a cash transfer, then to a SunTrust to get another bit of cash, to combine into a money order (no cost at SunTrust, thanks!) that I gave to the landlord. 1:32pm: FINALLY. INSIDE THE APARTMENT. And the movers, who we paid $80 for a projected 2-hour job, did so in 30 minutes, and did fine.
So, that’s the story. If you want to know how I got back online? That’s simple. Mom conference-called me with some company that does wireless internet, and set my account up. That was yesterday. 24 hours later, they ship the modem. 36 hours later…I post a Vent-Hole.
It’s so good to be home. Also, it’s great I have my own place.
PEOPLE OF THE VENT-HOLE: The Betty White Phenomenon graces its presence upon the Craig Ferguson stage tonight...in a sketch. Also, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and musical guest Julie Gribble. This is from TV Guide--I have no real TV until Monday...when they get here with my dish.
Well, this is nice: Combo of the Intro&Mono into one easy clip. 15 minute clips FTW!
David Duchovny:
Dave Barry: