I spent the last weekend packing up things into boxes I procured from Lowe’s. I did manage to hang out with my friends Kevin and Steve on Friday night, only to be negatively affected from a mix of intoxicants. I should have never opened that bottle of Yellowtail Chiraz! Ugh. I recovered enough on Sunday to complete everything necessary… until… I slammed my head into a corner walking full speed. There’s a skylight in the ceiling on the 3rd floor loft in the house. Normally I’m inclined to stoop whenever I’m up there. For some reason I was standing straight up in the space where the skylight is. My mind was elsewhere — as I soon realized when my upper right forehead made a giant THUNK sound. Lucky for me, my head if enormous and well crafted from solid skull. I winced briefly then went down to the ground. I quickly recovered and wobbled down the staircase into the kitchen where I filled up two glad sandwich bags full of ice. I returned to my room, turned down the lights, and decided the night was over. Minor whimpering ensued and I briefly wished my mommy was there.
The next day was much better. The giant knot on my head had gone down and I was determined to arrive in Minneapolis by Tuesday. I’m leaving for Mardi Gras on Friday so I really need to get two solid days of work in this week. After some confusion on my part about where the 25 Septa bus was, I arrived at a seedy U-Haul rental shop with two chatty women who were pitching all sorts of unnecessary things to me. The pitches included: insurance (bah!), storage in Minneapolis (for what?) and a wicker hat (I hate wicker!). By 4 PM I’d completely loaded the truck and was on my way with Chew sitting shotgun, albeit on the floorboard of the truck. He wasn’t interested in the passenger seat. Not enough room for his basset hound fanny, apparently.
I’d planned on filming the highlights of my trip for a possible podcast. I tossed out this idea after I realized there would be no highlights. It was quite the boring trip. I drove 8 hours and eventually stopped at a Motel 6 in Ohio. They’re pet-friendly at Motel 6. Good to know. Chew got a fresh set of pillows to sleep on and I managed to squeeze in 7 semi-good hours of sleepy time.
We were off and away the next morning. The drive to Minneapolis took an additional 12 hours to complete. I had to make 5 stops for gas along the way with an average cost of $65 per tank. Ouch. I sampled Salt and Vinegar pork rinds in Illinois. They were yum! Trust me on this. Chew also dabbled with the rinds, but I think the sour aspect confused him. He’s a simple dog.
Is there a shorter name for Minneapolis? Minny, perhaps? Well, when I arrived in Minny, I unloaded the truck in just under an hour in 20 degree weather. My apartment window faces the street, so I was able to toss my softer items such as bags of clothes, pillows and parts of my bed (!?) through the open window. My only massive item was the pinball machine body which probably weights 100 pounds. I treated it like a deadlift and had absolutely no problems. My IKEA sofa was no problem as well, although transporting my bed’s mattress is always a challenge to sanity. I assembled a few things here and there and then crashed once again.
The next morning I awoke at 6 AM because the truck had to be moved off the street by 7 AM. Parking outside is not permitted between 7 – 9 AM and 4 – 6 PM. I’d originally planned to return the truck that morning, but since this is a 6 day / 1430 mile limit rental, I figured I’d drive it to work instead. Why not? People I know here remembered that I’d driven into town and figured it was my truck. It could also be that I’m the only person using their U-Haul truck as a rental car, but eh, you do what you’ve got to do.
