Back & forth, and forth & back...

OK. I think I finally have a plan for the move. Finally...

I think.

So, Flip Flop and El Dub are bringing their SUV and trailer and have miraculously talked another couple (with a truck) into making a weekend of it. Great. More room and flexibility in how things get to Bend.

So, we'll pack them up and send them off on Saturday. They'll have all the furniture and house-type stuff so they can park the truck and trailer at the Bunkhouse and go off to Bend and have fun for the night. Lucky them...

RR and I, on the other hand, will stay behind and clean the beach house. Oh, joy. Can't wait...

On Sunday, RR and I will pack up the hay, the horses and the pups and head for Bend, dropping RR's car off in Salem. We'll get the stuff unpacked once we get there and then RR can hitch a ride back to Salem with the Parentals.

And this means I don't have to keep driving back and forth from the coast to Bend.

Yay, me!!

I think it's a good plan. Don't you?

More stupid than you can shake a stick at...

I've talked about the dumb decisions this company makes on a regular basis, so what I'm about to tell you may not actually be a surprise... but I feel compelled to tell you anyway.

I am leaving in 3 (basically) days. Done. Finished. Never coming back...

When I first gave notice, they promised to have someone here on this Thursday and Friday so I could get my final issue of It's Happening done. OK. Great.

But no one is actually coming on Thursday or Friday. So, I get to try to deal with the demands of the paper plus get TPIHMTLI (the project I hate more than life itself) done. And because I actually have standards and integrity (2 very foreign words to the owner) I will try my best to actually get it all done before I go. Which means overtime. And a lot of it.

But that also means money. Not as much as I would want, but time-and-a-half for at least part of it.

But still. What are they thinking? That the paper and ads will just magically make themselves next week? Because as of this moment, at 8:33am on Wednesday, the Publisher still has no idea who will be filling in on the production side of things.

Is it just me, or does that seem slightly problematic?

The best part? It's not my problem...

(yes, I am totally giggling right now)

Worth the hype...

If you haven't watched the last Harry Potter movie on the big screen, go out and do it. It's a great movie and definitely worth the money to see it in the theater...

And there are not that many movies I would say that about...

I'm tired...

It was a long (but good) weekend with the Bf and the Bff. Being with the Bf and the Bff is not what made it long, however. Having cramps made it long (and very uncomfortable).

To that end, I tried drinking away the cramps on Saturday and it was working great until I woke up with cramps and a hangover on Sunday. Those damn cramps are persistent...

So, instead of really blogging I'm going to post cute animal pictures instead. That gets me off the hook for a day, right?

Right.

This is stupid.

I'm totally not participating...

Wait. How did I get in this blog? My mistake...

I'm totally cute and deserve to be featured...

I'm way cuter, Marshmallow...

Whatev'. As long as I have my ball...

  

Lots of tongue and sand works too...

Bacon? Did somebody say bacon?

I'll totally participate for bacon...

No bacon? Forget it, then. 

I will highlight your ugly bra on the floor instead...

Come rub my stomach so I may bite you...

Fine. Be that way.

This is a stupid blog...

A few of my favorite things...

Although I loath packing and moving, making this jump to Bend will allow me to, once again, pursue some of my favorite hobbies.

Such as endurance riding. Flash and I miss it... a lot. We love getting out and just going for a few hours at the extended trot. It's fun... for both of us (I swear).

My plan is to immediately get back in the training groove and make it to at least one endurance race this year. I'm aiming for the Oregon 100 on September 10th. Although we won't be doing 100... I'm thinking a nice, easy 25. It's less than a month to train for it, but I think he'll come up to it pretty quickly. If not, then we will shoot for a good season next year.

The next thing I'm really looking forward to is being able to play soccer again. It's been far too long and I really miss it. And although I'm too late for outdoor this year, there is indoor to be played all fall and winter long. I even see that they have a co-ed open play on friday nights... whoo hoo :)

The last thing I'm looking forward to is being out in the country again. Don't get me wrong, it's been nice living a block from the beach, but I'm ready to be out of the glare of the city lights and to be able to really see the stars again.

And to not hear any neighbors. That will be worth all the trouble of this move...

The Storm is coming...

In less than a month, I will say goodbye to Elmo (he's staying behind here at the coast as a 4H horse) and I'm taking Storm to Bend with me as my second riding horse.

She's a cute tri-color Pinto Mustang...

Oh hai...

I'll miss Elmo, but he's in a great home. And I know I'll have fun with Storm. It's a win-win...

I know it's wrong, but...

I want to giggle.

The last few days have proven to me that I'm getting out while the getting is good.

It is crazy here right now. The parent company of this newspaper has been buying up other small community papers right and left. And the "mother ship" is the paper in Tillamook where the owner is the publisher (never a good idea, but he's far to ego-driven to listen to reason). The Owner has decided that it would be a fabulous idea if all of the production and design for all of the papers was handled in Tillamook.

Yeah, that's a great idea. Not. The logistical nightmares make me giggle...

Also, Ally was told point-blank that the goal of the paper is quantity not quality. Because our readership is too stupid to know the difference...

Holy. Shit. Wow...

Really?

Poor Ally. It's gotta be hard to be a managing editor with integrity when the owner of company has none.

But that's not all...

They decided to move the printing of this paper to a different company. Today's paper was our first printed there. As far as I know, I think it looks OK... but I can't really say because the paper didn't actually, you know, get delivered today. Apparently 1 of the inserts was wrong. Rather than put a sign at that store and offer them a credit, the Owner (in all his infinite wisdom (dripping sarcasm)) decided the better thing to do would be to delay the paper a day and piss off the 8,000 subscribers and the rest of the inserts instead.

Holy. Shit. Wow...

It's like there isn't a functioning brain up there in Tillamook. Well, obviously there isn't. No reasonable business owner handles a problem like that, like that. Seriously.

Blows. My. Mind.

And makes me giggle uncontrollably...

Only 7 more days.

Siren song...

But I'm not falling for it. It looks sunny, warm and calm out but it's just an illusion. The ocean is trying to lure me into staying...

But I'm not falling for it. In actuality, it's gray, windy and generally pissy out. I can't wait to move to Bend...

No good deed and all that...

This past weekend RR and I helped Fixit move from Portland to Yachats. We started out the journey by having to pull over on I-5 and fix the light that had come off and broken. Typically, you wouldn't have to deal with this because the lights are "in" the trailer frame not on it. But my trailer is a little ghetto right now and the lights don't work. So I have magnetic lights that only work sometime. Much better...

Me: Are you done yet?

RR: No.

Me: How about now?

RR: No. 

Me: Now?

*crickets* 

Thank goodness I always carry duct tape. And electrical tape. Both came in handy.

My view down I-5 while waiting on the repair...

Once that was done, we finally got Fixit packed up and moved. It went pretty smoothly. Which is to say, nothing else major happened. Yay, us!!

I also figured out how this move to Bend is going to happen. Oh yeah, heard back from the place and if Farmer cooperates (hint, hint) then it looks like it'll be a go.

So, the move is going to go like this:

Step 1: El Dub drives his SUV and trailer down to the coast on Friday night (yes, I'll be putting him up somewhere).

Step 2: Fixit drives up from Yachats on Saturday morning to help us load.

Step 3: We pack up the bug, SUV and trailer with all of the crap we can Saturday morning. 

Step 4: We load up the horses and hay in the trailer (hopefully still in the am period of Saturday). 

Step 5: Whatever didn't fit in the bug, SUV and trailer goes in the back of the truck.

Step 6: Whatever is left over from that goes to Goodwill.

Step 7: Caravan to Bend. El Dub drives his vehicle. RR & Fixit in the bug. Me and the pups in the truck.

Step 8: Unload. Hopefully this ends before midnight (I know Fixit will turn into a pumpkin otherwise).

Step 9: Drive back to the coast. El Dub heads home.

Step 10: Clean. (We are now into Sunday, in case you missed the transition... because sleep is definitely not in the plan)

Step 11: Drive back to Bend. 

Step 12: Collapse.

Step 13: Hopefully unpack sometime before Christmas...

Doesn't this sound fun? Bet you wish you were helping too...

The list is taking on a life of it's own...

Now that the initial euphoria of getting the job has worn off, the list making has begun. There is a lot to do. In a short amount of time. Very. Short.

And the list is long...

1. Give notice.
2. Give notice to the barn.

Whoo hoo. Maybe this won't be so bad after all...

3. Figure out a place to live.
I was in contact with a place that seemed promising. They said they would tell me how much for deposit and send me an application via email. So far, nada. 

4. Figure out a place for the horses to live.
I'm hoping this will tie into #3.

5. Get the paperwork ready and signed for the horse swap.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention this part. So, the girl who is leasing Elmo until October 2012 is the barn manager's granddaughter. The barn manager has a pinto mustang that she is afraid to ride. I, however, have no problem riding her. So I proposed a trade... Elmo for Storm. She agreed. Which is great because I will still have a horse for Ryan to ride (Flash) when we want to go out together.

6. Figure out what is going to Goodwill and what is coming with me to Bend.
I think I have room for all the furniture, but not quite sure. Plus, there is some extraneous stuff (like a massive amount of dishes and such) that I need to sort through and seriously down-size. 

7. Pack.
This is a whole list unto itself. But for space I will just utter that one, dreadful word.

8. Did I mention pack?
This is a big enough job that it should get 2 lines on the list. It's a daunting task.

9. Figure out a way to get furniture, horses, horse crap, stuff, dogs and miscellaneous other crap to Bend all in one go.
I don't have the funds to do that drive more than once, so once is all I get. I'm helping Fixit move this weekend, so that may be a favor I can call on. I'm thinking that I will load the back of the truck with everything I can get to fit, put the horses and hay in the trailer, fill the bug and have RR drive that, fill Fixit's jeep and have him drive that and then Fixit can bring RR back to the coast once we are done. Seems easy enough... I wonder how it will really all go down? Maybe I can call on Brother #1 to bring his truck as well. Bff has already elected to bow out of the packing portion of the program siting past services less than a year ago (:P)

10. Figure out monetarily how this is all going to work.
Still working on this one, big time. However, I have over 40 hours of vacation that I didn't use that I get to cash out when I say goodbye to this place. That should help.

11. Come up with a new name for the blog.
Life's a High Desert just doesn't have the same ring to it. How about It's a Dog's Life? I feature them often enough...

12. Pack.
Might have mentioned this one already.

13. Figure out how I'm going to move the DirecTV when I don't actually have a new address yet.
Hoping that will resolve itself soon.

14. Figure out the couch-surfing schedule.
Don't want to impose on any one person too much. I want to still have friends when this is all said and done.

I'm sure there is more. But I don't want to think about it. The first order of biz is going to be getting Fixit moved here to the coast tomorrow. Gotta get that done so I can call in that favor later...

TGIF!!

It's official...

Yes, that's right. I got the job in Bend!!

Yay, me!!

So, the skinny is this... It's as a marketing coordinator (with a heavy emphasis on graphic design) for Pronghorn Resort in Bend. The job pays WAY more than I am making at the paper (shocking, I know) and also has a very nice benefits package.

I start August 1st. Holy crap... that is (once again) going to be a very quick move.

I would like to march into my boss' office and tell her to shove everything up her butt, but in the interest of not burning bridges (again, shocking, I know) I will do what is right and give my 2 week notice. FYI, I am practically tap-dancing at the thought...

Several people mentioned they would like to be a fly on the wall when that conversation goes down so I will make sure and report back any gory details...

In other news:

I have that freelance photography gig tonight, which I'm very excited about. It's taking photos of the ONPA awards ceremony being held here in Lincoln City.

Also, I have been working on a book cover for a good friend of mine. And last night I finally got the finished product (mostly) done...

Just so you can really appreciate my brilliance, here are the 2 photos that I started out with...

And here's the final cover...

Pretty cool, eh? I'll let you know when the book is available online.

And now, it's time to start composing my "farewell to thee" letter. This is going to be fun...

While I wait...

I think I will try to keep my mind occupied while I wait to hear about Bend. Plus, I know you're tired of me talking about it... but I just can't help myself. It would be awesome to be back in Central Oregon.

But since obsessing about it isn't doing me (or you, I suppose) any good, I will talk about other things.

Like the beautiful weather I came home to on Sunday...

It was gorgeous!!

And really hot. The pups and I were having to sweat it out...

What the heck? I haven't had to pant in two years...

Does this heat make my tongue look long?

I decided to go in the water to cool off. It was very refreshing (which you can only say 1 day a year here on the Oregon Coast). I tried to get the dogs in with me, but they were having none of it...

Hell, no. I'm not going in there. That water viciously attacks.

Plus, I might lose my ball...

Later in the evening, RR joined us down on the beach. It was really crazy because the ocean was like glass. It would be silent until the waves crashed onto the beach. I had never seen anything like it...

Look at how glassy everything is. There wasn't a hint of wind...

And amazingly enough, the beach was practically empty. So RR, the pups and I made the best of it and had some fun with the ball...

Wait, what?!? You want my ball?

No.

Or we tried to, anyway. When Noelle would give up the ball...

It was a great night.

Another thing I've been thinking about is the pics I haven't yet shared with you from our Sunriver vacation. We had such a good time...

We played tennis but were quickly eliminated (much to RR's relief)... along with El Dub and Flip Flop.

RR spent the downtime napping...

El Dub found a different way to pass the time...

Later in the week, RR and I went riding with Hutch on her horses. We all had a blast...

Hutch riding Melly...

RR on Commander...

We also did some hiking at Benham Falls...

See? I told you he was a billy goat in a past life...

We also met some new friends...

That, my friends, is a Pug/Shar Pei

It was good times.

And, hopefully I'll have some news to share soon. Keep sending out those good thoughts to the universe...