Booked a Mover!

Tonight is the first night that it was cold enough to leave the faucets dripping (19F). I guess that it's winter.

I read about an HIV/AIDS crisis in the Ukraine due to people not being able to access their antiviral medications. I was looking for a place to donate money, but didn't find anything. It's tough getting people their medications in a war zone. I'll keep looking for a charity. Okay, I found one (Direct Relief). I like to do end-of-year donations anyway. I should also donate to a local food bank due to inflation.

Speaking of HIV/AIDS, I had a dream the other night that I participated in choosing songs for a concert about AIDS. Strange, but it made sense in the dream.

Tried on my cardigans from Nordstrom. One had patches on the elbows, but because I'm petite, the patches were farther down on my arms and looked silly. That's going back. The other is gorgeous--black with brown and white flecks-- and so soft. That's a keeper.

I've decided to go with Two Men and a Truck for moving. I know some people have had problems with them, but they've been very responsive to me, unlike some other movers that I've called. I hope that it goes well. Well, no, one of the movers that I was having problems getting in touch with called me and I liked what he had to say, so I booked with them. He seems to have straightforward dealings and is not trying to do a bait-and-switch. And I have a personal recommendation for them. And they take Venmo, which will be easier than getting a cashier's check.

Wrote a draft of my programming tip for my class. It's the same idea as one that was previously written, but I came up with the idea independently. I had to change the title though because it matched. I need 40 more words though.

I took a nap and woke up at 4 AM. I need to do laundry, so I'm getting up for a while.

I'm Going to Take the California Zephyr!

Mimi doesn't like me doing stuff in the kitchen while she eats. So I guess that I'll sit down.

Went back to bed around 6 AM, and had a hard time getting up at 8. It was close to 9 when I staggered out of bed. And Zara wanted to be fed again!

Made a reservation to board the cats at the vet during the move and over Christmas because I need to go get Mom.

Got the linen comforter. It's not as soft as I had expected, but it looks nice. Hmm. Will I be disappointed that it's not soft? Need to think about it. Well, it was expensive, so if it doesn't fit my dreams, you can make a good case that it should go back. I did find a nice down alternative comforter on Pottery Barn's site and Egyptian cotton sheets on Pure Parima.

My boss okayed my being off for the move and also my March travel plans (Take the California Zephyr to California, stopping at my dad's house on the way). I'm trying to decide how long to stay at my dad's place and how long to spend in San Francisco. If I fly back on Sunday instead of Saturday, I could evenly divide it. (I'd get to Reno on Monday, and the day that I go from Reno to Emeryville/San Francisco would be a mostly full travel day.) No, it would be cheaper if I take the red-eye on Saturday night. But the bus from O'Hare leaves at 4:45 PM. Crud. The best flight leaves at 7 AM and arrives at 1:15 PM. Expensive though. But I hate to spend the day at O'Hare. Is it worth $200 for me to do that? That would pay for a lot of food, although I'd have to eat in the airport, which would be expensive.

I can't book my travel because I need to transfer some money from my money market account to my checking account, and PNC's site has been down all evening. I wonder what's going on. Okay, now it's working and I booked the Zephyr, which is what I was worried about. I'm still mulling over the trip to Emeryville and the hotel in San Francisco. I was wondering if I should pay $40 a night more for a very tony hotel on Nob Hill that my mom had stayed at, so I called her and she said that yes, I should stay there, so I booked it. She's really excited about my trip! And I decided on the redeye flight also because I don't really want to get up before dawn for the other flight. The redeye is easier. Okay, booked everything.

I think that I'm going to make some grilled cheese and tomato soup. Then maybe go to sleep?