Let Me Tell You About My New Place!

It’s been a long time between blogs, and a there are several reasons for it, the biggest one being I didn’t have internet for a couple weeks after I moved into my apartment.  My plan was to wait a couple months and see what my finances looked like.  That lasted all of 4 days.  I can handle no TV, but no internet, no way!

After weighing my options I went with Fair point DSL as they offered the same speed at a cheaper rate then Time Warner Cable, plus a free Wi-Fi Modem, whereas TWC charges $13.95 a month for theirs. 1 year minimum commitment, but that’s cool because I have a 1 year lease on my apartment.

I need to thank my parents for putting up with my for so many months in their home, John Spier for helping me move, both times.  Tanya Allen for finding me an affordable couch, Ryan Karagiannes for helping me movie said couch and selling me his table, and Sue Bonsant for the bunk beds. 

I have basically have what I need, still need a microwave, good frying pans, big kettle, crockpot, toaster, and a coffee table.   Plus a few things here and there.

I’ve got 99% of my stuff unpacked and have hung a few things on the walls.  It’s nice to be able to hang all my wrestling stuff again!!  I have a wall I want to hang movie posters on.  But I can’t decide if I want to get full size posters or the small ones.   I guess I could get one or two big and the rest all small.

The more I unpack or hang on the wall and ect the homier it feels! 

What do I like about my apartment, the living room is big with views, it’s only 2 miles from the kids and Kate. It’s right 2/10ths of a mile from Reny’s so it’s essentially right downtown.   I like sitting on my couch or at my kitchen table when it’s dark and watch the traffic on the Gardiner/Randolph bridge.  I love my shower!!! Excellent water pressure, a seemingly endless supply of hot water, and it’s spacious.

The downsides are minimal but big at the same time.  There was a heating issue, heat is included and it was HOT in there, but it’s getting worked out now.  It’s heated by a central heating system in the building and I cannot adjust the temperature control in my apartment.  I can adjust the knobs on the radiators that it supposed to increase/decrease the water flow to them, but it doesn’t make a difference.  I’m currently working on this with the landlords and it’s working itself out.  The other issue is that it’s only a 1 bedroom.  But it’s all I can afford for the time being and it’s not for a lifetime, it just for now…..well at least a year because that’s the lease.

All in all I am VERY happy to have my own place again.   Very please indeed! 

Later Readers!! 

 

Mike

Thanksgiving Blog, yeah I know it's December!

I actually wrote this November 25th....

So I am officially all moved into my new pad! 

I actually signed my lease on Wednesday morning after getting out of work at 7am.  I had loaded up my blazer with a bunch of stuff so I brought that to the apartment which is on the River Rd in Gardiner.  After a 25 year hiatus I’m back living in Gardiner.   I looked at a lot of places and I got what the best I could get based on what I could afford. 

I ended up with a 1 bedroom, but’s it’s got a full bath, dine in kitchen, and a really big living room.  So I’ll share a room with my kids for a bit. It’s not for a lifetime, it’s just for now.  So be it.

Move in day was Friday, but before that was Thanksgiving!!  YEAH!

I got out of work a 7am and went to Kate’s for a brief nap, then we went to her family’s dinner at the Lutheran Church in Newcastle.  It was a very nice meal with Kate’s family and a few fellow church worshippers, about 30 people in all.  It was reminiscent of the old community meal’s that don’t happen often enough today.  We went around the room and everyone said what we were thankful for. 

We went and pick up the kids and then went to my Dad’s for Thanksgiving dinner.  It was Dad & Linda, the kids, Kate & Myself.  We had a nice meal and the kids were good.  The chocolate cream pie was fantastic!!  I can’t remember the last time I spent Thanksgiving with my Dad.

After a quick feed of the animals at the barn I dropped off Kate and took the kids for my last night in Litchfield.  I was up late, and was exhausted, packing up almost everything to get it ready by the door to load up and move.  Irving was helping me and need to be at Aunt Audrey’s graveside service by 2pm.   Aunt Audrey passed away Tuesday night due to failing health from multiple medical issues.

Friday was an early start.  Irving and I got the truck, my blazer, and trailer loaded up and were on the road around 915.  I stopped and picked up John and we got to the apt and everything unloaded by 11am!  I don’t have a lot of stuff, but have more than I thought I did.

I took the kids to the park while we still had daylight.  They had been good all day and were bored.  Got some great photos!!!

Still have some more unpacking to do, but almost done.  The more I put away the more homey the place becomes!

Thanks all for tonight,

Later readers!!

Mike  

Searching For My Humble Abode

So it's 1:42 in the morning and I can't sleep.  It's actually the second 1:42am that I have experienced today and I couldn't sleep during that one either!  

I find that I have been quite cranky these last few days and I feel that I have been complaining a lot. Complaining about and not accepting things that I have no control over and can't change.  Partly because I am on the midnight shift and it's really been messing with my sleep schedule and possibly it's because I've had quite a bumpy year, and perhaps because I expect to much of others and myself.

These things that I have been complaining about, the situation that I am in, I know that it's a temporary issue and that in time I will be where I want to be. The things that I want though, I want them now.  I want to complete that circle that I started and it's it like I can't quite reach the other end. It seems that I've run out of patience.

Earlier this year I adopted the mantra "It is what it is" and it has truly helped me get through some rough patches. 

Then I read a Marilyn Monroe quote "Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."  Which really resonated with me and made me realize that there is someone better out there and I want to find that person.  I did find that person. 

Recently I read in a fortune cookie of all places, "Every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking and believing."  I even saved the fortune and put it in my wallet to help remind me that only I can control my disposition in life, not the people around me.  Apparently though, I forgot that already.  


All year long I've taken the steps that were needed to get me to where I want to be in life.  Back at the beginning of October I took another huge step forward, and then it's like I stopped walking and I guess I  expected those last few things would just come to me.  I now realize they never have before why would they start now?

Which brings me to the title of this post, I need to find my own place to live.  I'm grateful to my parents for allowing me to crash here but it's time for me to move on.  The problem that I'm facing is that it's so expensive trying to find a rent. 

I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a two bedroom place in the Gardiner area.  It's not looking real promising at the moment, but I'm going to stay positive and keep looking until I get what I want.

So that's it.  I've had these thoughts running through my brain all night long, and now that I've put them out there hopefully I can get some sleep.

later

The Mustard Blog

A few weeks back I did the Ketchup blog because I hadn’t blogged all my excitement in a long time and I find myself in the same scenario.  So I bring to you, the mustard blog.

What’s been going on ask, quite a bit actually and most of it work related. 

I powered through my training and am now on own shift, which is predominantly a midnight shift.  I have the two week schedule that rotates giving me every other weekend off.  I have four 12 hours shifts that run 7pm – 7am and three 8 hours shifts, one 3pm – 11pm and the rest 11pm – 7am.  It’s not that bad, it just takes some getting used to, 

Kate and I took the kids to Jokers for a fun filled Sunday of the Amazing Maze, ticket games, train rides and more!  

The kids were good while we were there, but then a bit of a melt down occurred when it came time to leave.

Kate and I had a day to ourselves and it lead us to Land’s End on Bailey Island

We then hit the Brunswick Flea Market where I scored some neat stuff. A trip to Lisbon for some Sausage and Moxie Ice Cream was almost ruined as he was out of Ice Cream and the Sausage Kitchen was closed.  What saved it you asked? 

Hogan’s Good Times Lanes of course!!

I took the kids to the Gardiner Main Street Halloween celebration that featured Trick or Treating at the local business and a dance number on the street to The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

The kids had fun and got quite the haul of candy!

Also….

Toni B wore some pearls

Coon Dog ate some hay supplied by Canaan

Addison swept the deck

Mom taught Addison how to play the slots

 And the sky was on fire!!

Here’s a song

Later Readers!!!

A Maize Maze!!

It's Columbus Day and it's Canadian Thanksgiving!!  The day where Canadians give thanks, and American's celebrate the day where a man stole a nations land and what was the eventual slow annihilation of what we now call Native American's.

The weather was great, I was off, and there was no school so it was the perfect set up for a day trip.  Mom, the kids, and myself headed to Farmington to go to Sandy River Farms for their super corn maze and more! 

The route we took lead us through Vienna where this sign is located.

Not to long after we got to the maze.

There are two mazes on the property, a wagon ride through the pumpkin patch, barnyard animal petting area ( I cannot bring myself to call it a zoo), corn box, and obstacle course are all part of the admission price.  They have a cow train that is extra and a food truck.

The Big One had 8 checkpoints that assisted in your journey through the maze to ensure you were going the right way.  It took us over and hour to get through it!  We would let the kids take turns picking which way we went.  Near checkpoint 5 there was huge trail the ended in a dead end.

The obstacle course was neat.

The had a high viewing platform area where I got a panoramic view of the maze.

The Corn Box is so neat!  So much cleaner then sand!

They had their own milk which tasted like milk.

Pumpkin Patch and wagon ride.

Yup, the "petting zoo"

The kids took the ride on the cow train twice, first time I rode on the Gator and the second time Mom did.

We concluded the day with the mini maze that was more confusing then the Big One.

On the drive home we stopped at Lakeside Orchards and I got some Honey Crisp Apples and Cheese.

Kate came over after her weekend with her family at camp and had supper with us.  The kids had a tub and after putting them to bed Kate and I went for a walk up to road to the little cemetery.  Even though I grew up here I've never been to that cemetery.

I took some photo's and found no Orb's!

All in all it was a great day, the weather was beautiful and everyone had a wonderful time!

Later readers!!!

Mike Labbe