Substantive Blog

So, I've been completely MIA to the webfolks in the last 2+ weeks. I feel sort of guilty...have I been disappointing my viewer? I am sorry if that's the case. In an effort to remedy the situation, I'd like to kick out the jams right here and now, in a Bill Gates-approved, bulletpointed presentation:

- So, our move went incredibly well. We were lucky enough to get about 8 folks to come over on a rainy, miserable Saturday and, boy, were they motivated. We literally got all of our stuff moved within 3 hours. I would totally kiss every one of them except that I don't dig stubble and there were quite a few men involved.

- Post-move, it only took us about 2 days to get mostly unpacked and settled. Keep in mind, however, that it took until last night to get most everything fixed and sorted out. Last Friday was spent on Home Depot runs and doing all sorts of crazy stuff, such as replacing a garbage disposal and wondering why the weirding ways of the plumbing arts escape me. The good news: I can, in fact, replace the molding around a window. I have skillz.

- The internship is going well. Two legal memos and a presentation to the litigation group down, two more of the former to go. The law is hard...but facinating. I actually cited to a local statute in a letter this very evening...and not for work, neither! I can't wait to be a lawyer.

- Lucky Dime. So, Saturday I volunteered with a few friends. On the way to the site, we stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts (for my west coast brethren, they're as common as Starbucks out here). I got a coffee and got a handful of change for my fiver. Guy had run out of quarters and singles, apparently. As he was handing me my change, I just happened to notice an odd dime-like coin and briefly thought "ah, crap, I'm getting a Canadian dime." When I sifted through my change as I left, I realized that it wasn't the Queen but the profile of Liberty I was looking at. That's right, I got a "Mercury dime" as change. Only a 1944 one but still. It has since become my lucky coin and I've absorbed all that the internet has to tell me about the beautiful thing. I feel like Scrooge McDuck! Perhaps I'll post a photo or two soon...

- Roofing issues. So, we sprung a leak in our new digs about a week ago. There were some very heavy rains and I felt a drop land on my foot. I looked up, saw a wet spot on our ceiling in the living room and, out of curiosity, I poked it. I wound up poking a hole in our ceiling. grr. The good news is that the developer that revamped the building sent out a roofer who will be sorting out the problem in short order. The better news is that I patched the hole and none shall be the wiser. Still, homeownership has its heartbreaks...

- Roof deck. We have one. And I'm growing a blueberry bush, an heirloom tomato and a habanero plant on it right now.

- Grill. We got one. My first gas grill. It's taking some getting used to. It cooks turbo fast. Medium-well steaks in the time that it takes to cook rare on a charcoal grill. I'm learning to take the stone from its hand though...

- Neighbors. We got several. Our neighbors downstairs are Lithuanian and turbo nice. We offered the use of our washing machine last week and they came up with a bottle of wicked smooth tequila and watermelon to thank us. They're very nice folks and we're happy to have them as condo-associanattos. And our out-building neighbors are great too. All very friendly and cool. Southie is way different then Cambridge in that respect. Folks interact down here...

- My little bro is a Fireman! That's right, Scott starts July 5th at the McMinnville firehouse. It's been a long road of hoe for him and I'm super proud that he's reached his goal. I expect his ass to stop-drop-and-roll the next time I set myself on fire. Also, I want Mr. Yuck stickers. There have to be perks...

- My older bro is gainfully employed...again...after a lay-off...again. Congrats, you old bastard. More super-secret, super-lucrative pharma stuff...I hope you'll remember me in your 'gold-watch' speech when you retire. :)

- The newsletter. I brought it up earlier this year and I fully expect to make it happen in the coming months. My fam is pretty disconnected and out of touch but I had the idea of crafting a broadside wherein as many of the Van Eyk clan that wishes to participate can write in with family stories and yarns. The idea is to keep people in touch and aware of their history. Those of you that are related, expect an email from me soon...

Basta for one evening...I hope you all are well...

s.

Hope?

Hope?

Moving Day

Well, most of the stuff is packed up and I'm heading out in an hour or so to pick up the U-Haul. It's time to get our move on! I think we've been mentally ready to get done with this move for about two weeks now. Living with half your stuff in boxes or just randomly strewn about the place is not for us. If our last move is any indication, we'll be completely unpacked and set up in our new place by early tomorrow morning...

In other news, I started my internship on Wednesday this week. It's going great, I think, though having to readjust to a 9-5 gig and relearn how to do legal research has been a bit of a challenge. There are four of us interns in the office and most of us are from Suffolk. It helps to have other folks around that are experiencing the same challenges you are...if for no other reason that commiseration. They're great kids.

Alright, I've got to finish packing, which includes the interweb stuff. If the Comcast guy shows up at our new place today, we'll likely be back online by tonight. Being an A/V guy at heart, you know that the home network and the stereo set up will be my first priority after we complete unloading...

S.