Last Friday I spent the evening frantically cleaning and packing. I took a final load of things to my storage unit after I realized my car wasn’t big enough for everything I had in Emeryville over the summer and my fall/winter coats/sweaters/etc. As I’d find out later…I lack spatial planning skills. Sherry and CNQ were super nice and changed our dinner plans to help me move stuff instead. We stopped at Nation’s for a quick bite and then went back so I could continue my packing rampage. Jensa & her bf stopped by and we enjoyed the yummy chocolate bundt Wyu made (from scratch!) before saying some sad goodbyes.

I got up early Saturday morning to clean and pack the last few things in the bathroom. I started loading things in my car at 7:00 am. What I soon realized was that I should have started much, much earlier. Campbell and Mabel ended up masterminding the packing tetris game while I ran loads out to the car. By the time we finished, I had about 2 inches of clear rear window and no rear visibility. My front passenger seat was so full that Evie would beep irritatingly and flash the “passenger seatbelt” sign every time I turned the car on. We finally got on the road at 8:30. The drive was ridiculously long. I knew it would be, and yet, my brain liquefied more than I thought possible. We stopped for lunch in Yreka (fun fact, there’s a Eureka AND a Yreka) and we were only about 295 miles away. 480 to go. URGH.
It was unbelievably hot all the way through Oregon, about 101 all 300 miles up. I kept myself awake by listening to the radio and for one memorable couple hundred mile stretch, by singing with my ipod to every Weezer song ever recorded. I also had several conversations with myself or with my stuffed raccoon. By the time we pulled over for a final snack in Chehalis, I was completely worn out. Sidenote: Jack in the Box Macaroni & Cheese bites are really good. They taste like Kraft macaroni & cheese in a batter crust. I was so happy I had booked a hotel in Tacoma because it saved me driving another 40 miles to Campbell’s parents’ house, even though he had graciously offered to let us stay there. I checked into my room, briefly considered lugging some things upstairs, then only carried up my overnight bag. I was so tired that I figured if someone wanted whatever I had there…they were welcome to it.

I watched a little bit of the Olympics and then fell asleep. I wanted to sleep in but unfortunately left the blinds open so woke up with a face full of sunshine. I got up and drove around to explore Tacoma a little. I managed to take care of a few important tasks such as finding the closest Trader Joe’s and the nearest mall. This was all very exhausting so I needed a nap.

Madeline and her dad made the trip up on Sunday and arrived after I woke up. We went to Neo’s Wood Fired Pizza for dinner, mostly because it was across the street from our hotel. It was a little strange to be in an almost empty restaurant, but our food was fine.

Monday dawned drizzly and grey (my first taste of Pacific Northwest weather!) and Em drove us to work for orientation. We spent the morning trekking from office to office, signing paperwork and taking photos. We picked up our house keys and I was able to start unloading a few things before we needed to go fill out MORE paperwork. It rained in little spurts so finally I set a goal of merely getting everything into the house during the brief dry spell in the afternoon. Once that was completed I could lug stuff upstairs at my leisure.

Em was a model of organization this week and was completely unpacked and settled by Wednesday. I…just finished yesterday, and really, that was because I felt guilty for taking up so much space in our room.

Monday night we decided to celebrate our first night all together in Tacoma by having dinner at the Harmon Brewery. The beer, as rated by Campbell and Fisher, was only ok. The food was pretty good though, and the fact that we happened to be there for happy hour night was a bonus.

Tuesday we did a very dull computer training module, had lunch in the cafeteria (I’ll post on that in the future), and ran errands. I managed to spend a lot of money…where else but at Target.

Wednesday we all went in to observe, then were informed we were to start work that afternoon…two days before the previous timeline. I know we had an easy first week, especially relative to lots of my classmates…but once you’re expecting some time off, I think I would feel indignant to find out something has changed re: the schedule.

On Thursday Em announced that it was free admission day at the Tacoma Museum of Glass so we headed there after work. It was, in a word, beautiful. It isn’t large, so the hour we had before it closed felt like plenty of time to go through the exhibits. Surprisingly, Dale Chihuly’s work is mostly evident in the bridge and in City Hall across the river, and I don’t recall any pieces actually on display in the museum. Most of the pieces there right now are by Lino Tagliapietra. His designs floored me. If only I were rich and could afford one of his pieces…