Ready to Go

Am 90% packed. Have to consider coming back by bus and so need closable pieces that can be checked; have come up with two (one is an Ingles frozen food tote). And I have a messenger bag and a purse to have inside with me. Oh yeah, a box of books, too.

Have done the dump/flush; cleaned out the fridge. Tomorrow at 9am will take the rig to the mechanic and bid it farewell. Back to the house, load my stuff into the car. Head out.

Will be traveling I-40 to Little Rock (about 800 miles -- halfway home). Then I plan to switch to U.S. 70, which more or less parallels the interstate but will be way more interesting.

Not much to do around here today. Most of the stuff left is clothes, which G&G have to sort and pack into the wardrobe boxes. The movers are coming on Tuesday and they'll pack the TVs and other electronics. Greg's working on his office and the tools/garage. That's it.

See some of y'all soon.

Same ol' same ol'

What can I say? Nothing exciting is going on. It's pack pack swim swim pack pack sleep sleep, and repeat.

I did go get my bus ticket yesterday, so I'm set for the return from Avl to Abq on 16 Aug. I read the fine print (naturally) and discovered that I'm responsible for transferring my luggage from bus to bus, which I have to do twice -- Knoxville and Okla. City. I'm also allowed one bag free so I'll have to pay extra for the box of books I'll be bringing back with me. And I'm allowed one bag inside (plus purse) that has to fit the overhead bin or under my seat.

Luggage-wise, I'm in a slight bind. The only thing I have is a nylon travel bag that folds up to about 6" square. That and the book box will get checked. Then I'm thinking I'll use the Ingle's insulated bag to put the computer etc in (because it zips) and then put that bag inside a bigger tote with my pillow to carry inside, plus purse (which has lots of pockets). I'll make it work.

Early Monday, taking the rig over to the mechanic to leave with him. He'll have 3 weeks to fix the transmission gasket/seal. Gabi will follow in the car. Back to the house where she'll get out, lots of hugging and good wishes, and then I'll start out for home.

See y'all soon.

Computer stuff

I set up an account with Mobile Me, per bmwloco's suggestion. Unfortunately, it wouldn't install itself, so I have no way to use it. It's a 60-day trial so I have a little time to try to figure it out. I went to the Forums and posted my question -- let's see whether I get a useful answer.

I do have an account with DropBoks that I can use, but I think it's a drag & drop type of setup so backing up the whole disk would take "forever."

The click hasn't been heard in a couple of days so it may have been an anomaly --- who knows? Just another little thing to fret about.

Like the other day when all the power in the rig suddenly went off, including the a/c when it's 98 deg. outside. I checked the fuses and the breakers -- all fine. Went inside and told Greg, who said "why don't I check our fuses?" And sure enough, it was one of theirs. Phew! All cool.

Albuquerque Shooting

Yesterday morning, I was packing stuff and heard the door open. I thought it would be Gabi but it was Greg. He had been almost to work when he got a call from his boss that there had been a shooting at this work (at Emcore Corp.) and not to come in. It turned out to be a domestic violence issue (as so many are). A guy came looking for his common-law wife, with whom he had twin sons, armed with a .45 semi-automatic handgun. He found a woman crossing between two buildings and shot her (Greg's friend), then he found his wife taking a break outside with another woman (both of whom Greg knows), shot and wounded his wife and shot and killed the other woman.

Then, for some reason, he shot out a window and went inside and wounded four more people. By that time, the cops had arrived and stormed the building. So he shot himself. Final tally: 3 dead, 4 wounded. The company will be closed until Thursday. One poor woman was in the middle of a job interview. The interviewer said "run!" so she locked herself into a bathroom across the hall. The interviewer ran the other way, into the path of the shooter, and was wounded by two shots. The applicant was even more terrified when the cops broke down the door and stuck guns in her face. Now she can't face going to a grocery store.

Why did this guy go on a rampage? Nobody knows, though there is some talk about a divorce and a custody dispute.

Misc.

Am starting to hear a tiny clicking sound deep inside my laptop whenever I click on a link. Sigh. Maybe I'll take it to Charlotte St. Computers to get cleaned while I'm home. I really need an updated computer.

Looks like I'll be staying at Mary Jo's on Montford while I'm in town, assuming she'll ever answer my emails. John and Hazel's son Ken is going with them on their Florida vacation, then staying longer than anticipated so he'll have the guest room. Be good to see him, too.

Two more weeks before I leave.

NC Visit

Have just learned that John & Hazel won't have a bed for me after all -- their current guest (Ken Kirby) has decided to stay longer. So Mary Jo has graciously offered me a place at her house -- where I lived for 18 years before, on Montford Ave. Good thing, too, or I might be out on the street.

Will be leaving my rig at a mechanic's so he can do a little work while I'm gone. He's mostly an engine rebuilder and can only fit little repairs like mine around other work. That'll give him three weeks to fix the ER brake cable, the transmission pan gasket, and the transmission rear output seal. And it gives me a secure place to put the rig while I'm gone. Good deal.

We're starting to pick up the packing pace. It's only 2-1/2 weeks until I leave. Yah!

Misc. Update

There's not a whole lot going on. Last Sat. I met a fellow Toyota RV-er for breakfast. Nice guy (Mike, IT person), just contemplating the RV life. Much better experience than the other meet-up. Other than that, it's pack pack sort sort swim swim.

I'll be heading out on the 26th. Now I have to find somewhere to put the rig.