Penske Trucks Blow People’s Minds

“There is nothing more provocative than minding your own business.” ~ William S. Burroughs

Apartment complexes are starting to become a fascinating hobby. Especially the one that I reside in.

Early this morning there was a Penske moving truck in the parking lot.

Neighbors were amazed at the presence of the vehicle. I personally did not see it though. I guess it was on the other side of the property from where I am.

I did hear about it over today’s episode of morning coffee. It seemed as if nobody could figure out why the moving truck was in the parking lot at all. Nor could they figure out who it belonged to.

They failed to remember that they live in an apartment complex. A place of residence. A place where people actually come and go.

I believe that where I live, could be the exception for a majority of its residents as they are elderly and they have made their own decision to live here for the rest of their days.

That could be why they get all worked up whenever they see someone in the actual and physical process of moving their stuff out.

From what I was told, people flocked around the moving truck this morning as if they were holding a vigil for the truck gods. But they just could not figure out on their own WHO exactly was leaving.

Later on during morning coffee, a gentleman walked in to get his own cup of java. He stood back with a proud smile on his face and sheepishly announced, “I’m moving.”

Well, that answered that question!

And it should have sufficed. But you know what? This is SGC. It is never going to be enough.

I bet the guy felt like he was holding a press conference as everyone moved from where they were seated and crowded around him. Flooding his attention with more questions.

Where are you going?
When are you leaving?
Why are you leaving?
What are you going to do when you get there?
Who do you know that lives there?

Geez people. Calm the piss down!!

But the man was kind enough to go through the questions one by one and answer with them with brief responses.

He said that he was moving to Michigan.

Annnnnnd…. round TWO began!

Round two really didn’t have much in the way of asking newer questions. Just the same questions over again. This time around, asked with more curiosity and enthusiasm.

He got to the point where he stopped answering questions. And I cannot say that I blame him.

When the Q&A session was done, next came the input.

“It’s freaking cold in Michigan!”

Ummm… yeah, it is. Most of the time. Especially during winter.

But there they all stood. Eager and willing to inform him of the obvious.

After he had enough of the lecture, he spoke up and said that he had lived in Michigan for twenty years before moving to Texas.

The moment he said that, I tuned out mentally from the ongoing conversation. But it did seem as if everything wrapped up at that point. After all, if he had been there for that long … I don’t think that these Texas born citizens could offer any further knowledge that he didn’t already know.

Since I tuned out, I cannot even say for sure that anyone had wished him well as he said that he was leaving in about a week’s time. Poor guy.

Usually from what I have experienced with other people in the past who have moved out. They’ve either found a better living condition OR they had made the decision to go be with or around family. And that’s exactly what this gentleman’s plan was.

Not that it is truly any of our business. But SGC seems to think so!

And with each person that moves out, we know that in a few weeks that someone else will be moving in. The turn around rate is crazy!

Most of us get to the point where we start to see a stranger walking around on the property and don’t even give them the benefit of the doubt that they could be a new neighbor and instead, they hound them like private investigators. But that is for another blog post.

I am slowly and surely beginning to understand why more than 50% of the residents who move from SGC, do so at night. And why even a higher percentage of them don’t bother with farewells.

I would hate to see what they would do or not do if/when I leave SGC.

At least it killed the monotony of a typical Friday morning.

Moving On Thanksgiving

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”~ Havelock Ellis

As many millions of people in the United States are doing their last minute preparations for Thanksgiving Day, I noted the actual date in which this holiday has fallen this year. The actual numbered day of the month of November.

In 2012, Thanksgiving Day in the United States will be the 22nd of November.

This day is a bit more significant for me and my family other than just it being Thanksgiving Day.

All the way back in 1984, Thanksgiving Day also landed on the 22nd of November. So then why is it so significant?

That was the exact date that year when my family had moved from Sherwood, Arkansas to Winfield, Kansas. My family had been packing for what seemed like forever and I as a child still had to attend school until the Thanksgiving break.

From the time that I had made the announcement in my class that my family was in fact going to move, until the very last day of school being in session before the holiday break, I was treated much like a crowned prince. Extra special favors came from the teacher and from the school itself.

I was rather excited about the move, because I was about to be in a brand new place that I had never been before. The idea in my infant mind was thrilling. But the feeling was not shared by all of my siblings. So it was a mixed bag of emotions for the family.

Of course my short life up until that point was aware that the usual feast of turkey, dressing, and dessert was to be on that day. And I began to wonder if it was cancelled. At least for my family.

That very early morning the family would wake and then we all went out to eat for breakfast. Something that we didn’t do that often. Not breakfast. And then when we got back, it was time for my parents to pick up the last of our things and get into the family vehicle, and begin to drive several hundred miles to our new home.

I remember that a moving van had taken a majority of our things ahead of time, so there wasn’t really much to pack up that morning.

The neighbors came out to say their final farewells. Even the neighborhood kids that me and my younger brother had played with all of our lives were nervous, sad, and didn’t really know what to say other than good-bye. Apparently my family had made quite an impression on everyone.

And off we went. We all were unsure of what was to happen. The fact of my mother just being diagnosed with cancer less than a year before, it swiftly turned to this bright future of exploring new things to a nervous watch on my mother to see how she would handle the all day ride with her illness.

My father had said in the vehicle that we actually would have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with a family there in Kansas. And they were expecting us to arrive in the evening. But for those of you who have children know that their attention spans don’t grasp such things.

I recall stopping somewhere in the northeastern part of Oklahoma for lunch. And because it was Thanksgiving Day, NOTHING was open!!! No fast food, no diners, nothing. Just a few gas stations along the highway. But that was only if you were lucky. Convenience stores and gas stations were nothing back then like they are today.

Lunch however that day would be at a truck stop. But exactly where, I no longer remember. I do recall almost vividly a hand written sign inside of the truck stop that said “NO CHILDREN ALLOWED AT BAR” and that scared the crap out of me.

The truck stop had a buffet style restaurant inside and I was thinking that the “bar” in question was a food bar, but I was incorrect. There was actually a watering hole directly attached to the side of the restaurant.

There was also a sign that said “EAT ALL OF WHAT YOU TAKE, PLEASE” and to me, that meant even less. I recall that it would terrify my young mind shortly after when I had asked my parents if I could have more food and they both warned me strictly about eating everything and leaving nothing to waste. Well, that second plate of food did go to waste because I had become full. I was scared to death of what they were going to do to me for not eating anything. The fear inside of my childish mind consumed me to the point that once I had admitted that I was full, my eyes were full of tears until the point where we paid for our lunch and got back out on the highway.

Eventually, we arrived at our new location after dark. It was pretty late that I remember. So we had a traditional Thanksgiving feast and then when that was done, my entire family pretty much went to bed.

Once we walked into the house of our holiday host, I began to think about my best friend who lived across the street and how there would be no more neighborhood kickball matches in the street or in someone’s front or backyard.

I began to think of all the other boys in girls in my class that I had left. Particularly one that I thought was cute named Summer.

I began to think suddenly after that of all the girls that were in the neighborhood, city and other places that I was sweet on and would give hugs and kisses. Knowing that I would never do it again. And how I wanted to be able to hug and kiss them more and more.

Yes even then, girls were not an alien thought to my boyhood mind.

But our host family was kind and even though it was so late when we arrived, they had held off THEIR holiday meal until we had arrived.

All of this happening Thanksgiving Day of 1984. Soon for my family, we would remember the anniversary of that date for many years to come. Until we had moved again in 1989. Less than two full years after my mother had died. And less than a full year from when my father had re-married. Those months were like a blur because so much had happened so quickly.

But the move in 1989 did not occur on Thanksgiving Day. But rather we moved after the end of the school year in May. Memorial Day to be exact. I started to think that there was a pattern that if my family was ever to move from one location of the country to the next or even across the state that we would always do so on some holiday. That train of thought however disappeared once I started high school.

The whole purpose of Thanksgiving Day is not lost on me. I have plenty to give thanks for. Especially in the last decade and a half of my life. As an adult, I can appreciate a lot more things in life that I know I’ve been fortunate to experience. As a boy, I probably wouldn’t think the same.

The Thanksgiving holiday in the United States is always the fourth Thursday in November. But it does not always happen on the 22nd of the month. It did back in 1984 and it does in 2012.  So I made the connection this week when thinking about what I am actually thankful for this year.

 

Crushing Crossroads

Its been a week since my trip to wonderful Houston, Texas. I’m still filled with great memories and feeling so very fortunate to have been able to go.

I held on to those “high feelings” for as long as I could before I knew that I would have to let them go and get back into my regular routine. But being able to approach it with a better sense of mentality as I sift through daily insanity.

One thing though has not escaped my mind. That is the thought of moving into the Houston area. Yeah, big surprise right!?

Right away I can see definite positives and negatives of this idea, should I make the decision to move to Houston. I’m not quite sure though which side has the upper hand.

Houston, Texas is the fourth largest city in the entire nation. That’s far bigger than any city that I had ever been in. At least for any discriminate amount of time. The thought of the cost of living being so ridiculously high stick in my mind. But with having a larger city means there’s bound to be more for me to do, more people to meet and get to know. I think it has the potential for more opportunity.

One thing that is important to me, is sledge hockey. I’ve already stated that no matter where I was to move to, I would want that option to be where I was. As far as I know, sledge hockey just got started in Houston. But there’s never really any concrete evidence of the program in existence. Nor is there the promise of it developing. There are no answers to those kinds of questions.

Sure, I’ve already said that I had a wonderful time. I’ve met some really awesome people that just made my trip become so fabulous that I didn’t want to leave. But a week later, here I am. I thought that I would just forward in planning for the next trip, because 100% of the opinion of all of those people that I got to meet, got introduced to and everybody else had said that they wanted me to come back as soon as I can.

Who am I to let them down?

I will be going back in November to a wedding. I have been given the promise of torture and death, if I did not show up for it. As well as the powerful word of suggestion that if I did not come down there by myself, I would be dragged down there, whether I liked it or not! Clearly, I don’t have much of a choice. Well, I do honestly. I can choose to either go on my own or be dragged… THAT is my choice.

Besides, I like breathing. It keeps me alive.

But living there is a very big and important decision. True, I have friends there and yes I even made more friends. People who would absolutely go out of their way to help me, if they can. There’s no doubt in that. I believe that I would feel welcomed in that area. And there would be more opportunity to meet with those that I had already made friendships with. Yet, life does go on. They already have theirs and I will be starting over with mine.

The fairy tale idea will not last forever.

I remember back in 1998, I moved from one small community of about 1,300 people to a full county population of nearly 50,000. It was only 60 miles. My best friends lived sort of in the center of it all. They were somewhere between 20-24 miles from my old place and only 35 miles from the city that I moved into.  They came by every evening (or afternoon if they had the day off of work) and visited. Whether that was to take me to the store to get something for my place or the grocery store so that I had food for the week to eat.

They did this every night for over two months, straight. But eventually, it stopped. Life went back as usual and I would hear from them every once in a while. Either they would call or come visit me. But it wasn’t every day.

Could this same situation happen if I made the decision to move to Houston? Its quite possible, yes. But again, life will go on as usual after some point.

Now I am not saying that I am expecting anyone to do what my best friends did for me so long ago. To sit here and say that it WILL be the same would be something of a very foolish remark. I didn’t “expect” to be taken care of so well when I visited Houston last week. But you know what? It happened. These people made the decisions out of the kinds and love in their hearts to make things enjoyable and happy for me. Still a week later, I am totally grateful beyond words.

I’ll continue before I get off track here. If I moved to Houston, I shouldn’t expect much. Clearly, there will be times during the process where I will need help. It will be up to me to make sure that I ask for it, not expect it.

And yet one curious thought still lingers: Could it just be that I am considering a move into the Houston area, because of the fact that I am on this “high” still? Is it possible that the only reason why I am thinking about doing this at all, is because of all the fun that I had over a period of three and a half days?? And does that mean that my mind and judgement is clouded with those energetic positive feelings???

I don’t know.

Since I’ve been back, those whom I met I have been able to contact via the Internet, whether it be Facebook or Twitter or even e-mail. I knew that was going to happen. In the days leading up to my trip, and now several days afterward the frequency of correspondence between those who I knew lived in the area, added with those who I met while down there, has increased dramatically. And all of that is fine. There’s nothing wrong with it. Yet I think it only fans those lingering flames.

I think that with some of those people who I knew before and then got to meet, the visit has strengthened the bond. Which is really cool!! I’m glad for it. I was given the compliment of a lifetime just last night. I believe in every word of theirs that they spoke too. It warmed my heart and strengthened the bond. And then brought me to streaming tears with emotion.

It was really cool. And I thank them for their kind and sincere words.

Perhaps I need to just put this idea on the back burner and keep it there for a while and see if it pops up again on its own, without self-provocation.

Now I stand at the crossroads, facing a rather huge decision in life. Keep me in your mind as I go through this process, for however long it takes.