The Move Is Completed

O.K. - it sort of feels like the first move (from the Marriott hotel into my 1st apartment in Portside) was just completed but that was a little more than 6 months ago already. That lease was headed for expiration and I realized I would still be here so it seemed the opportune time to see if there was somewhere I might enjoy more to live. Where I was staying faced Kingsford Smith Drive (no - not the inventor of the "quick lighting" charcoal briquette, an important Australian aviator) - a very busy road and the street just outside my window was where people divert to escape the rather frenzied traffic. That means a lot of cars going by all day and night and it seems that "The Fast and the Furious" must have just caught on because little crappy cars with loud exhaust systems are all the rage - not a pleasant situation. I like being so close to work and I like having the Portside "community" close, so I started looking at other Portside addresses.

Most of them were pretty nondescript but, by chance, someone decided to rent a place the day Nancy and I went looking and I was really taken with the layout and location. Now, we are right off the "main drag" in Portside, in a building called "The Lofts" which are right above several restaurants and across the street from the movie theater, ice cream shop and more restaurants. The big plus is that it's an open floorplan that allows a great breeze - something I am apparently going to really like once summer shows up. Also, it faces the river and is not facing a construction zone - both additional big pluses in my mind. So - we take the plunge and move and we're off to the races.

Now - the realities of this location are setting in. Yes - I'm not facing a busy 4 lane road - full of trucks and cars. Instead I'm 10 meters above a pretty busy bunch of restaurants that - surprise - don't shed their customers until after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. In addition, every Friday night a cruise ship comes sneaking into the port and at 6:30 AM - and not one minute later - they start announcing the order in which their passengers are to disembark while the "beep, beep, varoom, beep, beep, varoom, beep, beep" of fork trucks scurrying about their loading and unloading duties joins in. Saturday is not a day you are going to "sleep in" at the new apartment.

On top of that, there's a high end function room directly across from our bedroom that hosts some pretty snazzy - and long lasting - parties. A wedding last weekend featured a pretty amazing fireworks display from a barge in the river and they were still clearing the guests out after 1:00 AM. Saturday night is not when you're going to go to bed early. Last night (Sunday) - at a little after 11:00, someone fired up their bagpipes in the coffee shop downstairs for a couple of tunes. I have to admit - they were pretty good and I was still awake doing some reading but still.... bagpipes?

Yet only 29 1/2 years ago, when Nancy and were first married, we lived in the Hamilton Apartments less than a block from the City of Muskegon's main fire station. It wasn't long before we were sleeping through 4 alarm dispatches in the summer (windows open - Hamilton has no air conditioning) so I have hope that we'll make it through this situation as well. This has been pretty lengthy so I'll stop for now. Nancy will be here on Thursday - I'm really looking forward to ending this season as a bachelor - and I've got the place pretty much ready so I'll carry on a bit later with more news from the other side of the world.

Thanks again to all who have dropped me a note or a comment - I greatly appreciate your interaction!!

The Riverfire!

The biggest event of the year for our city celebrates the Brisbane River - it's called "Riverfestival" and it was pretty cool. For those of us from West Michigan - the 4th of July (usually while the Summer Celebration is going on) is the "biggie" but as you can tell from the photos in this blog entry - Riverfire is a bit larger! The picture below is of the famous F-111 "dump and burn" maneuver that starts and ends the fireworks display - very impressive.

Since I am moving into a different apartment - in "The Lofts" building that faces the Brisbane river - I decided to host a Riverfire event for some of my staff. It was really fun to have some of the people I work with every day come over with their wife / husband / children and watch the festivities.

Riverfire ended a very long week of "audit prep" - the main reason I came down here. On top of that, my Boss was here the week before and his visit required quite a bit of preparation as well. The picture of the dinner (below) was a gathering in recognition of his visit at the famous Breakfast Creek Hotel & Restaurant. It may be difficult down here but the food is pretty good.

I am in the throes of moving from "Apartment A" to "Apartment B" without the assistance and encouragement of Nancy. What does that mean? It means that I'm in K-Mart (yes, they have them here too) on a Wednesday evening buying a toaster and hangers for the new place because it's unfurnished. I have bought pots and pans, bedding, dishes, cutlery, toilet cleaning utensils, etc. in anticipation of the actual move next Thursday.

I really like the new space - which, if you haven't guessed it by now, is required because my assignment has been extended. The actual final duration isn't completely settled but it looks like the majority of 2008 at this point. That creates an entirely different set of interesting circumstances that need to be addressed - but that's for another entry.

In the mean time, I am getting in touch with my appreciation for Nancy and all that she has done to shield me from having to visit a K-Mart over the years. I don't miss her because she would be doing all the the detail oriented work for me (well, maybe just a little), but because I am going through this alone. I'm not enjoying alone and am looking forward to her return.

So, for now - please keep sending me an e-mail or add a comment to this blog; I greatly appreciate every one of them. Some of you have really stepped up to the challenge in my "hour of need" and I thank you profusely!! More later - hopefully, this weekend.
P.S. -It's raining here and people are really excited!