Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Well, there are days (today) that I kinda, sorta, just a little bit, might wish I didn't have three little tumblefurr creators... but then, look at those fellas stretched out on the bed.. too freakin adorable to live without.

My little 10 year old great-niece, bless her heart, called me today to offer me one of her kittens... they are a month old and she is trolling for homes for them. His name is Paul. I don't know. It was a voicemail message. Paul? I DECLINED - yup. I still have my eye on the neighbors orange male cat "Baby" - they never let him inside, he has no siblings. He has adopted the fellas and hangs out with them, he comes when I call them on the cat whistle, and he uses the cat door to come eat the crunchy bits... it is a good job 3 cats is providing to be a big ordeal, or I'd arrive with 4.

It would probably take them a week to miss him...as it stands I don't have a forwarding address, so I wouldn't need to worry about them tracking me down...

I am thinking of forwarding my mail to "general delivery" in Dayton... I did that in Sydney for 3 months and it wasn't so bad...

My latest "move" plan was to get a direct redeye flight from SFO (or Oakland, or San Jose) to Cincinnati (or Columbus, or Indianapolis - testing your midwest geography ain't I???) and just have a friend (you know who you are oh experienced animal mover) come and collect me and the fellas and make the shortish drive to Dayton during the rush hour commute. luv ya...

Well, it seems that overnight redeyes between these cities is not so easy to come by - that is on airlines that will accept the cats during the summer months...

I still have some calls to make, and I need to call Delta back - the Indian fellow I talked to was sweet but I just could not be clear what he was telling me. It was a bit fun though. I said I had 3 cats to fly and he said "3 ma'am?" I said yes. He said, with more inflection, "3 ma'am?" I said yes. I kid you not, he said, "3 ma'am?" I then said "Yes, 1, 2, 3 -- 3 cats," to which he said "OK ma'am." He proceeded to attempt to give me information, which, bless his heart, came out as gobbledy gook.

I started wrapping up the call so I could speak to someone else and get some usable data, and then he says. "3 cats ma'am?" and he is kind of laughing. I say yes "Americans are crazy aren't we" to this he laughed out loud and put me on hold to find some more information. He was so sweet I agreed to get transferred to Avis. Avis told me I could rent a van one way from Chicago to Dayton for $130. Plus $60 for gas.

Back on the phone with Delta and yes, it is another Indian fellow. I haven't mentioned the cats yet, but they do have a direct flight (Cincy is their hub) and it is only $600 - for me and one bag. Right now I think they are interchangable. .. (I know some of you understood that).

I have been on hold for a very long time while this nice fellow finds out what the largest size 50 lb bag is that I can check. Ok 62 linear inches... now I have sprung the cats on him. It took a while for him to grasp the question, and get that it was 3 cats. Not as much fun. I have said yes, about 82 or 83 times so far, yup we are having fun now. Just threw him a "correct" for a bit of variety. BTW, I have a flight on hold for June 35th - not a typo. At least this is fun.

I am going to call back in the morning and confirm the information with another person... I am not convinced the cat thing is 100%... and I don't have margin for error. I also need a travel date that shows on a printed calendar of the Gregorian kind.

Now, lets hope I can get the moving truck for that day, and the car transport and oh, yea, get packed. Not a single thing has gone into a box. Well, Snuggie has a box festish so he is often in one, but he cannot go in the truck-- and don't even think about that!

Aren't you glad I am blogging??? Just like being here, huh? You can live vicariously through me!

Ahhhhhhh, time to start looking into the move options, just in case Broadway Express is not the best all around option… my sister suggested PODS, so I am off to surf the modular moving experience!