Unpacking Party!

My movers promised to deliver to my house at 7 a.m. today so I got up early and waited. And waited. And waited. Two hours later I heard back from them and they gave me some song and dance about why they were late. Long story short, they finally arrived at 2:15 p.m. Most of my furniture is damaged (as most of you warned me about) but I could hardly care at this point. I'll add it to the claim. Meanwhile, I am just so happy to see my clothes, shoes, scarves, hats, purses, Cutco knives, and red KitchenAid stand mixer! Tonight I am a normal person who can pour herself a glass of wine into a real wine glass! Hallelujah!

One of my biggest regrets in all of this is that my mom went home yesterday morning. I was hoping that my things would be delivered while she was here because my mom really knows how to make everything look nice and organized. She is a bit anal when it comes to that actually but anal helps when you are getting settled. To be clear, I don't only miss my mama for the slave labor factor. I miss her for a lot of reasons. She cried when she left me yesterday. She gave me a big teary-eyed hug when she got on the elevator and said, "I just want my baby home!"

Well I'm not a baby but I will be coming home soon. But not yet. For now I have to be a big girl and organize my own house.

Thanks for reading about the trials and tribulations of my move. I will try to make this the last rant.

I’ve Been In This Apartment For Over A Week. Do You Like What I’ve Done With The Place?

That's right, still no furniture. My movers promised me that they would be making a delivery today at 3:30 p.m. I got off of work early. I waited. And waited. And waited. No one came. No one called. After an hour and a half of panic I finally heard from the driver who said he had problems with the truck this morning and was running behind in Brooklyn. He said he would be three to four hours late. Then the dispatcher called and said he isn't coming tonight after all but promised he will be here first thing in the morning. Hang on while I hold my breath.

This is the worst experience I have ever had with any type of business. I am completely at the mercy of people who could care less that I am a single woman stranded and alone with no possessions in New York City. I am passed the point of being mad or outraged. I mostly feel hurt and dismayed that people will just strand other people like this. So I will take it up the you-know-what on this one for yet another night. I ate a box of cookies and am drinking wine straight from the bottle like an alcoholic because I have no wine glasses. Or any glasses for that matter. Or cups or plates or pots or pans or silverware...

So I Bought An iPhone. It Doesn’t Work.

Is anyone else in the New York City area experiencing a data outage on their AT&T phone? I certainly hope so because AT&T told me that a city-wide data outage is the reason that my brand new iPhone is not working properly. I can make and receive calls and SMS but I cannot get to my email, maps, or browser. Why does nothing in my life work these days?

I need the mapping function because I have been using mobile mapping to help me figure out New York City. It has been such a huge help and I can't imagine being without it now.

I am really hoping that there is in fact an outage and that it will start working soon because if it doesn't, it might just mean that I have some other faulty situation that I have to deal with by spending another hour on the phone with AT&T in order to solve. They were certainly nice enough but I just need something to go smoothly for me this week. Really, anything. My movers have still not even left California so I have at least another 8 days to wait for my delivery. I won't get started on that rant or I might not stop anytime soon.

Please iPhone, just start being the wonder gadget everyone says you are. I need the universe to throw me a bone. I need my world, delivered.

Update: The network is working now. And no, it wasn't user error. I called AT&T just to be sure. Finally! Something works for me!

Anyone Know How To Beam Furniture?

I am trying my best not to lose it. My movers picked up my possessions on Monday, January 14 which is 8 days ago. The contracted delivery date was today at 5 p.m. I called to confirm delivery for the FIFTH time this morning only to find out for the first time that the van has not left California yet. So I am sitting in my empty apartment trying to figure out just where I am going to sleep for the next eight days while some jerk drives my entire life across the country.

My mom just called the moving company to brow beat them but so far they can't offer any kind of compensation. Oh but they will be compensating! I'll be filing a claim for all of my expenses for the next eight days and they'll also have to deal with my mother every day until they get here, which is punishment enough, let me tell you. The worst part is that the claims company won't even speak to me until they receive my claim in writing via US Postal Mail. US Postal Mail!? What year is this!? If any of the people involved in this snafu were in front of me in person, they would get a serious kick in the shins from my Michael Kors boots! So the employees of Gold Star Van Lines and Anthem Claim Management had better steer clear of me in person until they show up with my bed, desk, kitchenware, and collection of shoes!

Meanwhile, my mom and I will take a field trip to Crate and Barrel on Broadway to figure out how to live in this empty apartment for a week. Breathe, Natali, breathe...

Making Sense When There Is Just No Sense

I just finished watching a 60 Minutes news piece about the use of rape in Congo. Watch it here but be warned that it is graphic and jarring.

When I was studying for my gender certificate in graduate school, I read story after story of men who committed sexual crimes to exert their power during a time in their lives when they felt a lack of power themselves. When young boys sexually abuse other children, it is usually because they themselves have been sexually abused or somehow subjugated. With that in mind, I still cannot fathom that there are men in any community who would go as far as to rape a 3 year-old. How is that even possible? What are the driving forces behind this terrible use of power and where do we stop the domino effect?

This story mentions an organization called Women for Women. We can also learn more from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's page on Congo featuring a travel journal by Angelina Jolie. Both of these sites are great places to start but they don't stop the dominoes. They only help pick them up once they have already fallen. The Congo needs rape prevention and better punishment of rape perpetrators. It needs attention. I am not well researched when it comes to the civil war in the Congo but if any of my readers are, please post Web sites that point us all in the right direction.