The Price Is Right

(Photo from Flickr)

As far as I'm concerned, it's not worth it to ship stuff you already own from one coast to another. Neither is it worth it to pay storage on anything that doesn't have sentimental value to you. Ever look at the prices for shipping and storage? The new airline luggage fees? I'm a big believer in buying it on sale with free shipping, then gifting it, selling it, or maybe, possibly shipping it home (if you can ship it very cheaply) when it's time to move along.

Mostly I'm a believer in not accumulating alot of stuff in the first place. Traveling light. It's harder to do than it looks. The urge to accumulate is very strong, and must be battled constantly. One thing about having a tiny car is that it will definitely force you to think twice about buying souvenirs, secondhand books, yard sale finds, or tchotchkes - and that's a good thing.
I'm imagining that goes double for no car - I guess we'll see, in 3 months.

Now, just in case I sound a little too holier-than-thou, let me confess that I did this move in the most last-minute, bass-ackwards way possible. I could have saved more money and slept on sheets last night if I had gotten my behind in gear and gotten my license sooner, and/or if I had started shopping and shipping right
after I got my license last week. Or, if I had gotten here a week ago, and had
time to go to Goodwill and to transport stuff by bus. Whatever. I did it at the
last minute, I own almost nothing that could be shipped,anyway (I got rid of it all when I moved out of my house) and I happened to have already wasted big bucks on Amazon Prime, so my strategy relied heavily on Amazon deals and free shipping. Anyone with a car and access to a Linens N' Things (or a dollar store) can pick up some amazing deals,like this. But, LNT charges an arm and a leg for shipping.

So my bedding arrived, and I am now luxuriating on my cheap sheets  beneath my $36.99 Queen-size Comforter.

Today I ordered this from Amazon, with free 2-day shipping;
SilverStone2 East Main 5-Piece Cookware Set, Kiwi $29.86 (a special, one-day "Gold Box" deal - it's now about ten dollars more) 1-1/2-quart saucepan and lid, 4-1/4-quart saucepot and lid, 9-inch skillet.

I did ship a few things last week - uniforms, a flat fold colander I got as a
gift, a tiny cutting board I bought for camping, - stuff that was light and
cheap to ship.

Sloth Is My Middle Name

(Photo of Seattle Dock Cranes from Flickr)

O.K., so it looks like my new, revised immediate plan is to order takeout and lie around like
a giant sloth, until I get the energy to go down to the lobby and see if my sheets, pillows, and
quilt have arrived from amazon.com. (Note - I got most of my stuff through their current
4-for-3 Sale.)

Last night I slept, fully clothed, on the couch, using my jacket as a blanket. It wasn't the
greatest sleep in the world, but I did sleep.

For those thinking of travel nursing, be aware that I inflicted this situation on myself. Many companies, including mine, supply a furnished apartment (including a microwave) with basic utilities covered. However, if you want plates, silverware, sheets, pillows, a shower curtain, a coffeemaker, a bath mat, etc., you either "rent" (via pay deductions) a "housewares package",
or you supply your own. (Note - some companies do supply everything.)

The price of the housewares rental is usually higher in major cities. I took a chance this time,
and decided to do some bargain-hunting on my own. In fact, after I finish writing this post,
I'm going to head on over to www.amazon.com to check out their Friday Sale. I just hung the hookless shower curtain (currently selling for $20, I got it for $10), which I got during one of their Friday Sales almost a year ago, never used, and just carried across the country with me
in my laptop bag.

I'm a member of Amazon Prime, which means that I get free 2nd-day shipping, and overnight shipping for $3.99 per item. They sell everything, including groceries, but the one thing that
irks me is that they only sell household staples in industrial-sized quantities 
- like 6 bottles of laundry detergent at a pop. Thank God for the little deli in the courtyard
herel. They've got all that stuff, and they even stay open until midnight. Sure, it's for
premium prices, but I'm sure it's because they're paying premium rent.  As soon as I get some
energy, I'll walk over to a Walgreen's, or something, save a little money, and burn calories
doing it. I also plan to check out free delivery from Amazon Fresh, which is based here in Seattle.

Oh, yay, the food is here! I'm sooo hungry!

Safe and Sound in Seattle

( Photo from; http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentmercurio/470425366/ )

O.K., I'm gonna cheat and plagiarize from my own emails,
because I'm tired.

1) Safe and sound in Chicago while awaiting
    connecting flight to Seattle
...So far, everything has gone great! No problems
whatsoever at Bradley. It is indeed a very nice
airport to go through - sooo much less of a hassle
than going down to JFK. Clean, non-chaotic, nice,
manageable size. CT was sunny and cold, but NO SNOW!
It's not snowing in Chicago, either,so that's good.
I had been concerned about that, as Chicago has been
hit with alot of bad weather lately, and Southwest
Airlines even had a travel advisory for Chicago on
their website. ...

I ended up sitting next to a woman from Birmingham, AL
who had worked on the financial auditing side in a
hospital and then became a McKesson rep - apparently
they do hospital finance software, too ( I'm used to
their automated drug-dispensing cabinets ). She told
me that nurses make great healthcare financial
auditors and she's met many in that position. She
wasn't sure how they transitioned into it, as she came
out of a different background. I guess my oncology
background would be beneficial, as onc pts "hit every
single DRG[Diagnosis Related Group- which is how
things are billed]", as she put it, and thus are quite
challenging to audit.

It was good we were talking so much, because I was
concentrating on that, rather than worrying about the
plane crashing, as we landed. ;-)

Pretty interesting to see all the opportunities out
there...

2)Me:
I'm starting to resent places that don't accomodate my
need to be online 24/7. ;-)

Maybe I should live at the Chicago airport. They have
laptop counters ( kinda like a counter in a diner,
with stools, and all ) with multiple electrical
outlets, all over!!!!! AND, I'm getting 5/5 bars of
EVDO signal here, which is like the strongest signal
I've ever gotten. I saw the laptop counters right
after disembarking, and it was love at first sight!
;-)

It's kind of like a big mall. You could pretty much
buy anything you'd need here, including books. You
could work here. I guess you might have to leave
occasionally for medical appointments, or healthy
food, or a shower, or whatnot, but, other than that,
you'd be set.

My friend's reply : 
I think there's a story of some dude who lived in airport for years.
They even got a restraining order on him, and he continued to live there,
so it's totally possible!

Me :
Wow - I could cover ALL the bases. Home, job, and even
an airport boyfriend!

3) 2nd flight uneventful. Seatac is also a very nice,
modern airport that is also very manageable in size.
Beautiful flying in at night over the Space
Needle ( which was all lit up ) and everything. Got in
around 9:30, took a shuttle to the apartment building,
checked in, went down to the deli in the apartment
complex coutyard, bought some basics, and am now
kicking back, eating tortellini and broccoli salad.

I am too tired to say much. I am absolutely
thrilled with the apartment complex, and I love the
fancy lobby, the lit from behind at night multi-level
waterfall in the outdoor courtyard, and the partial
view of the cranes in the harbor from the apartment
window. The immediate area is alot like NYC/the Upper
East Side, just more hilly. Good amount of people out
on the streets at night. Lots of restaurants, coffee
shops, etc. Oh, and I'm right across from the Seattle
Art Museum!!!!! I feel like the Country Hick, after
Vermont, staring at the Big City Lights and buildings,
like I ain't never seen no such thing before. ;-)

4) I was able to get quite a bit of stuff (toilet paper, etc.)
at the little deli, and I have some housewares
I ordered from Amazon.com due to arrive on Friday.
So, my major immediate plans are to do a test run of
the bus route to the hospital, walk around the neighborhood,
and to check out Pike's Place Market, which is like 3 blocks
from here. Other than that, I'm not gonna push it this
weekend, as I don't need a repeat of Virginia. Maybe
I'll check out the art museum, and hopefully I'll see my
friend, who is working a killer schedule.

Alot of people were coughing and sneezing on the
plane. I'm fine so far, but I'm going to start taking
Airborne.