Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Big changes here chez Trout. Monumental. 

We took Science Girl to University in the Nation's Capital on Labour Day week-end. It went surprising well until the end, but I get ahead of myself.

She was moving into Residence on campus with a girl from Saskatoon (now that's moving away from home).  The "suite" as it's called has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a little kitchenette with a full sized fridge with freezer and microwave.  SG was particularly impressed with the not having to share a toilet with 30 other people aspect of this type of residence.  Very civilized. 

But as a result, she needed a lot of extra stuff like dishes and cutlery and cooking utensils.  I love IKEA and they love me after the wad of cash I left with them a few weeks ago.

Anyway, we loaded up the Beast on the Friday for our journey to Ottawa.

The whole procedure was very well organized.  We were assigned a day and time (Saturday between 9 and noon) to move in.  We arrived about 9:30, stopped the car in the drop-off spot and unloaded the van with the help of some movers hired for the day.  SG went off to find a cart and as LB and I loaded it up, Himself went to park the Beast  in a lot we were able to use for the day and SG went to get her keys.  We found her room (at the far end of the hall of course), unloaded and returned the cart and I think the whole thing was no more than 45 minutes.  I was very impressed.

The hard part came trying to unpack all her shit.  I just wanted to get boxes and suitcases emptied so I was dumping crap into drawers knowing full well that she would come along later and "fix" it.  LB and I made up her bed while she and Himself went to get her Student Card which had her meal plan loaded onto it so at least she could eat.  At least, if nothing else got done that day, she'd have a bed to sleep in.  SG and her room-mate, who turned out to be a very nice girl with very nice parents (they had already arrived) would have to sort out their kitchen themselves.  

It was quite evident from the outset that SG would require more stuff in the way of storagey things.  The desk had no drawers (really? who makes a desk with no drawers),  there was a big space between the big table desk and a dresser that was crying out for some kind of rack or drawers.  The cutlery organizer I'd bought for was too wide for the kitchen drawer so that had to be replaced.  She has a pokey little screen window, no more than 6 square inches, so she would need a fan unless she wanted to sleep in a sauna. So after lunch, because I was ready to rip some throats out if I didn't get something to eat, and dropping LB off at my aunt's because he was done helping, we went to Canadian Tire and dropped another load of cash to get her room finally kitted out.

She wasn't quite ready to stay over that night by herself (her room-mate was spending the rest of the week-end with her family so she wasn't there until Monday morning) so she came back to my aunt's with us.  

So Sunday morning was the drop-off day.  She didn't want us coming up to her room with her so we found a little 5 minute drop-off parking spot and literally just dropped her off.  I did manage to get a picture of her and LB and give her a hug but she just marched off around the corner of a building and out of sight.  

Then I cried.  And I cried for about 40 minutes down the road.  

We're all adjusting - she's adjusting to having to do things for herself, huge classes and paying for stuff with her own money (that's come as a shock).  I'm adjusting to cooking for three, washing for three and  her absence in the house.

So I leave you with Mr. David Bowie with the title song.

And a warm Mad Trout welcome to the Maple Syrup Mob.  Hullooo