Abbey Road - The BeatlesMy last job (you remember: that interim position in Roseburg, OR), ended on June 15, and my new one (here in Kentfield, CA: finally a “permanent” job!) starts tomorrow. It’s been a five-week hiatus. Of sorts.

Several folks have remarked how wonderful it must be to have all this “time off.” To which I reply: “HA!” There’s really been no time, not even really a moment, to relax, as the items on my to-do lists have been more numerous and ambitious than ever. (Believe me: moving to another state in order to totally change your life is a deal, you know…)

I begin tomorrow, though, with an apartment that’s mostly put together (even though the books and art are still littering the scene, all still packed away in cardboard boxes). I have a functional living space, and that’s what’s really important to me.

Truthfully, I only really had one “day off” during this whole period. That was Saturday, June 30. I had supervised the loading of all my possessions onto the moving van the previous day, and I was staying with C in Eugene for two nights, Friday and Saturday, before beginning the drive to my new state on Sunday, July 1.

Although it was not nearly enough, I did have that one rather stress-free, agenda-less day, and it was pretty terrific. One particularly memorable part of the experience was my visit to the Eugene Saturday Market. I wandered around and around with my camera, as I usually do there…although I ended up at the stage for one whole hour as Brook Adams (left) played a set of Beatles’ songs. Not just any Beatles’ songs, however: he played the entire Abbey Road album, all 17 songs, in order, “side 1” and “side 2,” accompanying himself on the ukulele. What a hoot!

There’s been a lot to do, and a lot of stress, associated this change, but I am thankful that there have been some lighter moments as well.

Soundtrack Suggestion

Because the world is round it turns me on
Because the world is round...aaaaaahhhhhh

Because the wind is high it blows my mind
Because the wind is high......aaaaaaaahhhh

Love is all, love is new
Love is all, love is you

Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry
Because the sky is blue.......aaaaaaaahhhh

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh....

(“Because” – Lennon-McCartney, from Abbey Road)

Very early this morning (it’s still dark), I’m in bed. Sleeping.

All of a sudden: I’m shaken awake. I look at the clock by my bed. The digital readout says 4:42.

What the heck was that, I ask myself. Damn! If that’s someone slamming a door in another apartment, they should be more considerate!

Then: hmmmm…I wonder if that’s what an earthquake feels like.

How am I to know? I’m new to the Bay Area, and have never experienced a quake anywhere else I’ve been.

I keep thinking. It didn’t exactly seem like a door slamming. It was more as if the Jolly Green Giant slammed his foot down right outside my bedroom window, with the whole building rising a couple of inches then settling back down again. All in the space of a second or so.

It was early morning, though. These thoughts did not last long. I went back to sleep and pondered them no more. In fact, I had totally forgotten the episode until I turned on the TV before breakfast. Then, I heard the news:

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook the San Francisco area Friday at 4:42 a.m. PT (7:42 a.m. ET), the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake left about 2,000 customers without power, said David Eisenhower, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Light.

Under the USGS classification, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake is considered "light," which it says usually causes minimal damage.

"We had quite a spike in calls, mostly calls of inquiry, none of any injury, none of any damage that was reported," said Capt. Al Casciato of the San Francisco police. "It was fairly mild."

The quake was centered about two miles east-northeast of Oakland, at a depth of 3.6 miles, the USGS said. Oakland is just east of San Francisco, across San Francisco Bay.

An Oakland police dispatcher told CNN the quake set off alarms at people's homes. The shaking lasted about 50 seconds, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

According to the USGS, magnitude 4.2 quakes are felt indoors and may break dishes and windows and overturn unstable objects. Pendulum clocks may stop.

One might say that my initiation to San Fran life is off to a shaky start.

Ah, the joys of moving continue…

Despite my previous rave review of the Marpac SleepMate (a white-noise device), ultimately it just wasn’t enough to resolve the dilemma of having moved into an apartment that’s located directly above a couple who have a TV in their bedroom and play it all hours. Sooooo…although I was initially kicking and screaming at the thought of expending all this energy, I spent the last two days dismantling and then entirely rebuilding my bedroom and office spaces, exchanging the contents of the rooms, one for the other. My sleeping space is now in the “second bedroom” and the office is in the master bedroom. Honestly, I had intensely resisted this as a solution because, for the first time ever (for me), the master bedroom has a master bath…and the occupancy, now, of the second bedroom, negates its (the master bath’s) advantages.

But: getting sleep is the primary consideration here. Deep, restorative sleep is essential for good health (especially for someone with fibromyalgia), and the lack of it “deprives the body of its opportunity to replenish its supply of dopamine” (Dryland, p. 54). Having recently read The Fibromyalgia Solution, I now know that I must continue to work on the sleep issues I’ve had for years and years if I have any hope of eventually conquering this condition. Hence, all the work to change my sleeping space around: short-term pain for long-term gain.

It was a warm, cloudless day when I first arrived in Larkspur. This is the view from my patio that evening…

Here are a few random thoughts from a mind clouded over with moving fatigue…

• I think the 80/20 rule applies to moving and possessions. At least for me. I’m estimating that 80% of the weight I cart around from place to place represents just about 20% of the actual volume. I have been making good progress with the unpacking, and the things I have left to take out of their boxes are (mainly) the books and framed art…these items don’t take up that much room on the truck, but they sure are heavy. [For anyone keeping score: 34 boxes of books and journals (not counting the boxes in storage); 8 large mirror-pack boxes of art.]

• I stopped by the local AAA office yesterday (to pick up a couple small travel items for my upcoming trip to Wisconsin). While there, I took the time to switch my membership from the Oregon/Idaho region to the Utah/Nevada/Northern California club. The person I talked to also gave me an estimate on car and renter’s insurance (which just may be the way I go after I shop around a little more). While talking about auto rates, of course I disclosed that I drive a 2007 Subaru. At one point, when touting the good rates enjoyed by drivers in Marin County, he indicated that, here, “everyone drives a Subaru or above.” Now, I guess he meant no judgment with this statement, which, of course, is true (there are LOTS of Lexus, BMW and Mercedes drivers here)…it’s just that he accurately pegged me (as an educator) on the low end of the socio-economic scale in Marin…which Wikipedia lists as the “richest county in the U.S.”

• My kitchen is unpacked and functional as of this evening. I “cooked” my first meal in this new place: a take-and-bake pizza (medium veggie) from Papa Murphy’s.

• I found my towels. (A big “thank you” goes to those of you who have written and called with your concern.) They were creatively used as packing material by my moving crew. Not to worry. I’ve still been taking baths.

• I found a local source for white-noise machines. I desired/needed one because the neighbors below me have a TV in the bedroom, right below MY bedroom. And they keep different hours than me (the prototypical early-to-bed-early-to-rise person). They stay up, and play their TV, to the wee hours. I rarely am up past 10:00 p.m. In case you’re interested, I heartily recommend the Marpac SleepMate 980A model.

• I watched the MLB All-Star Game on TV last night…played about 15 miles from right here. The National League almost pulled it off. They kept me glued to the set right to the very last pitch. I considered tuning out after 8 innings, but I kept reminding myself that, like life, a baseball game ain’t over till it’s over.

• One last question: Is every resident of Marin County, by definition, a Mariner?