Unpacking Ordeals

The movers arrived yesterday and unloaded in pretty good time. Then I went looking for the bolts for my shelving unit. Anyone who has been in my home at one time or another (in one province/territory or another) has seen some version of this unit. It is a bunch of shelves that I bought from Ikea many years ago, and if I use all pieces, can stretch across one whole wall. I store most of my things on them such as books, knicknacks, movies, blue glass, whatever. When the dumbasses at Matco were packing me in Whitehorse, I saw one of them with a bag of bolts for the shelves I wasn't currently using and told him to keep that out, as I wanted to put the rest of the bolts in there once the remaining shelves came down. That proved to be too difficult of an instruction for the young 18 year old who was packing for the very first time. Before I knew it, he had stuffed the bag into a box and couldn't remember which one. Ok, FINE. I will make sure to keep the rest of them out and put them in my set-up box. That was the last time I saw the last of the bolts. I have been through every box and short of unpacking and stacking everything around me, I CANNOT FIND THOSE FUCKING BOLTS. I found the orignial bag, with just enough for one fourth of the shelving...that's it. I have been looking for about 4 hours now...if I could get that fucker in front of me now, he would have bolts where his eyes used to be. I can't unpack anything in the living room until I put together these shelves, so I have a big damn mess in my living room, with stuff scattered everywhere.

Finally I had to give up looking for the fucking bolts and go do something else, so I chose to go and stack more boxes outside. Not wanting the cold to seep into my trailer, I shut the door behind me. Locked. FUCK! So there I was in my pyjamas, slippers (bare feet) and a t-shirt full of holes. Thankfully I pulled on my green corduroy jacket (thin) and a pair of mini-gloves. But I was still locked out, and my landlady is in the air somewhere, on her way back from Yellowknife, so she can't help me. I tried to break in, but could do nothing about that.

So then I shuffled in my pyjamas and slippers to the neighbors. The ones to the right didn't look to be at home, so I tried the ones to the left. No one home. Next door to them - someone home but no one wants to answer. So I tried the next door to them - got an answer, turns out I had met one of the ladies before already. They let me use the phone to call the Health Centre to see if they at least had a key to the office, and then maybe I could get a key to the trailer in the key cabinet(landlady is also community coordinator that works here with me). So I get a ride graciously from one of the neighbors there to pick up a key at the health centre. That was interesting. I get into her car and there is a shotgun on the front seat, and a box of bullets on the dash. Hmmm...what to think...and of course I can't help but ask, as I can't get my seatbelt on until I move the gun. It's a 303, I recognize the bullets. The woman tells me that she hunts and traps, so carries her gun with her. She also tells me that she is the best shot in town for a woman. Nice. Welcome to northern rural life.

We go to the office, and the key doesn't work. Dammit. So we drive to the Senior's Centre as a gal there has apparently been speaking to the landlady/community coordinator this morning and might know when she is coming back.

I get to the Senior's centre and that gal isn't there, but due back soon. And she happens to have a key to the office. Great, I'll wait for her there with the ladies preparing the Senior's lunch. They also informed me that the landlady/CC will be back shortly as she is to attend the Senior's lunch. Great. Finally the first gal comes in and takes me to the office, her key gets me in. I check the key cabinet and grab a key marked trailer, and we head back to try it out. Doesn't work. I decide to try the back door, climbing over snowbanks and slogging through snow in my still bare foot slippered feet. Nope, doesn't fit, and now I can't feel my feet, they are full of snow and ice. Get back into the van with J. the gal with a key to the office. She takes me back to the office and I decide to wait there for landlady/CC. As I am getting into the office, I have a walk-in client. Great. I am in my pyjamas, barefoot in slippers, no bra, a ripped t-shirt, and my green corduroy jacket. At least I brushed my hair today...

So here I sit, waiting for the CC to come back so I can get a key to my trailer and get back in to look for those fucking bolts. I can't help but think this whole ordeal could have been avoided if the damn movers had done as I asked and left the bolts out!!! Stupid Matco.

And then yesterday, I inadvertently left the office unlocked, but had set the alarm. I did post a sign on the door, stating when I would be out and when I would return, but someone ignored it and opened the door anyhow, tripping the alarm. While I was back at the trailer, dealing with the movers, an RCMP showed up to ask me for the code so they can shut the alarm off and lock the office. I asked the cop who had called him to let him know the alarm was tripped, thinking the alarm company called him...he informed me that he had about 20 calls from people in the building...sheesh...what a friggin ordeal...