Saturday, November 13, 2010

Oregon Trail 2010 - Stage 4

Stage 4.  We bid Sheri, Tony and Daniel farewell  and fire up the engine for the final leg of the westward journey. After 3 1/2 day on the Oregon Trail, we will arrive in Eugene.

Roommate Katie has already moved in and Laura is in town but has Oregon Duck's Marching Band Practice all day and is living with the other members of the band in a designated dorm until the quarter begins on the 27th of September.  We get into town in early evening, but the apartment office has already closed for the day and will reopen at noon tomorrow.  Meanwhile, we use Katie's key and we all have plenty to do. 

First order is to unload The Q to free up cargo space so we can begin to haul the clothing, computer peripherals and other items the girls have stored over the summer in a rented storage across town.  Sue and I will sleep on the floor of Laura's room that night (since she is staying with the band and not using her room currently), so we stack our gear there.  We make 2 of the 3 needed trips to the storage locker that evening and let Inga and Katie begin to set up house.  Afterwards, we all go out to Track Town Pizza.  The ladies think Track Town chicken pizza is something special, but I just don't think chicken on pizza is morally right; so I order a basic sausage, garlic and artichoke pizza.  We all enjoy our choices.

Some items, including a shower curtain need to be purchased for the apartment.  I am guided to the Target store and the spree begins.  Actually, Inga and Katie turned out to be quite frugal shoppers, eyeing several bath and kitchen accessories, but passing on them in the end - too expensive for the benefit.  We all turned down the aisle with the needed shower curtain, first choice was a cute yellow duck curtain ($21.95), after all The University of Oregon "Loves their Ducks".  After moving over another 2 aisles, they found a basic shower curtain for $9.  They asked Sue to return the Duck curtain and selected the thriftier choice. I am impressed - favorably.  Sue would on occasion suggest other household items, but was consistently and repeatedly rebuffed, "Where would I put that?" and "No, I do not need that."

Back at the place, Inga insisted she need no help in organizing her new room.  So our job was done.

The next morning, Saturday, we made the last haul from storage and Katie closed out the rental agreement.  Inga then walked us across town to visit the Farmers Market, to see the vendors with fresh produce, peddling prepared meals and handicrafts.  Sue and Inga found some tastey treats for breakfast, while I slipped into a brick-and-mortar taquiarilla for a breakfast burrito.  The quintessential Eugene breakfast consumed, we marched back to finalize the paper work for Inga's move-in with the office. 

The office door was locked, despite listing business hours as 12 - 5 Sat. (it was 12:20).  We knocked, and a raven-haired harpy open the door and insisted we use the other door and the closed the lock door on us again.  We walked around the building and into the office, only to notice that the inside of the locked office door had the sign "This Door to Remain UNLOCKED During Business Hours".  In hindsight I should have pointed out to Ms Harpy that the fire Marshall would overrule her.  But I let it slide.  As we were finishing the papers with a pleasant young man, a couple of new tenant coeds came up to Ms Harpy and asked if she could send some one over to clean up the water leak that poured through their window during the rain last night.  Ms Harpy asked "Well, is it a real serious leak?!"  The tenants said, "Yeah, we are out of towels to sop up the puddles."  Ms Harpy was underwhelmed.   I think Inga will survive until the end of the year - but there are a few advantages to the ol' dorms.

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