The Rental Van

The move is moving along. Sister-in-law Lynne and her friend Pat have been awesome. They flew from the US to visit and help. I worked their tails off. But first, let me tell the rental van story.

I rented an 11 m² van for the move. I picked it up Friday, between my dental appointment (who has time for a sore tooth during a move?) and meeting Lynne and Pat at the airport. It was taller than I expected, but my fingers had done a lot of walking to find one that was automatic transmission, so I figured it was all good. Until I got to the airport and tried to park. Couldn’t fit under the swinging Max Headroom sign! I parked over at the Clarion hotel and made Lynne and Pat walk, poor things. We then dropped off their suitcases at the old apartment, backing successfully into a parking spot, as Schlumberger teaches. Off to the new apartment, which is right next door to the Kloster Garage. That was where Mr. Van would spend the night – in my dreams. Max Headroom interfered again, earning us a honk from a taxi driver. Found a street spot for a short while, but street parking is by permit only, so we went looking for a taller parking garage. How about the bus station? Drove up to the Max Headroom sign, inched forward, but no, we were too tall. Looked in the rearview mirror, and a car was tucked right up my backside. Looked forward and thought, “I’ll go up the ramp, turn around at the top, and come back out.” Drove up the ramp, with the roof getting lower and lower, until at the top, there is a big hanging electric doohickey – a light or sign or something. Pat hops out and eyes the clearance. No way.

Here’s the layout: one lane going up, one lane that goes either way, and one lane going down. The lanes are separated by curbs. Here’s my plan: turn left over the two curbs, straddling all three lanes, and turn around. With a pretty neat but bumpy three-point turn, we were heading for the exit. Our relief was shortlived. There was another one of those electric things at the bottom! Above both the two-way and the down lane! This time, I turned left, straddled the curb, and drove out the exit diagonally between the electric things. Lynne and Pat were in stitches. At the next stoplight, we had holes drilled through us from the eyes of the woman who had been behind us during that last maneuver. That made me start laughing, too. I’ll bet the security video is posted on YouTube by now.

We got to the new apartment just as the plumber was leaving. He installed the sink and toilet, but didn't connect the light over the sink. It would have been nice if they had told me up front that he couldn't do that! Saturday and Sunday were moving days. We moved in around the tile guy, who was taking twice as long as predicted to tile the bathroom. We moved boxes and more boxes Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon we got some help with the furniture from Richard next door, Monica and Trond from the other next door, and Vandita from work. Sunday, Katarina (you've met), Natalia from work and Arild helped carry the couch and bed down the stairs, and push them up the stairs in the new place. Sunday night we slept in the new place, Lynne and Pat on the bed, me on the couch. Monday was unpacking and cleaning up the old place. Tuesday we hit IKEA, then passed the inspection of the old place. Don't tell Thorolf that we used baking soda instead of spackle to hide the picture holes! Tuesday night we shuffled boxes enough to put the day bed together and I got to sleep in a real bed. Loved it!

Lynne and Pat have had a few hours off. They did Norway in a Nutshell yesterday, Floyen and the Hanseatic Museum today. Tomorrow the cable guy is coming in the a.m. to put a connector into a different wall. Saturday is KnarvikMila where I walk to Knarvik and they come by bus. Sunday we'll go have scones at Ingrid's. Monday the washer repair guy comes in the p.m. The brand new clothes-washer has a leaky exhaust hose. Laundry is done with a bucket under the hose! And Tuesday, they leave. I will really miss them.