Travel and School Starting

We're planning a twelve-hour drive to AZ to sort out my boyfriend's mom's stuff.

There is some final paperwork to be filed, her ashes to be picked up, and her house to be cleaned. We're going to go through everything and pack up a moving truck for the stuff we want to keep or can sell. It feels wrong, or at least odd, to be putting a value on someone else's things, even if they're dead. It seems disrespectful somehow. But, it has to be done, so we're doing it. We opted not to fly for several reasons, but the most annoying one is about the pot.

Medical marijuana is legal in both states, but flying with it still isn't, and while AZ recognizes CA's licenses for possession, it can't be used for purchasing, so I'd have to buy an AZ license, which is not only another expense, but is also a major time and energy suck that I don't need to be adding on to the mandatory sentence.

Also, we're bringing the dog and I'm nervous about keeping her in a crate for the flight. She sleeps in it half the time, but is a big whiner when she's locked in, which is what is required by the airlines, and it would stress me out the entire time to have her stressed. We'll probably have to deal with that eventually, but I'm happy to put it off for the moment. The cost looks to be about the same after all expenses, so we're going with the less stressful option, with the caveat that we get a rental car big enough to my partner to lay down in, if his back is flaring.

We've moved 11 times together, and we're excellent at it by now, so I expect we'll be able to sort, catalog, and pack up everything within a few days, but we're prepared to spend a week, if necessary. I've already started making lists. We're allotting plenty of recuperation time during and after, and are planning a leisurely, touristy ride home. Despite all of these plans and lists and anticipating of obstacles, I'm sure things will go wrong and there will be tension and I'll have more than one inconvenient migraine.

C'est la vie.


We got my books for school, classes have started, and I have to say, I was amazed at how smoothly it went. We parked, my honey got my voucher (which was done on time, miracle of miracles!) and checked the bookstore, which wasn't terribly busy, so we chanced it. My partner could easily get my supplies for me, but the experience of school shopping is really important to me for some reason, and I like to do it myself when I can. So, it was kind of a big deal when I easily found my book, browsed the supplies section for a few items I needed, and waited only moments to be checked out by an employee who was not at all confused by my voucher. I even came in two bucks under budget, so I snagged a reusable bag with my school's logo on it for a dollar. School spirit! My only complaint would be that there are now televisions in the bookstore; today they were blasting a cartoon that I vaguely recognized, but I couldn't really take in the information without blowing up my brain, so I have no idea what it was, but it was loud.

I'm so grateful for the financial assistance I get through my school. Some of the help I receive is because I'm disabled, some is for being poor and some is for getting good grades; they pay for most of my class fees, and I'm also eligible for the aforementioned voucher that entitles me to up to $200 in textbooks and $50 in supplies. Without their assistance, I wouldn't be able to attend and even with it, I struggle to pay the (usually) small remainder they require. But, I keep doing it, I'm making the necessary sacrifices, while using every ounce of help I can get, and it's barely getting me by, but it is getting me by. I'm lucky to have so many resources, and helpful friends and family to help me bridge the gap, and I'm also really proud of myself for making it work.

Go team.