Priceless

Tank of gas in New Jersey...$27.00

Road snacks, coffee, lunch...$19.00

CD of This American Life to keep me company on my journey...$17.99

Tolls from CT to DC...$22.00

Calling the cops on my neighbor one last time...priceless


Trying to get out of town is always hard. It is extra difficult when it involves the police. But we'll get to that later.


Saturday was awesome! The Hartford Stage folks came and helped me load the last bits of my life into storage and we headed out for one last beer and plate of fried pickles (I swear, they are waaaay better than they sound). Sunday, I spent one last day finishing up my work on the current show at the Stage Co and attempting to prepare the shop for my departure (they are totally in capable hands). After work I had dinner and a milkshake with some very dear friends, finished loading my car and settled onto my air mattress in my empty apartment with the last beer in my fridge and a DVD episode of This American Life on my laptop. (I like the radio show much better than the television program). I fell asleep feeling like all was well in the world, and tomorrow begins a grand new adventure.

I woke up on Monday morning to discover my horrible neighbor aka Mr. Peesonhisownlawn, aka Mr.Shoutsexplitivesintothephone, aka Mr. Barfseverymorning is also Mr. Beatshisdog. So what did I do? I called the Manchester Police one last time. In retrospect, I'm really happy I did. At the time, I wished I had put my kitty into her carrier before my apartment had 3 cops with loud radios and a scared kitty hiding under the bathtub.

Turns out my crappy neighbor had/has several warrants out for his arrest in Florida, and so the police not only arrested him for animal cruelty but also for whatever he did in Florida (in my mind it involves peeing on his lawn). The police were very nice to me, thanked me for calling them and were more than happy to take this guy away. They even offered to help me try to extricate the cat from beneath the bathtub, but I thought it might be better to let her chill for 20 minutes.

Once Ms.Kitty came out from under the bathtub, was properly sedated (as prescribed by the vet) and her carrier safely belted into the car we were on our way. The trip was pretty smooth. We got stuck on the George Washington Bridge for about an hour, but with the soothing tones of Ira Glass to keep me company, I didn't really mind too much. The Garden State soundtrack is a great soundtrack for driving thru The Garden State on a gloomy day, and lasts almost as long as New Jersey.

We arrived in DC only about 30 min after my projected arrival time, and without further problem. The company housing apartment I am staying in is swank. It's a luxury high-rise with a water feature in the lobby. I could never afford to live here in my real life, but I sure as heck am gonna enjoy pretending like I could.

....the best part-I have a dishwasher and laundry in unit.

Oh, and if you are still worried about the dog, he looked like he was okay as the police were taking him to get checked out by the vet.....