Retrograde Shenanigans: Moving through Mercury

Moving during a Mercury retrograde period has been challenging, and I will most likely try to avoid doing it again in the future. I don't always pay attention to these astrological events in such a way as to plan my life with them in mind, but here and there that probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

I was emailing a work colleague last week about a payment that showed up in the bank, but the customer hadn't contacted us for the remittance on the payment. I mentioned that Mercury was retrograde and that could have something to do with it being delayed, since it was computer-generated on an automated system. She responded to my suggestion with LOL.

I didn't mind.

My boss used to scoff at my mention of Mercury retrograde periods, but he has a little more respect for them now. His last email to me asked if the retrograde was over yet. I wrote that technically it was as of October 3, but there will be a "retro shade" period lasting until about October 16.

Today another payment from the same account as before came through, with only a one day lag, and my associate quipped, maybe you were right about Mercury after all!

I wrote back that everything in the universe is connected to everything else.

Anyway, back to the effects on my move and their aftermath.

I started planning 60 days out, since that's the deal now with landlords, so most of my pre-move stuff was done with ease and no glitches. It was only my last week at my old place that I realized that I was moving during the retrograde, because shit started to get sketchy on a couple of fronts.

I thought I had my new internet service all sewed up, but a couple days before the move I had to drag out of them that, no, they couldn't service me in my new place. I had an alternate ready, but it was their weird delay in not letting me know that screamed MERCURY RETROGRADE.

I was trying to get work early in the week, get it done and have little to no extra stuff to have to move on that Friday. Communication with my work associate early in the week was not forthcoming and when she did, was super vague, and eventually she dropped off a large box of folders (my work) on Thursday afternoon, so my little plan was torn asunder. No huge deal, but just enough to make me grimace at backwards Mercury busy on the job.

I also had a difficult time communicating with the office personnel at the new apartment complex, because they want emails and account numbers for SoCal Gas and SCE Electric before you can move in. SCE provides a great email with everything on it to show who is getting the service, where it is and when it starts. SoCal Gas on the other hand, only seemed to provide this same level of information through their online system, which was no longer working. You now have to call to transfer service and the email they send afterwards says nothing much at all.

It took me several phone calls, screenshots and emails to convince them of this fact before they would accept what I could offer them in the way of proof. These are just little stressors, of course, nothing major.

The morning of the move, everything was on schedule and went off without a hitch, the two moving guys being very helpful and allowing me to take off before they were done so I could take care of any last minute issues with the front office at my new place, do my walk-through and get my keys. Easy-peasy.

My car was fully packed and my unhappy kitty was in his carrier in the front seat when I parked and ran in, hoping for a quick turnaround. Haha.

They didn't seem to have my new keys and one of the women in the office was kind of running around trying to figure out what was going on. I had previously made an appointment with them for 11am to do all of this and I was there at 11:02 am, so there were no delays on my end, nor was I too early and caught them off guard, but they were clearly not prepared at the appointed time. This would be the start of the unpreparedness I would experience.

I didn't really mind waiting, but Blue was in the car getting warmer by the minute and I felt a sense of urgency about getting him into the new apartment, and tucked into the bathroom until all my stuff could be brought in by the movers.

Eventually the mix-up was straightened out and the woman who was assisting me said we could meet at my new place and she now had the keys. I went out to where my car was parked and told Blue that we would be inside in just a few minutes. I drove around and found my parking place, #291 and someone else's car was in it. Great.

I parked next to it in the carport, wanting my car covered as the sun continued to rise in the sky and the day got warmer by the minute. I grabbed at the handle on Blue's carrier and made the first of many trips up the concrete stairs to my new apartment.

Once Blue was secured and soothed somewhat, I shut the door and came back into the living room area to do the walk-through. Right away there were a couple of issues in the kitchen, like a dripping sink that looked like it was a refuge from 1969 and the refrigerator wasn't very cold and the light wasn't working. Hmm.

I am noticing the definite lack of electrical outlets and imagining where I am going to set up my desk for work. The dining room off the kitchen would be perfect for my needs, so I grab my phone and charger, and start plugging it into the outlets, to make sure they were working. They weren't.

There were only two in the room on the walls and another one higher on the opposite wall at the entrance to the kitchen. That one worked and one of the two outlets in the kitchen, but the one on the right side didn't work either. Right away I am telling the woman that this needs to be fixed immediately; I work out of my apartment and must have outlets in my office area that work.

I was starting to have a bad feeling.

I also have a Sparklett's water dispenser that needs to be plugged in to deliver the cold water I love, and for the moment, there was nowhere for me to plug it in. I am also noticing the kitchen floor is sticky and filthy. Weren't they supposed to clean before I moved in?

Once the movers were done and I had paid their extortionist rates, plus tip of course, I returned to the fray and getting these major issues with the electrical fixed posthaste. At least now I had a couple of maintenance guys in my place, looking into the problem.

I had let Blue out of the bathroom and his carrier but he was freaked out to be in this new place and was staying in the bathroom. While I was there with him, I noticed that the water release knob on the bathtub was calcified on the open position, and that sucker would not budge. Another thing that I needed repaired. I added it to my list.

The maintenance guys, two of them, were trying to figure out what was going on with the outlets that weren't working and I still needed to finish unpacking my car, so I started making trips to the car where it was parked in the sun, farther away from my apartment. After a couple of tiring trips across the parking lot, down the walkway and up the stairs to the second floor, I said, fuck this! and went down and moved my car back to the carport parking and as close as I could get to the walkway. This was really helpful, because I am far from being in the best shape of my life right now, lol.

After some time messing around with the fuse box and one of the outlets, one of the guys did something and the outlets became live and usable and I was overjoyed to have this major issue corrected. I really couldn't set up without outlets that work. Plus I wanted these people out of my new apartment so I could relax for a few moments and then start unpacking everything.

The refrigerator light still wasn't coming on though, but it was pretty cold and seemed fine. I went to the nearby market, but only bought a few things, like everything I needed to make a smoothie over the weekend, so I was set for the moment. I planned to buy more stuff and stock up in a couple of days.

I was in love with how my little table and chairs (not meant to be outdoors, but who cares) looked on my new balcony, with the trees and just this awesome vibe I was loving. I was so happy to be out of Ontario, that the little problems with my new place seemed like no big deal, nothing to lose sleep over.

I made up my bed and made Blue some food, but he was in feline stress-mode from the move and being in a new and strange place, so he barely ate anything that night, but I understood. I had gotten a burrito and a coke from Del Taco at some point and could barely eat, but was dying for a cold coke, so that was delicious and very refreshing.

Taking a shower was also simply divine and much needed after such a long and laborious day. I felt so much better afterwards and after my evening meditation, which was also great thanks to the lovely energy I was experiencing, I went to bed happily.

I slept pretty good considering being in a new space, and awoke to a quality of light in my room that was very welcoming. I was home. I had already made friends with the beautiful tree right outside my bedroom window, and everything felt like it was welcoming me.

I had a ton to do since I am not one to delay unpacking. I dislike boxes hanging out in my space and wanted to get everything put away. As I did, I noticed that there were a lot more cabinets and space to put things here than my old place, more than I could fill with my stuff.

I was doing the unpacking in the dining room area, where I was also setting up my home office space. All of a sudden, the second monitor on my desk went dark, as did my water dispenser, and once again, the outlet that had not been working before, was not working again.

I was feeling more than irritated, but stayed calm as I let the office know that I needed someone back at my place for the same issue with the outlets not working. I went back to unpacking since I was almost done and a little while later, the outlet started working again out of nowhere. For some reason, I did not feel like I needed to tell the office about this, or cancel my request for maintenance.

I broke down my boxes and drove them over to the nearby recycling dumpster, threw them in and came back to see that the person who had been parking in my space finally left and I could claim my spot. I took that as a good omen and was hoping that the outlets were still working as I climbed the stairs to my apartment.

Unfortunately, they were back to dead holes in the wall. Within fifteen minutes, one of the maintenance guys knocked on the door and started to bang on the fuse box and tear up the one outlet in the dining room, the one I needed to work for my office. I told him that it had come back on spontaneously and within a couple of hours, quietly died again.

There was also a light in the same area that would turn off and back on by itself, seemingly at intervals that made it seem like its on some invisible timer. It's still doing this as I write, as there is no fixing it apparently.

After almost an hour, the guy could not figure it out and left with his head hanging, without cleaning up any of the messes he had made by the fuse box and the one outlet. I was feeling really upset and knew that at almost 6pm, there would be no other guy coming over and the next day was Sunday, and no one worked on Sundays. I was screwed.

The next day, the thankfully little bit of groceries I had bought that were either refrigerated or frozen were ruined and there was a giant puddle in my freezer where the bag of ice I bought had melted away. I was now livid and as pissed off as I have been in some time.

I fired off an extremely aggravated email to the office staff and went off on how upset I was because I had paid an insane amount of money to move in, fulfilled all my parts of this deal and they had failed miserably to present me with a working, clean apartment.

The floors were filthy and I was mopping the kitchen floor on Sunday, wondering if anyone had cleaned the place at all before I moved in. I really couldn't tell, because everywhere I was wiping, was dirty. My sink was still dripping away and the outlets never came back on.

To cheer myself up a bit, I decorated my bedroom, choosing carefully what pictures and wall hangings I wanted there, since this is the room I sleep and meditate in, so the quality of the energy is crucial. I did not overdo it, so it is still rather minimal but what is there is impactful for me. I love what I did with my room and it made me feel like it was up to me to make the best out of whatever situation I was experiencing.

So I had no issues smoking some weed in my new apartment to celebrate and enjoy what I had accomplished thus far with my new place, regardless of the issues that were still unresolved.

I also had to be able to work the next morning, so one more time, I moved stuff around in this dining room area so that I could use the one outlet by the kitchen entrance with my power strip for everything I would need to be able to work.

I made it work and was ready for Monday morning.

I started working at about 6:30am, since I had taken Friday off to move, I was a day behind, so I cleared my emails and responded where needed and had a great deal already accomplished by 8am. I ran out to Juice It Up for a smoothie and went back to work.

A little after 10:00am, I finally heard from the office about my outlet issues. They were super apologetic, but I was gruff and just wanted this fixed already. I had yelled at them in my email that I wanted an electrician and a new refrigerator first thing, plus compensation for my ruined food, so they knew I was serious.

I little bit after that, I heard the knock on my door and the property manager and the maintenance guy were at my door. For some reason, finally seeing them after all this time made me angry and I took most of my aggressive feelings on her, demanding at least $50 for the food that was ruined.

She cleaned out the fridge herself and offered to go to the market for me and replace everything she had to get rid of, so I made a list and she took it and promised to be by later that day with the groceries.

In the meantime, this guy did something that I did not even see, and all of a sudden, the refrigerator is on again, and this time, the light finally went on inside. The outlets were all working and it was like he did nothing. For some reason again, it made me angry that this could not have been done on Saturday, and all this had really ruined my move-in weekend.

I told her that, again pointing out the dripping sink and the filthy floors and countertops. Why wasn't any of this done before I moved in? She had no answers, just apologies and excuses so I just changed gears. I was exhausted from being angry, and needed to get back to work. I thanked her for making sure everything was fixed and taking time to come to see me and the apartment personally.

She said someone would be by later about the sink and the bathtub fixture. She again told me she would be getting my replacement groceries at the store and be coming by later in the afternoon. They left and I couldn't believe it had been such a quick fix, but moved into gratitude that it was hopefully, taken care of for good.

It was now October 3, the day that Mercury stopped spinning backwards.

I moved all my stuff back to the outlet I wanted to use and set up the space again, spreading things out now that I could. I loved this space and how I could position my desk to see my TV and be surrounded with all of my precious and awesome Gojira stuff, because that's the plan for the walls in this area.

I went out and got lunch somewhere around noon, and came back and worked some more getting myself all the way caught up again. Still no maintenance guy or groceries.

At some point late in the afternoon, I went to go try my mail keys for the first time. The mailbox key they gave me for # 206 would not work. I wanted to laugh, but was still annoyed all the same. I went into the office and told one of the women there that my key would not work and to please get me the correct one for my mailbox.

As I am standing there waiting on her, I see the property manager lady, who has no groceries by the way, apologizing yet again, because she did not go to the store and now wanted to know if it would be okay if she gave me a $50 gift card and I could go to the market myself.

I, of course, said that was fine, and she went off into her office to get that for me, while the other woman was ready with what she said was the right key, and so sorry for the mistake.

After a few more minutes, I had the Amex gift card in my hands and went back to the tiny mailroom to make sure the key really worked.

It did, and I felt like things were finally smoothing out here. Maybe.

Another maintenance guy showed up after that, around 5pm and there was no way he could fix a faucet that was as old as this piece of shit was. I actually laughed at it in front of him, because it was the oldest and lamest fixture I had ever seen, and I used to live in old houses in New Jersey. I asked him if there was any way he could simply replace the thing and get me a new faucet and he said he would look, as it really needed to be replaced.

He at least slowed the drip down and when he looked at the tub valve he couldn't move it at all either, so he needed to replace that as well. I thought he said he would be right back, but several minutes went by and it was getting close to 6pm, so I figured he didn't have the part or I had heard him wrong, and I wanted to get to the store and buy what I needed with this gift card before it got any later.

I had a newly confident feeling because the fridge light had finally lit up, so I spent the $50 on the card and $55 of my own money and stocked up on several things that I could make meals with that would be yummy.

The outlets were still on and it seemed like the problems before had never happened. It was fucking bizarre, really, but more than welcome. I decided to trust that the issue was completely resolved and said thank you in my heart for the shift.

I realized that more than ever before, I had surrendered to what was happening and made the best I could with it. This is exactly why I started a consistent meditation practice and why I encourage everyone I know or even talk to, to begin one themselves. It will absolutely change your life.

On Tuesday morning I had to drive back to Ontario to the warehouse and pick up my weekly box of work. My associate drops off there and I also swing by the other office and pick up from them. I was trying to be there at 9AM and made that, but there was a lot of traffic, so I made a mental note to leave an hour later next week.

When I got back to my apartment, there was a note that the maintenance guy fixing the plumbing issues that he had everything to replace the kitchen sink fixture and left me his number. So I called immediately and he was there within a few minutes and in no time, he had removed the old piece of shit faucet and I had a very basic and simple, but brand-fucking-new faucet! I was stoked. It worked great.

He left for a minute to get a new tub faucet fixture and replaced that one too. I could now take all the baths I ever wanted. Such an awesome feeling!

I thanked him profusely and finally felt like I had a new apartment that I loved. I was so grateful that I had moved. It took five days but now that it was being experienced in such a relieved way, it felt fantastic.

I realized that this place made me feel more elevated.

I know part of it is the actuality of being on the second floor after a long time of being on the ground, but it is also being farther north and closer to the energy of these ancient mountains, the special trees outside my windows, and the feeling of there being so many less people around. It is like a huge sigh, a slow exhale.

Mercury is still hanging around, but in softer ways, less intense.

I ordered these picture hanging things from Amazon and instead of them getting here on Oct 5, they are now in a status where I know I am never going to get them. I can get a refund on Monday and start over again, or simply find a local store - aha! and purchase them somewhere over the weekend, since it is now Sat. Oct 8.

I hope that you are having a wpnderful weekend, wherever you are.