end of week 1...

Well we've been here an entire week and we're still alive. Tony and I have two more weeks here and David leaves in one.

I must say I have to give mad props to Angela who works in the Harp Archives--she's coming to New York next week just to visit me and Tony!!! (I hear she's going to take a few harp lessons on the side too.) I feel you should all follow Angela's good example and make a trek out to New York some time in the next two weeks and pay us a visit. We will be happy to show you all the cheap local places to eat!!!!

We're halfway done clearing out the HUGE 53-ft container and I think we're working much faster than any of us anticipated so that is good. Working 8+ hours a day in the sun is worth it when we see all the progress we're making and the fact that we'll get Friday off to go play in the city!!! :)

Hope you all are doing well. Don't be shy to drop us a line to tell how much you love and miss us!!!!!

More updates...

We went to Church yesterday. There are very nice members around here. Actually, nice members are found everywhere you go!! I’ve been around quite a bit: England, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, California… and New York isn’t an exception for finding nice, loving members.
It is a 20 min ride to get to Church. David got a little bit of motion sickness on the way back... maybe it was because he was riding in the back seat...!

It’s still as hot as heck, you have no idea hot hot it is, seriously.

Everything is running smoothly, so far. No problems of any kind, so far. Ahem… (clears his throat) ahem… you know what I mean, right?? Well, Dan and I are quite impressed. Highly collaborative, generous... anyways, I would’ve never expected it, seriously. I’m extremely impressed!!! Well, cool !! Better that way, of course.
Thanks heavens !!!

Dan and I are actually having fun (working like mules, and sweating like pigs), and are excited about going to the Big Apple, the Temple, the Empire Estate Building, Statue of Liberty, etc.


PS: I love you all. If anybody asks for Tony, remember to answer: “I don’t care!”, ok?
Exception: if it is a (lovely, pretty, single) girl asking for me... tell her that I'll be back on the 18th of June !!!

Sweat...

We didn't really imagine this was going to be hard work... it is !!!

I fit perfectly in my Sunday dress-pants to go to Church, and it's only been three days of work... I hope I can lose my belly-roll by the time we finish !!

Who needs diets when you can sweat the HOLY HECK out of you everyday as you work !?

Awesome !!!

We're doing well. We started working at 6 am today, so we didn't have to face the blistering heat and sunlight by noon...
The trailer is almost 1/3 done. We're actually doing quite well time-wise.

I love and miss you all, take care.

P.S: Annie !!! We're getting Tropicana Orange Juice... it's "Never From Concentrate !!"

the search for church

Tony and I took a few hours this afternoon to go to Kingston ("The Big Town") about twenty minutes away to buy some stuff at Walmart and then to find the nearest church building, which was about an hour-and-a-half long search in and of itself. Mapquest told us to get on Route 32--however, there exist about three Route 32's and even with Tony blurting mapquest directions direct from his computer from the passenger's seat, it still took us forever. Luckily at about 5:00 pm we found the church and there was a nice lady there to tell us what time church was, etc. I love the church and the fact that there are awesome church members EVERYWHERE. Anyways, as we left the church to trace the route between the church and the place where we are staying, we had to drive over a ton of windy, hilly roads. It was like driving on a roller coaster--only it was a highway.

p.s. everyone in Utah--enjoy your arid desert climate. Humidity sucks.

Yeah, both of them are full of records...
That thing is stuffed with records, THE WHOLE FREAKING THING. We started today, friday, and packed about 80 boxes or so...
That was the first, INSIGNIFICANT first little pile of records we processed on thursday, about 16 boxes...

Day Three... PICTURES !!!

Hmmm... well, yes, we missed our flight. There was a 5 car pile-up accident on I-15 North. They re-routed us through Atlanta. Happily, David didn't get mad...
Our plane, which actually took us from Salt Lake City to Atlanta... and ALSO from Atlanta to Newark. When we got off the plane in Atlanta and started walking away from the gate (you know, going through the motions) we realized that it was going to be the same plane that would take us to Newark...
Before...
After... yummy !!


Stay tuned, more pictures coming up...

Day three...

OH MY GOSH !!!!!

I HATE BUGS !!!!!

MOSQUITOES, CATERPILLARS, SPIDERS, ANTS, TICKS... MANY, MANY, MUCHO, MUCHO !!!

THEY ARE ALL OVER, AND THEY'RE ANNOYING...
...AND IT'S HOT, QUITE HOT.


AAAWWWGGGHHHHH....

Day two...

Ok, first off: the house is not a shade ! It’s actually nice. WE HAVE SATELLITE TV !!!!! Nicki, you were right, after all it isn’t that bad. It can’t get any better. The only odd thing so far, is that the tap water has a very distinct taste of sulfur… yeah, weird but true. If I had any intestinal worms when I came here, they will probably be the last ones I ever carried, for the rest of my life !

Hmmm… we just heard a noise… kinda like a mouse chewing on the wood in the attic…?? ahem… well…

Anyways, the “guy” is actually very friendly. His “new Yorker” accent cracks me up, I love it !!! I’ll have to give it a try and learn it.

The “trailer” is HUGE. The truth comes out: there might actually be 120,000 records inside the thing, as David said. So, as we pack everything to get it ready for shipping, we have to average about 80 boxes (approx. 70 LPs each) per day. This is about 5,600 to 6,000 LPs per day. This is hard work, you guys. We were literally SWEATING today, the three of us! We were even thinking the possibility of contacting the Mission Office, or the local Elder’s Quorum to get some extra help when the FedEx people come to ship it away.

Gas price: $3,14/gallon (if anybody wondered)

So far, so good, though.

I’ll let Dan add anything I forgot to comment… which will probably be a lot…

Ye people of the MAD, Maddenites, I miss you, I love you all, ok? Don’t be sad, I’ll be back soon…

PS: this thing is taking too much to upload the pictures, so I will try to post them tomorrow...

Day two #2: I didn't do it !!

So, I wonder how in the world could I have been "snoring really loud" if I DIDN'T SLEEP AT ALL !!!!!

Let me blame the others: David was snoring in B flat minor, and Dan did in G# Major (sometimes, though)

I could barely sleep about 2 or 3 hours last night.... maybe less...

Anyhow, I'm clearing out my reputation: I may snore sometimes (who doesn't) but as for last night, I don't snore while I'm awake !!

More updates coming up... stay tuned !

Day Two #1: the arrival

At about 10:30 Tony and I flew in to the Newark airport and David met us at baggage claim and then we went and rented the car. We're driving a silver mini-van with leather seats...I honestly don't remember what model it is.

Anyways, we get out to the parking lot to pick up the car and David looks at me and says "You're driving. I'm too tired." *GULP* So yes, I got to drive in New York City and it was just as terrifying as everybody says it is. On top of that, the roads and exits are not very well marked at all and my co-pilots weren't always giving me the most timely driving directions (for which I might forgive them). After two hours of driving and still managing never to leave the state of New Jersey we pulled up to a Holiday Inn and checked in for the night.

Tony was snoring really loud. He says its because "he's sick." Poor kid. Oh well, atleast the continental breakfast has been really good.

Today we will be driving up to Saugerties. Hopefully days #2-21 will be a little less crazy.

Day one #2

Ok, we missed the flight!!
There was a 5 car pile-up on I15 North, by Thanksgiving Point.
We arrived too late, and they re-routed the flight. We're going to go through Atlanta now. The funny thing is that David did get to the airport on time, and he's now on his way... he gets there at 6:45 pm... and we will get there at 10:20 pm; yeah!, he will have to wait for us for about 3 hours...
Please, you all, take care of my babies, the records !!!

And remember, if anyone asks for Tony... you answer "I don't care"

Day one #1

So, here we are, finally going to New York City, to pick up the One-Hundred-Million Record Collection thing… and guess what?? We’re stuck in traffic by Thanks Giving Point and it’s 9:05 am… the flight departs at 10:16
Let me make a recount…
We’re going to be staying at “somebody’s” house. Hopefully there will be a laundry room, a toilet… some services…? We don’t exactly know what to expect, but one thing is for sure: we’re saving some pennies by doing so… do you wonder what I think about it…? I would rather stay at a hotel, I think. I hope we’re not staying at some sort of Barn, shade… or something…

Update: we’re back at 75 Mph ! and it’s 9:25… we gotta hurry up !! Andrew Snow is giving us a ride to the airport

Well, so yesterday, I found out the the per diem money wouldn’t get to us until UFTER WE CAME BACK FROM THE TRIP !! What the heck !!! Dan and I flipped; we have no money to spend. So we talked to David, then to Janet… and then I went down to the budget office on the second floor, and talked to a very nice lady, who helped us. We’re going to get the money ($$$) at the end of this week! Or what does the budgeting office think? We are students… we have no money!!!
I was very upset, because we should’ve been told about this way ahead of time, so as to be able to work things out. Rule # 1 for College Environments: Never assume students have money. They don’t !

Oh, by the way, I got a wireless Internet Card. BYU provided us with one, but it wouldn’t fir in our Mac Book Pros. So I had to work things out on my very own. I purchased one… sad story. When I was doing the purchase, the guy first told me a wrong amount… so I had to pay more. Now, because I had to pay more than I had been told in the first place, I had to “split” thea amount between two bank cards. Well, the nice thing is that… THE GUY TOTALLY MESSED UP THE TRANSACTION !!! He ended up taking the whole amount from one of the two cards I gave him. So, right there, immediately, me Zion’s Bank account went to - $60 (That’s MINUS $60 !!!) That’s going to cost me about $35 in overdraft fees. Krap !!! I will have to “fight” that money, because t was their mess up, not mine, and at the end the bank doesn’t care what the situation was, they just apply the fee. Leeches !! Blood suckers !!! But I got the internet card, we’re going to be connected while in there. That was probably my biggest concern.

9:42 am… T minus 30 min. We’re late, not there yet… I hope we make it.