I am Lucy in the candy factory

Sorry about disappearing on Friday. I took the day off work to rent a pickup truck and drive up to Westport, CT (with my mom and the kids) to my friend's house to get her bed. She and her husband  upgraded to a king size, so gave me their queen.

The mattress and box spring didn't fit all that well in the back of the truck. Fortunately, Hector of Hector's Lawn Service and his guys strapped them down with some makeshift bungees. Then they warned me sternly that it probably wouldn't hold at speeds faster than 50 miles per hour. So I drove through Westport, on I-95, and then into Manhattan with these mattresses flopping around, in the slow lane, annoying the other drivers because I was keeping it below 50.

At a certain point I accepted that I wasn't going to have the truck back in time to avoid a late fee. About 3 minutes after that, I got stuck in a huge traffic jam. Did any of you read that Julio Cortázar story about the traffic jam that's so long that people stuck in the jam fall in love and have a baby before they can get moving again? It felt like that. But at least then I wasn't making anyone mad by going too slow.

We finally got to my apartment, and my mom and I got the mattress and box spring into the building, I returned the truck, then my super helped me get the mattress and box spring into my new bedroom. And I slept on a bed in my own apartment for the first time in two years!

Somewhere in there I forgot to post a post. I apologize.

Comments

[Alexis]

I too have driven in the Merrit Parkway with a mattress strapped to a UHaul, facing the wrath of fellow drivers for miles as I moved from Stanford, CT to Boston. A noreaster came up the coast and it rained almost the entire time. My mattress was soaked and although it eventually dried out, there was a always a vague scent of swamp about it. That was the same trip where I dinged somebody's car with my rental truck and immediately burst into tears. I was such a hysterical mess they didn't bother to exchange info, I think they felt it was simpler just to send me on my way then try to get me to stop sobbing long enough to write down the VIN number from the truck.

Thanks for bringing up the happy memory ;)

[Simone]

If I lived in NY, or you in MN, I would have loaned you my husband's pick-up...and since he works for a textile company, we could have thrown in some high thread-count sheets to boot. Happy Slumbers in your new bed...

[hedra]

Yikes. (and extra yikes for Alexis - we saw your twin further down I-95 a couple weeks back, absolute downpour and mattress tied to roof and plastic wrapping ripped... we were wincing for them)

But yay bed!

[jessica]

Congrats on not losing the mattress!

My father brought a bed and mattress to my sister years ago and it flew off the truck on a very busy road. No one was hurt, though they were sorely embarassed.

[SarcastiCarrie]

We always used to wonder why you'd see mattresses on the side of the road, and now we know why. If it goes flying off, sometimes, it's just easier to leave it where it lies.

[Blanca]

I did read Julio Cortazar's story on the traffic jam and also thought of it whenever I used to get stuck in one :-)
Enjoy your new bed.

[hydrogeek]

Yay for sleeping in your own bed in your own apartment! I bet the PITA was worth it.

[Julie]

ahhhh.....fond memories of driving across the golden gate bridge with my mattress/boxsprings tied to the roof of my car, and holding it with my left hand as I drove. As if that would have made a difference. Luckily I was too young to really think through all the awful worst-case scenarios at the time.

[Mandy]

Nah, there's a post in there - it might not be about what you thought it should be about, but it's real and life, and typically people read blogs for a dose of someone else's real life, right?

Congrats on the new bed. You deserve it. ;)

[caramama]

Congrats on the new bed and actually getting in home! I hope it was very comfy!

[Florabora]

I've never gone faster than 35 on that stretch of 95 due to traffic, so I'm impressed people were going that fast!

I hope you splurged on some nice sheets!

[Kathy]

I do not heart I-95.

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yay for new bed.

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Yea! New bed and getting a great night's sleep.

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