It's a sad Day...

Well, today it became painfully clear that Daisy's separation anxiety is back with a vengeance. It's not as bad as in 2005, but it is still terrible. I  knew there was a possibility that this might be happening after the move. I had hoped that it wouldn't since it hadn't been an issue with any of the previous moves nor had it been a problem with moving her across the Atlantic. Even if she home alone all day at my parents separation anxiety is not an issue.
So I tried that today and it just didn't work. The separation anxiety just gets the best of Daisy right from the start on. As soon as a leave it starts with a little whining. Then she is searching each and every room  and then the entire thing starts to intensify. After about 10 minutes she is at the stage where she starts howling and then followed by barking. It's a full blown panic attack and it takes her fairly long to get down from that state. And that's something I really don't like, as she really hasn't have to be under that stress.
Another thing is that Daisy has never ever lived in an apartment building before. She has always lived in townhouses or houses and that might be adding to the stress.
So I made the decision to bring her back to my parents and travel again back and forth to work until I have figured out a workable solution.

Fun at the Park...

So today I decided to hang with Daisy at a local park. I chose Auer-Welsbach Park since it's only 4 stops by subway and I can be there in about 10 minutes. Daisy has absolutely no problem with riding escalators or the subway. The muzzle on the other hand is another story. She just isn't a fan of it. And to completely honest neither am I.
Auer-Welsbach Park is fairly large Park. Has quite a number of different trails and Daisy was having fun there. It even has its own off-leash area. If this dog knew better how to play on her own, that would be a great area. Since she sticks mostly to my side, the area is of less interest. Not sure if it was the heat or not but after a second round through the park Daisy had pretty much enough and laid down in the grass. So I found us a nice spot in the shade and we were both chilling there. So it might just be that Daisy's hiking days are over. Well with her being 15 I knew that this day was going to come eventually. But I still will try taking her on a light hike somewhen in fall, when temps are more moderate than in summer.
While Daisy and I were chilling in the shade I realized that within a timeframe of 40 minutes I was being checked out by 3 girls in their late 20's. Apparently a guy in his 40's chilling with his senior dog at the park is some sort of "chick magnet". Hope someone is gonna share that news with all the hetero boys, desperately trying to get a date!
So all in all it was quite a fun day!!

Final Moving Day...

Today was the final day of moving. Those who read my blog regularly know that I had done 2 trips during the week after work. With that what was left to move…well it didn’t look all that much. I thought I should be done packing the car in about ½ hour.

But before that was going to happen I did the evening walk with Daisy and then picked up dinner at the local McDonald’s. After that I started packing the car. And I did make good progress. And I probably could have pulled it off in 30 minutes. But the co-contributor of my DNA code had other plans. Maybe someone or something made him mad and he just had to take it out on me. If that had been a couple of days earlier I would have gotten mad and started an argument with him. But since Wednesday’s fight when he didn’t go out with the dog and Daisy hadn’t been out for 17 hours until I got home. The only reason he provided was “he didn’t feel like doing it”. But he did feel like getting completely drunk. All the cussing at me really didn’t accomplish much and when it got way below the waistline…I just flipped him off. For me that was the final straw and I had to pack more stuff…mostly paperwork related, that I would have otherwise done at a different time. But it did force me to make a final cut. You fight with people if there is a reason for that…but once everything has been said there is no reason for that an I have no intention of ever returning to that place again. I will see my Mom when she’s looking after her grandkids at my Sis. So Daisy will get to see my Mom occasionally as well.

When I left at about 09.45 pm the car was pretty much packed, since I got everything that had to be moved. Got to my place and was actually surprised that I got a parking spot right in front of the building. Then it occurred to me that it was Friday night and that might explain the parking spot. So I started carrying up all the stuff. I think it must have taken me about 10 trips or so. I was definitely a lot. By about 11.15 pm we were finally done and I was sweating like a pig. But I still couldn’t settle down since I had to return the car to my Sis. Drove over there, returned the car and walked with Daisy back to the subway. I figured today is as good as any day and we tried to ride an escalator to the subway…and Daisy really is a natural when it comes to that. She wasn’t too sure about riding the line U3…but after that riding the line U6 she was quite comfy with that. After that it was time for her night walk and we slowly walk back from the subway station to my place. Daisy took lots of time checking out all the scents and smells. When we got finally back to the apartment it was already 0.30 am.

Usually I celebrate the first night in a new place with beer and a movie. As it turns out I had put the power cord of my iMac at the bottom of the box and I was not going to unpack that box at that time. So I celebrated the first night in the new place with just a couple of beers, while Daisy just chilled at her “safe spot”.

All in all a very long, exhausting but very successful day…but of course now the hallway pretty much looks like a disaster area. 

Moving - Day 3...

Well, I did do some more moving stuff during the week. But with me being fairly long hours at work, that can be quite some challenge. Packed up the car on Tuesday evening and after work on Wednesday I drove the packed car over to my place. As luck would or rather lack of same would have it I didn't find a parking spot. So parked on the sidewalk. Didn't take long until some douche had nothing else to do than complain about it although it wasn't even bothering him. Threatening me with calling the cops on me not going to work either. Considering the time that takes these days...I'm probably quicker in Munich taking a plane, than the cops arriving. So I told the douche "to go and fuck himself". Turns out that English wasn't one of his strong suits.
Shortly after that entire incident another car left and I took the parking spot right away. Parking really sucks. So I'm actually glad that I won't have to worry about that in the future.
Roughly 1 hour later I was done carrying all the stuff into my new place and headed home.
Today I stopped by a local furniture store that's close to my work and picked up some stuff for the bed. While out there I found a couple of grocery stores and decided to do the shopping right away instead of Friday. That went off without a hitch. Drove then over to my new place and got a parking spot right in front of the building. Carried the groceries and a bunch of other stuff into my new place. Got the bed ready, that way I won't have to worry about that when I move the final few pieces on Friday evening. So there really is an end in sight with all that moving.

Moving - Day 2...

Originally I had planned on finished off this move today. With the dog getting a panic attack yesterday, that wasn't going to happen. I didn't think that doing more moving stuff was going to help her either. So I decided to drive with Daisy over to the new place and do some really needed cleaning and some setting up. That way Daisy gets to experience the place without me running back and forth and moving stuff.
This time she had a way better time with the entire apartment than the first time. Walking upstairs she was interested in the scents of the entire building. She didn't do any of that on Saturday. Left her off the leash in front of the apartment and she walked into the place all on her own. Yesterday she was a little unsure about that and even reluctant at times. In the apartment she really got this time into checking each and every corner out. So all of that are quite some encouraging signs.
I started off with cleaning both rooms, that will eventually become Living/TV-Room and Bedroom. After that I cleaned hallway and bathroom. Daisy did very well during that time. Really didn't run after me that much and just chilled out. That was quite encouraging as well.
Last I started with the kitchen. Cleaned it entirely...and it was in some need of serious cleaning. Gave the floor a good cleaning as well. Finally I started to set up the kitchen. Started off with the "starter kit". Meaning basic stuff you need in a kitchen like pots and pans, toaster, blender, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, utensils and most important Mr. CoffeeMaker. Also put away some basic grocery items, that no kitchen should be without. Once all that was done I unpacked the kitchen appliances that I had shipped from the States almost 1 year ago. Sadly enough they didn't smell like SoCal anymore.
While working in the kitchen Daisy found herself a new comfy spot right under the skylight. So there are lots of encouraging signs, that she will get used to the new place. Will keep you guys posted on that.

Moving - Day 1...

Today was finally the day I had planned on moving out. It all started off fine. Got up at 7.30 am, took the dog for a walk and had breakfast. Right after that I started going through the big shipping boxes to divide them into easier to handle packages and then I started moving stuff into my Sis's car. Daisy was right next to me while I divided the big shipping boxes. The entire commotion was driving her kind crazy. With all the stuff going on I decided to keep her inside...thought that might be easier on her. Looking at it from the retrospect it might have just had the opposite effect.
A little before noon I was done and Daisy and I headed out. Wanted to let her see and get used to the new place. Again, looking at it from the retrospect it might have easier been on her if I had brought her to the new once the whole carrying of things back and forth was already over.
When we got near my new place Daisy got quite nervous...lots of whimpering, whining and just being antsy. She hasn't done that to me while riding the car in a long time. So I should have known that something was not quite right. I knew it in my guts...but chose to ignore it.

I carried the first load of stuff up to my new place with Daisy being right next to me. So far so good. I let Daisy check out the new place for some time, but oddly enough she didn't seem to be that interested. That was kinda weird, because usually she checks places out in each and every detail. With Daisy being 15 years old, I thought it might be easier on her if she stays in the apartment instead of having to run back and forth with me all the time. It didn't even dawn on me that this could be a problem, since it isn't an issue while I'm at work. She knows I'm leaving for work and she knows I will come back. It never was a problem. For some reason I waited halfway down the first flight if stairs and I could hear her pacing restlessly back and forth, whimpering and whining...she hasn't done anything of that magnitude since 2005. That what she was having was a full blown panic attack.
So I took her with me for the next 2 trips. That certainly didn't make things easier, and it didn't help with the moving speed either. Thank god I found a regular parking spot very close to my new place. After the second trip I tried to leave her at the apartment again. but spent about 20 minutes reassuring her that it is OK that she is in the apartment while I'm being outside. Well as soon as I left the entire disaster started all over again, but with a little less of am magnitude. At that point I decided that it's easier on everyone if I let her walk back and forth with me. It was also clear, that I wouldn't be bringing  a second car load to my apartment as I had planned. With all that happening it was quite clear that this is going to become a 2 weekend move.
After every second trip I gave Daisy a 20 minute break, since all the walking up and down stairs was quite tiresome for her. On the positive side she felt comfy enough to sleep all stretched out with me around. Up till this time I wasn't sure if I was going to use the one other the other room as bedroom, but this decision was made for me. After 2/3's of the trips Daisy finally found her "safe spot" it's exactly between the closet and the bed.

By 5 pm we were finally done. Having Daisy have to go through such a bad panic attack is heartbreaking for me. I so hate to see her that way. But with her finding her "safe spot" and actually sleeping there during the breaks...it's a step into the right direction. I hope that a 3 day weekend period is going to help her settle into the new place.
When I thought it over later during the evening it occurred to me that trying to leave her at the new place might have been a great gesture in human terms, but for her it was terrible. It suddenly hit me that with all the moves - from Sherman Oaks to Reseda and from Reseda to Agua Dulce - she always was running back and forth with us. She never stayed by herself at the new place. She only stayed by herself at the new place after having been there for several hours and having slept there for at least 1 night. That might have been the reason why that wasn't a problem with previous moves or when I went on vacation last fall...and I really hated myself for not taking that into consideration.
Of course I thought about other alternatives as well. No, it never crossed my mind taking her to a rescue group. Basically there are 2 viable alternatives: Meds and a Dog Sitter. Meds, that's the easy fix...but I so hate having a Zombie dog. The second alternative would be paying a dog sitter to spend time with her at my place until she picks up the pattern I come and leave and until Daisy has been reassured that I will always be coming back. Alternative number 2 would be the better one but is of course way more expensive.
Right now I'm still hoping for the next weekend, when I will be staying with Daisy from Friday to Sunday at my apartment and hope she will settle in well enough, so that I can train with here the coming and leaving late Saturday or early Sunday. I will keep you guys posted on the progress of the entire Move.

Woes at Work...

This morning I was going to register in Vienna's 12th district. Could have done that online but for some reason the online App had some issues with the old registration file. So I decided to do it in person and if you get there right when they open at 8 am, you're pretty much done in no time. Got there and was out of there within 5 minutes. Got into work about 30 minutes later than usual. Since we have flexible work times this isn't a problem anyway.
The workday started out with nothing out of the ordinary. That was until my boss dropped a bomb on me. My boss called me into his office to tell me if I'm aware that I will be responsible for both sub-companies. This being vacation time and my co-worker going on vacation this was crystal clear. He tells me that my co-worker has quit, because she can't seem to balance the required work hours with her 2 kids. Now they start looking for another accountant. But the way things are than can take quite some time. People these days expect either corporate settings or additional compensation or their salary requirements are just kinda ridiculous.
So until a replacement can be found I will be responsible for both sub-companies. So I don't have to worry about my job. My boss kinda wanted to have some reassurance that I won't be the next one to quite...and I told him that there has to happen way more than long hours. Besides that I enjoy my job, it's fun most of the time and we have a great working climate and that's huge these days.

Getting the Keys...

Today I was going to sign the lease. The day started out with me getting up later than usual, since I was going by car and my appointment with the real estate agent wasn't till 9.30 am. I figured since I will be getting the keys as well I might pack up the car with some of the "starter" stuff I bought on Saturday. Well I got there a little early and then we made a last walk through of the place before signing off that everything is according to spec. Next we headed over to the real estate office to sign the lease. Got there early and went for a coffee.
At the appointment time we signed the papers and of course there was quite some money due right at signing. Provision, Fees, Charges for the Contract and first rent taken together added up to almost 5 Grand. My bank account certainly took one big hit today...but in the end it's all worth it.
After signing the contract I had to head into work...so not what I really wanted to do. But there just was no other choice. When I got off work I headed right over to my new place. I got to experience all the fun stuff of one way streets in Vienna's 12th district. Let me put it that way...if you wanna get there by car, you better bring your GPS with you. Parking in Vienna sucks and the 12th district is no exception. But I got a parking spot right in front of my building. It wasn't an "official" spot but I really didn't care and nobody seemed to have a problem with that either.
I carried up most of the stuff I bought on Saturday. 3 flights of stairs up and 3 flights of stairs down. The first few times were no problem at all. Although it was fairly cool - about 17 C (62 F) - I worked up quite a seat. But on the positive side with this apartment you certainly can save the money for the gym.
Here's my new place in a nutshell: Large Bathroom, decent size Kitchen with an eating place, 2 decent size rooms, about 12 sqm (130 sqf). One of the rooms has a bed in it and will probably become the bedroom. The other one will become a media room. Not quite sure which will become the media room, since the outlet for cable and internet is in the living room. But on the other hand rerouting the internet to the other room is a piece of cake.
Still planning on pulling the entire move off on the weekend of 21st and 22nd of July...and I'm hoping for cool weather!!

Goodies for the new Place...

Well today was a day of shopping for my new place. Since I'm looking to move next weekend there is pretty much no time to shop on the moving weekend and during the week I got home way too late to go shopping.
So I went to a local big box store. The things that were on top of the shopping list were pretty much all kitchen related. Dishes, kitchen knifes, pots and pans, toaster, blender trash bin, cleaning supplies and one of the most important appliances: the coffee maker. This being summer I got a big fan as well.
So far so good. Spent about 1 hour shopping. Went to the checkout and thought that's pretty much it. Well not so fast. The total turned out to be a little over 500 bucks. Never have used my current ATM card to pay for a bill like that...and of course it got declined. I knew there was way more money available on that account and I had checked that before I went shopping...so that couldn't have been the case. Tried it a coupe of times more but every time with the same result. I figured there might be a daily limit on that ATM card. So I went to a local ATM and it turns out the daily limit I can pay with the card  is 400 bucks. So I got the difference from the ATM went back to the store and split the entire thing in ATM and cash. In a situation like this I really would wish I had a credit card, that way I could have saved me the entire trouble.
But in the end it turned out well. That way I've taken another hurdle when it comes to the move that will be happening on July 21st and 22nd.

I got the Place!!!

A couple of days ago I submitted an application for one of the apartments that I had been looking at in Vienna's 12th district. It's the one I blogged on July 2nd about. I was super excited as soon as I got the word. There are even better news. I will be signing the lease on Monday July 16th. On top of that the total amount due at signing the lease reduced by a few hundred bucks as well.
Soon Daisy will become the sovereign queen of 60 qm (650 sqf) penthouse apartment. Looking really forward to furnishing the place and getting it the way I want it to be. Guess after having gone through the entire furnishing a house endeavor a couple of years ago and learning some important lessons...this time should be a little easier. Of course this place has other challenges this being a 3rd floor apartment with no elevator. Really heavy stuff I'm not even going to attempt doing that on my own...I'm gonna pay someone to carry it for me. Now it comes in quite handy that I got rid of a ton of stuff when I moved back from the States. That way I have way less stuff to move than I would have to otherwise and I have very little heavy stuff since that something that I have to go out and buy. But the next few month might turn out to be expensive ones. But in the end it will be worth all the effort.
Right now it looks like I will be moving on the weekend of July 21st and 22nd!!
As soon as I get the keys I will be posting some pix of my new place.

Even more House Hunting...

Today I checked out another apartment after work. This one was in Vienna's 11th district. Well it's an OK district. Maybe a little far out for my taste but with the apartment being close to the subway it seemed to possible. Apparently I didn't read the description of the place that carefully, otherwise I should have noticed that it was located at the end of the subway line. And that's really far, far out. But anyway I took a look at the place. I have to admit it's a very quite building and the apartment is set up very well.
Has a very small bedroom and a rather small living room with a kitchen in it. It was a penthouse apartment as well. Again, I was a little reminded of a larger version of my first apartment, with the main difference that this apartment was set up so much better.
I thought it over a couple of times. The place is only 45 square meter (480 sqf) large and that's rather way at the bottom of apartment sizes I was considering. And I wasn't quite sure where I would fit all my stuff in this apartment. Being in my 40's you've quite accumulated some stuff. On top of that my commute to work would be roughly 1 hour. Not exactly my favorite thing, since I was hoping to reduce the time I spend commuting to work. The price of this apartment wasn't cheap either...it was 640.- EUR  and that's quite hight for 45 square meter.
In the end I decided against this place. Not quite sure how this endeavor will turn out and where I might end up living...but will keep you guys posted!

More House Hunting...

Today I had another appointment to look at an apartment. This time it was in Vienna's 10th district. I'm certainly not a fan of the 10th district at all. But there are neighborhoods that are OK, and I kinda was hoping that this could be the case. Apparently I didn't check it on Google Maps before setting up the appointment, as it was in a neighborhood that I'm not really a fan of. The neighborhood is loud and the air quality certainly is bad as well. As it's located near 2 major roads. The benefit would have been that public transportation was actually close by.
By I still took a look at the apartment. The apartment with its barely 50 square meter (540 sqf) reminded me a little of a larger version of my first apartment. Yes it was on the 7th floor, but the bedroom was kinda small and so was the kitchen. The living room was an OK size, but considering that you would have to fit couch and dining table I would have been a tight fit.
In the end I decided against this place. I just didn't like the neighborhood and the apartment didn't give me the instant feeling that I wanted to live there either. So the search will continue...

House Hunting continues...

After work I had another appointment to check out an apartment in Vienna's 12th district. It's roughtly in the same area as the one I checked out on Saturday. I know it was an older buidling...and I really didn't expect much. I got there early and spent it checking out the neighborhood. It's actually a quite decent part of the 12th district. The street it's on is a dead end to a passengers only shopping street. That came quite as a surprise. All the shops you use on a daily basis are near by and that's definitely a plus in book. On top of that the subway station is only 3 minutes away.
When I met up with the realtor I noticed that the building had no elevator. That was quite a disappointment actually. But I still took a look at the apartment...as you never know. When walking up a couple flight of stairs I really didn't expect anything but when I entered that penthouse apartment I was actually quite surprised. Even with all the room you loose through the roof pitch it felt really quite airy. It had a spacious kitchen and a very spacious bathroom and 2 rooms of decent size. Both rooms are about 13 square meter (140 sqf)...for Vienna actually not that bad. The entire apartment is about 60 square meter (650 sqf) but feels so much bigger than that.
The kitchen is fully furnished...of course you have to be able to live with a compromise due to the pitch of the roof...but I didn't mind that at all. The table that comes with the apartment is not necessarily my style, but I could love with it. And it is a very quiet apartment with most of the windows to a quiet courtyard.
This apartment has definitely many benefits. On a scale of 1 to 10 it would probably be a 9. The major drawback being that it doesn't have an elevator. The minute I walked into that apartment I could see myself living there and it was the best place I've seen so far. When I left I picked up an application for the place, but I'm just not entirely sure if I want to walk 3 flights of stairs every day. On the other hand you don't walk up and down that often either. Yes, the move might be quite challenging, but the rest depends on the routine you lay down. At this point I'm just not sure how proceed from here. I will definitely keep you guys posted on that.

The "Trial" Period is over...

Well today marks the "first month anniversary" of me being with Nowotny KG. So far it has been interesting and at times quite a challenge. But on the other hand I've never been someone who's afraid of challenges. But this date also marks the end of the Trial Period. From now on it is a regular employment contract according to Austrian Labor Laws.
And yes I'm still excited every day I go into work, since ever day brings something new. Since there are many different parts to my job, I don't get bored and the work week goes by very quickly. I know that some of you guys probably think that being an accountant and being excited about it is kinda weird, but that's just the way it is.