ow, it hurts.

Ouchie. I haven't been this sore and exhausted since I climbed the highest peak in the Southeastern Alps. Every inch of my body aches, along with some places I didn't even know could ache. Mark my words, readers, that is the LAST time I move myself up three flights of stairs. Next time, Nick and I have vowed that we will hire movers, no matter the cost. Nick has been hobbling along like a little old man since Saturday night -- his knee is in pretty bad shape. At one point, I was going up and down the stairs with tears running down my face -- I wondered if this is how those celebrities feel who are forced to do like four hour grueling workouts every day. Maybe they just get on the treadmill and start bawling. I know I would.

Nick's friend Alex was a MAJOR help. Without him, I think Nick and I might have killed each other. Moving day really brings out the worst in people, and we were both screaming at each other for a good part of the day. I think if you can get through a moving day with your significant other, you can pretty much get through anything. And the making up part at the end was very nice. :)

We spent the better part of yesterday cleaning out the previous renters filth. Twenty years of filth (the landlord told us the woman who just moved out had been there twenty years.) The apartment was supposedly "clean" when we moved in, but it became pretty clear that nobody had spent more than a few minutes cleaning the place. It took over an hour to scrub all the grime from the refridgerator, then I spent several hours painstakingly lining every shelf with contact paper. Nick did his fair share too; in fact, we both pretty much worked from sun up to sun down.

The end result is a somewhat workable kitchen, decent looking bedrooms and living room, and a dining room still filled with boxes. But we're getting there, and by the end of today it should be a lot better. The cable and internet is up and running, so that's a huge plus, and tonight we will be installing the three air conditioners that are now in our possesion in preparation for the hot weather coming our way. Thankfully, the weather was cool and wonderful this weekend -- if it had been a 90 degree day, I'm certain one of us would have ended up in the hospital.

My work as a day-laborer (as they call the worker people in Greece) is through. Next time I will be sitting in a comfortable chair, sipping a cocktal, and pointing my finger at where to put boxes.

And now we have a guest room! In a fantastic neighborhood! An open invite to all my friends who read this blog -- COME VISIT! We adore our neighborhood, and now we have a nice big apartment, and I'm just dying to have people over (in about a month). So give me a holler if you ever in Chicago -- you've got a place to stay.