Me vs. the boxes
I've finally finished the move into the new place. I didn't actually manage to avoid the mad rush at the end (can it ever really be avoided?) but I think I blunted it a bit. I still have a couple calls to make to make sure everyone that needs it has my new address but it shouldn't be too bad.
The new place is much smaller than the old one (I'm going from about 900+ sq ft to 500+). The biggest problem for me is that I'm a pack rat and I've had over 7 years at the old place to accumulate stuff. I gave a couple bookshelves to co-workers. Then I donated a bunch of stuff to a charity called The Living Room in the downtown east side. Our workplace donated some computer equipment to them previously and my boss mentioned that they took furniture as well. I gave them a corner unit, a large tv cabinet, a folding dining room table with 3 chairs (the 4th chair was broken), a coffee table and the 2 matching end tables, a small nightstand, a chair, and a couple lamps. I think I actually gave away over half my furniture. I only kept a tv stand, bed, futon sofa, desk, sideboard, and one bookshelf. I did buy a new dining room table (rectangular) and a few chairs. The guy at The Living Room was really happy to receive it. I don't think they get much in way of donations and they don't sell the donations like the Salvation Army does. My boss mentioned that they try to help out people who are essentially getting off the street. I definitely feel better about giving my stuff to them rather than the Salvation Army. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against SA - I just don't really think they need the help.
I'm now in the process of unpacking everything. I unpacked some of the "essential" stuff - enough clothes for a few days, the desk and computer, a bit of the bathroom stuff, and the tv/dvd recorder. I found the box with my PS2 and games early but I'm actively refusing to unpack it until pretty much everything else is unpacked.
My first target is the kitchen. I've been eating out the last few days (nothing really good - except for the one time I went to an Ethiopian place a couple blocks away). Today, I bought some fresh groceries to force myself to unpack the kitchen so I could have a home cooked meal. It's probably a good thing too. It's snowing right now and I probably can't/won't want to go out today or tomorrow (most of the snow is supposed to fall tonight and tomorrow and then freezing rain on Monday). It does give me a good excuse to stay in and unpack, though.
Well, enough procrastinating. Back to the battle against the boxes.
The new place is much smaller than the old one (I'm going from about 900+ sq ft to 500+). The biggest problem for me is that I'm a pack rat and I've had over 7 years at the old place to accumulate stuff. I gave a couple bookshelves to co-workers. Then I donated a bunch of stuff to a charity called The Living Room in the downtown east side. Our workplace donated some computer equipment to them previously and my boss mentioned that they took furniture as well. I gave them a corner unit, a large tv cabinet, a folding dining room table with 3 chairs (the 4th chair was broken), a coffee table and the 2 matching end tables, a small nightstand, a chair, and a couple lamps. I think I actually gave away over half my furniture. I only kept a tv stand, bed, futon sofa, desk, sideboard, and one bookshelf. I did buy a new dining room table (rectangular) and a few chairs. The guy at The Living Room was really happy to receive it. I don't think they get much in way of donations and they don't sell the donations like the Salvation Army does. My boss mentioned that they try to help out people who are essentially getting off the street. I definitely feel better about giving my stuff to them rather than the Salvation Army. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against SA - I just don't really think they need the help.
I'm now in the process of unpacking everything. I unpacked some of the "essential" stuff - enough clothes for a few days, the desk and computer, a bit of the bathroom stuff, and the tv/dvd recorder. I found the box with my PS2 and games early but I'm actively refusing to unpack it until pretty much everything else is unpacked.
My first target is the kitchen. I've been eating out the last few days (nothing really good - except for the one time I went to an Ethiopian place a couple blocks away). Today, I bought some fresh groceries to force myself to unpack the kitchen so I could have a home cooked meal. It's probably a good thing too. It's snowing right now and I probably can't/won't want to go out today or tomorrow (most of the snow is supposed to fall tonight and tomorrow and then freezing rain on Monday). It does give me a good excuse to stay in and unpack, though.
Well, enough procrastinating. Back to the battle against the boxes.