Yet Another Moving Story
To bring everyone up to date:
I found a nice little second-floor walkup apartment in the Beaches. Moving day is Jan. 15. I have hired these guys to do the actual heavy lifting part of the move: I am too old for schlepping box springs, MDF desks, and tub chairs up the stairs; my friends are wonderful people, but they do not deserve to be asked to move me again. The movers come incredibly highly recommended on the Internet; the guy who called me to give me the quote had the most soothing phone manner I've ever encountered: I believe he must have trained in crisis prevention or on a suicide prevention hotline or something.
Yesterday was Pack All the Things day: a dedicated crew of volunteers including
neeuqdrazil ,
just_jocelyne ,
dendritejungle ,
human_loser , and
skaldkona packed most of my things, while Red and S. amused the children at the park. Musetta hid from all the hurlyburly, and at the end of the day, I had a lot fewer things out, and many more things in boxes.
Here's how it worked:
During the past few weeks, I've collected boxes-mostly from Red's parents, who moved a few months ago, and brought me all their boxes. Prior to everyone's arrival, I took a roll of green painter's tape and wrote instructions on all the cupboards and shelves-because sabotabby isn't moving until March, I needed to separate out my things. So I labelled them (when the movers come, all my things and all my boxes will be marked with green tape, so that even if I'm in another room, it's unlikely that I inadvertently wind up with her possessions). I acquired an armload of free daily newspapers for packing and padding.
human_loser came early to make fake-butter-fake-chicken to sustain the packers, and Red brought drinks and snacks.
I put boxes in all the rooms, Then, as people arrived, I set them to cupboards and shelving units with the instructions to pack all the things as labelled, and call me before taping a box closed. I provided packing tape and Sharpie markers for labelling. Then I ran around giving instructions and checking boxes, and my army of helpers packed things. We broke for lunch and tea as we needed to.
If you are blessed with wonderful friends like mine, I strongly recommend this approach to packing. A lot got done, and I feel like if I left everything else until the day before the move (which I will not do), it still would not be a disaster.
Another innovation I have employed for this move is to find a friend to act as my eBay and Craigslist agent: as I find things I no longer want, and do not want to move, my agent figures out how best to go about converting those assets to cash, does the listings, and manages the sales. For this, I pay the agent a commission. It's nice to be able to delegate this sort of thing, as it can be a timesink at a time when I have many other demands on my time.
To wit:
So that's where things are at right now: mostly in boxes, and morI am really looking forward to the move being over and the getting-settled part beginning. Also, does anyone know anyone who can do minor repairs on an antique table for not more than I would spend on a new drop-leaf table?
I found a nice little second-floor walkup apartment in the Beaches. Moving day is Jan. 15. I have hired these guys to do the actual heavy lifting part of the move: I am too old for schlepping box springs, MDF desks, and tub chairs up the stairs; my friends are wonderful people, but they do not deserve to be asked to move me again. The movers come incredibly highly recommended on the Internet; the guy who called me to give me the quote had the most soothing phone manner I've ever encountered: I believe he must have trained in crisis prevention or on a suicide prevention hotline or something.
Yesterday was Pack All the Things day: a dedicated crew of volunteers including
neeuqdrazil ,
just_jocelyne ,
dendritejungle ,
human_loser , and
skaldkona packed most of my things, while Red and S. amused the children at the park. Musetta hid from all the hurlyburly, and at the end of the day, I had a lot fewer things out, and many more things in boxes.
Here's how it worked:
During the past few weeks, I've collected boxes-mostly from Red's parents, who moved a few months ago, and brought me all their boxes. Prior to everyone's arrival, I took a roll of green painter's tape and wrote instructions on all the cupboards and shelves-because sabotabby isn't moving until March, I needed to separate out my things. So I labelled them (when the movers come, all my things and all my boxes will be marked with green tape, so that even if I'm in another room, it's unlikely that I inadvertently wind up with her possessions). I acquired an armload of free daily newspapers for packing and padding.
human_loser came early to make fake-butter-fake-chicken to sustain the packers, and Red brought drinks and snacks.
I put boxes in all the rooms, Then, as people arrived, I set them to cupboards and shelving units with the instructions to pack all the things as labelled, and call me before taping a box closed. I provided packing tape and Sharpie markers for labelling. Then I ran around giving instructions and checking boxes, and my army of helpers packed things. We broke for lunch and tea as we needed to.
If you are blessed with wonderful friends like mine, I strongly recommend this approach to packing. A lot got done, and I feel like if I left everything else until the day before the move (which I will not do), it still would not be a disaster.
Another innovation I have employed for this move is to find a friend to act as my eBay and Craigslist agent: as I find things I no longer want, and do not want to move, my agent figures out how best to go about converting those assets to cash, does the listings, and manages the sales. For this, I pay the agent a commission. It's nice to be able to delegate this sort of thing, as it can be a timesink at a time when I have many other demands on my time.
To wit:
- Return editing test to prospective client.
- Set up online course for new College.
- Plan first class of new course for City College.
- Apply for job with
audrawilliams. - Cancel emergency cell phone account and pay bill.
- Get online stuff for copyediting course set up.
- Test router to make sure I'll be able to have wireless routing at new place.
- Call ISP to confirm move order.
- Change address with credit card companies, bank, sundry employers, and post office.
- Take Musetta to Red's for a few days, so that she doesn't get lost during the move.
- Arrange wardrobe delivery to new place.
- Paint bathroom and fireplace at new place.
- Acquire Dance Flurry tickets and set up accommodations.
- Take down curtain rods and blinds.
- Phone movers with updated number of boxes.
- Examine under the bed.
- Move sundry things too big to pack and too small to pay movers to move.
- Vacuum and clean all the things.
- Usual work and housework.
So that's where things are at right now: mostly in boxes, and morI am really looking forward to the move being over and the getting-settled part beginning. Also, does anyone know anyone who can do minor repairs on an antique table for not more than I would spend on a new drop-leaf table?