(Untitled)

[azriona]

The good thing about moving for the government is that I don't actually have to pack anything - the movers come in and do it for me. However, in some ways, it's actually sort of worse, because I do have to have everything organized before the movers get here, which means there are huge piles of clothes, DVDs, dishes, and all the random flotsam and

Comments

[bastets_place]

I think, personally, that I would be packing some things, anyway. Because carefully and thoroughly taped up boxes in a pile are less likely to migrate, even with a youngster.

I like the idea of someone else doing it, though.

[azriona]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love that someone else does the heavy work - and it'll all be done in three days or less, too, and I don't have to lift a finger, except to point. Totally spoils you for moving any other way!

I'll pack a few things myself - like the printer and stereo, anything electronic where we have the original box and packing material - but most of the rest will be packed by the crew, because anything I pack myself gets marked as Packed By Owner, and if stuff I pack gets broken in transit, it's not covered by their insurance.

For the most part, my piles have been accumulating behind closed doors, so Andrew can't do too much moving of stuff, but it's at a point now where I'm overflowing into other areas. Especially where his toys are concerned....

[crimedoc1]

One thing you might want to add to your list (sorry!)

Back up EVERYTHING on your computer! In case it gets fried on the trip!

This may sound like an unbelievably stupid question, but... where exactly are you going again??? I'm so mired in student essays right now that I'm completely brain dead.

[azriona]

Actually, I keep meaning to sign up for Carbonite, for that exact reason. Backing up the docx files is fairly easy, anyway - there aren't many of them, compared to the photos, and I have a whole spindle of DVDroms downstairs.

I don't say online where we're going, because I'm paranoid like that. But you'll be able to figure it out when we get there, I promise.

[crimedoc1]

I have Carbonite and am VERY happy with it. In addition to giving me no-effort off-site backup, it acts as a remote access point, so I can get at your files from any computer. And since the backup isn't completely instantaneous, if I accidentally overwrite or delete a file, I can go right away to Carbonite and grab the earlier version (although I have to do this quick, before it overwrites the earlier version with the later one I messed up on!)

If you've never said where you are going, then I'm not as confused as I thought! Yay!

[azriona]

I hear nothing but good things re: Carbonite, but first I want to get the photos done - a lot of them, especially the very old ones, don't need to be on the hard drive anymore, so once they're stored on discs, I can take them off - which makes Carbonite's initial backup much faster, b/c we're talking about 10 DVDroms worth of photos, which is a lot of bytes to back up. I've spent most of today just backing them up (and checking to make sure they've saved properly); I'm hoping to be done by the end of the day.

[glinda_w]

Heh. That urban legend about someone's cat getting packed was current when I was dealing with military moves, 35 years ago. (However, I did know a couple of people whose trash got packed...)

What we did, was put everything we *didn't* want to get packed into one of the bathrooms, and run masking tape across the door at eye level. *grin*

(Spoiled me for all other moves, though... that "carrier pack/carrier unpack" thing is sooooo nice. Only thing is to try to have someone else there during unpacking, to help notice if there's any damage - you're right about them being incredibly fast at it.) (In my case, over three moves, a couple of teacups and the salt&pepper shakers of my blue onion china, plus both chime clocks no longer worked, nor did the TV. All in one move, back to CA from Hawaii, and there'd been some rather... notable... storms during the time it got shipped; the theory was that things got shaken up badly. But they'd wrapped the china (both sets) so well, and glassware, etc., that ... well, yeah. Impressive.)

[azriona]

The other story we always heard about movers was how they'll toss the fine china into a box without any protection, but "lovingly wrap each pencil individually." I can attest for the second part, at least. The only thing that ever broke for us was the glass in one of the picture frames, coming back from Kyrgyzstan. Not because it wasn't wrapped well, but because it wasn't secured well in the box, and must have been shook up during transit. The sad part was that it was a paper cut-out from China, and the entire thing was shredded by the time it got to us. I nearly cried. Five years ago, and I only just had the heart to throw it away.

The other broken item wasn't exactly the movers' fault. One glass, packed to a fair-thee-well, all the way to Kyrgyzstan. I take it out of the box, unwrap it, and turn to put it in the cabinet - and it flies right out of my hand and smashes on the kitchen floor. Whoops.

[fishface44]

Your organizational skills knock my socks off! *contemplates my not-worthiness*

[azriona]

Yeah, but for every item I put on the "done" list, I think of two more to go on the "to do" list! And I know I won't get most of them done, or they'll be done rather haphazardly.

[albatrosswoman]

This is going to sound bonkers, but: get Andrew an iPad. Seriously. Highest memory capacity you can afford. After our last move I can honestly say that all the books, games, and movies on the iPad are what kept us sane. It was an inexhaustible supply of 2yo entertainment and made the three months between packing out and the arrival of our household goods bearable (not to mention the two 10-hour flights and three weeks hanging out on the East Coast waiting for our visas).

[azriona]

No, not bonkers - but having seen Andrew in action with his DVD player, I'd rather he learn to be less destructive on something less expensive!