Ah, moving...

Ah moving…

I don’t like moving, I really don’t like moving. I got a distaste for it back when I first moved down here to NC when in the first 4 years or so of living here, I moved about, oh 6 or 7 different times. The last time before this move was to move in with Doug, which lasted a good long time actually. So that was a good one, I haven’t had to move in more than 4 years. The good thing about moving though, is that when you do move a lot, you tend to pare down your worldly possessions. I have done this. It took me about 9 hours to get everything sorted and packed up and in boxes, which wasn’t bad considering I re-sorted the stuff I had already packed, threw away some stuff, gave away some other stuff, and re-packed some for the move. Once I had my stuff packed, I was able to throw it all into a pick-up truck, and transfer it all over to my new living quarters. I was able to pack the truck, unload the truck, and bring everything into the new house in about, oh, less than 2 hours. That’s not bad if you ask me. Now, the fiancé’s stuff, that was a horse of a different color.

The fiancé has lived in the same location for quite some time as well, and in her living there she was acquired a substantial amount of “stuff” which was both bad and good. Bad because that was a lot of stuff that I had to haul, with the help of the The Chad, up and down the stairs of the house we’re moving into. See, the house we moved into, she was living in the basement portion of the house, and we took the upstairs portion that had been formerly occupied by a dirty hippy, and a large fuzzy dog, but I digress about that. The good part about her having all of this stuff was that the stuff that she had, I didn’t have, so that worked out well, in the sense that we don’t really need to purchase anything new. She has plenty of plates, cups, glasses, kitchen utensils, and so on. Again, the bad thing about this, myself and The Chad had to move it all. Which to transfer it from downstairs to upstairs took on the order of 5 or 6 hours, on the hottest day of the year so far. It was sweaty and dirty work. The fiancé was at a conference this weekend, so she missed the moving and going up and down the stairs portion of the move, but since The Chad helped out, it brought levity and humor to the situation. If I had done it myself, there would have been one disgruntled employee by the end of the day, but instead, it was an OK situation. Sure, it was work, and a lot of it, but we were able to cut up, joke about it, and sort of bitch and complain a little bit, but overall, we had not too bad of a time of it. It was definitely a work out, and by the end of the schlepping, I was worn out. The legs and arms felt like jelly, and the head was pounding. Of course, once the moving portion was done, the unpacking portion then began.

Unpacking took the better part of 2 days, but now, it is almost done. Sure, there are a few more things to put away, some pictures to hang, and some furniture to move in (when we get it), but for the most part, the major trials and tribulations are done. I worked at putting together the “office” portion of the house, and putting away my stuff, and clothes, and finding places for storage of other things. The fiancé set up the kitchen and other various places within the house, and sorted everything out there. I think we worked well together to get it done, even though she had to pack up some more clothes and other stuff, and head off to Ohio for another conference. Sure, she had just gotten back, and we have only spent one night together in our house, but she had to pack up and head back out. This time, driving to her conference. Ugg… That’s a strong desire to get to where she was going that’s for sure. It was about an 8 hour drive or so from here to Columbus, which isn’t too bad, unless you’ve been working all morning long unpacking your kitchen items, getting some breakfast, and then scrambling around to get everything together for the conference that you’re presenting at. It was unenviable that’s for sure. I’m just glad that she made it there without incident, and then she got checked into her assigned dorm room. I’m impressed with her endurance on that front. Amazing stuff right there. I’m just glad that it was her, and not me. I wouldn’t have made it. I would have had to stop and sleep somewhere on the side of the road for a few hours if I had made that drive.

So yes, indeed, the fiancé and myself, we’re what you would call “shacking up”. Or, that’s what some people would call it. I would call it living with the person I love and am going to spend the rest of my life with, so I’m more than OK with it. Sure, The Chad tried to talk me out of it, but he mentioned that with a caveat. That being, “You shouldn’t take my advice on just about anything.” Hey, I’ll get some cooking tips from him, but yeah, when it comes to living with the fiancé, I’ll just trust myself on that one.

The bad thing about moving is that I’ve had to give up “The Big TV”. Those of you that have been to my house, know exactly what I’m talking about. I have gone from world of boy toys, to a world of where I have to start stocking up on them myself. It was good living with Doug since he had all of the toys that I wanted, except I didn’t have to purchase them. He already had them, or obtained them during the time that I lived there. Now that’s something that nobody could complain about. Although I will say, we have this fireplace, and above the fireplace is a big blank wall with nothing on it. Behind it, there is a large window. The space above the fireplace is perfect for a flat screen TV in the 42-60 inch range of things. Since my Birthday is coming up, and if you are still thinking about something you can get for me, think about a nice flat panel 60 inch TV for my living room. Is it expensive? Sure. But if purchased for me, you will be more than welcome to come on over and watch it anytime you want, even when I’m not here. I’ll leave a key outside for you. It would be sweet. If you come over and check out the new pad, you’ll know what I mean. I don’t think that it is in the cards though, as I just don’t have it like that as far as funds go, but if I did, you know I’d be over at Best Buy today, purchasing said TV, and would have it installed today. Maybe when I win the lottery, which will be starting here soon. Yes, we have the scratch tickets, but I’m waiting for the big powerball stuff to come on through, then I’ll start playing. I know the chances of winning are slim and none, but hey, you can’t win if you don’t play right? A few dollars per week can’t hurt too bad.

Well, time to run some errands, pick a few things up, and get out of the house for the morning. Maybe go over to the bookstore so I can take advantage of their free internet services, since we don’t have ours installed yet (or cable for that matter). We’ll be getting the hook up this week, on Friday. Soon, we’ll be ready to roll again. Internet, cable, and phone, all bundled into one package, which doesn’t seem so bad actually. See, it’s been so long that I’ve had to actually subscribe to these services, I don’t know the deals anymore. In 2001 when I moved into a house in Chapel Hill, the women I moved in with already had the services installed and operating. Same thing for when I moved in with Doug. Not so with this house, but that’s OK. Getting through 5 years without having to subscribe to these services, that’s not bad really. Not too bad at all.

Oh, and I have to send out the following messages while I’m at it.

1. Happy Memorial Day. To all veterans out there, thanks for your service to us and the country.
2. Happy Anniversary to Kelly and Doug. 1 year already.
3. Happy Birthday Adrienne. Hope you’re having a good one.

That’s it for now.