The packing process has officially gotten underway. Condo perfecto is now condo tornado, because packing is a dang messy task! Preparing to move across the country adds a new twist, because with everything I look at I think, "Do I really want to haul this 3000 miles?"
In my 32 years, I have lived in 8 different houses/apartments, and New York will be number 9. As I moved around southern California, I dragged along a lot of little tchotchkes, various art/craft supplies, miscellaneous doodads, and a ton of books. If you didn't know, I love to read. I don't read now as much as I did when I was younger (I think we all can say that), but I do have a lot of books that I love and cherish - and somehow I have a lot of books that I have no feelings about whatsoever. I have not succumbed to the digital age, neither Megan nor I own a Kindle or a Nook or what I call "Fahrenheit 451 devices." I'm afraid digital readers will lead to the demise of paper books, and I can't imagine a world without books. Plus, I just love the smell of books.
When considering what books to bring to NY though, only a few made the cut. In fact, between Megan and I we cut our book collection in half. The rest we are giving to friends, selling to a used bookstore, and then donating to the public library. Ditto with CDs. As you can see, we have a LOT to get rid of - all of the stuff in bags on the floor is going, the stuff in the bookshelf is staying.
Keep in mind, we've already made a couple trips to the Goodwill donation center, and Megan's car is still full of stuff...
Last night I took down all of the photos and stuff on the walls, that really made the place feel like it's time to move - rather than it's just a mess for no reason.
I put out the carrier that Rufus will be traveling in. That's right folks, #Rufusthecat will be riding in style in the truck, right between us two gals. I have a harness for him, and when needed he will be on a leash. Yup, a leash. On a cat. I know, it seems ridiculous, but have you ever had to chase after a cat who is freaked out and in a strange place and then they're stuck under the bed or behind a huge couch and you are covered in dust bunnies and screaming all sorts of curse words and in the end nobody is proud of what they did. So, the leash is my backup plan.
And the good news is that Rufus has already been in the carrier and explored it and that is a good sign (for those of you who don't speak cat).
Of course, we wouldn't be the good daughters that we are if we didn't return some stuff to our dear parents. That's right, Mom & Dad, this pile is for you! Megan apparently hijacked a few things through the years (glue gun, tent), and then we know Mom would be sad if we got rid of things from our childhood (Ted E. Bear, white shelves, childhood knickknacks).
Even my scary hall closet of random junk is organized and ready to go. You have no idea the amount of blackmail material that I have stored in those photo boxes... Teenage years are fun to look back on, aren't they?
For those of you who don't know, cats LOVE boxes. So basically, this process is not that bad for Rufus because he has an endless playground of boxes and containers and crinkly tape to play with. And then sometimes he just enjoys just lounging in a box.
My goal is to get the common area and some of the kitchen packed up and ready to go. We have less than 3 weeks until the big move date, and the more I can do now (and for Megan), the better. Plus, the process of packing/purging really makes my brain happy. I love organizing and order and puzzles. I have realized that if I was a Friends character, I'd be 50% Monica and 50% Phoebe. I'm half Phoebe because I'm wacky and I love singing and I have some bizarre stories from life (although I don't have a mean estranged twin sister... or do I?). The other half is clearly Monica for so many reasons. She used to be heavy and lost a bunch of weight (ditto), she has a place for everything and notices when something is moved (ditto), she loves to cook (ditto), ummmm what else? I'd also like to be married to Chandler, if you really want to know.
So the boxes are stacking up, the packing tape is running low, and we still have a lot of furniture to get rid of and junk to sort through. I shouldn't say junk, because we have nice things, but a lot of what we have are things we just don't need anymore or won't need in NY. So, adios!
Paring down feels great, I feel as though I'm freeing myself from a lot of excess noise and clutter both physically and mentally. Keeping what I need and sending what I don't need on to other people who will appreciate it more or get more use out of it.
I do have to admit, though, sometimes as I'm going through things, I stumble upon something so fabulous, so amazing, so unabashedly silly, that I have to sit down and hold my sides because I'm laughing so hard...
Nikki, me, Jamie, De'Andre, and Sunny on my impromptu birthday cruise to Ensenada, 2011. What a trip! Amazing.
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