Continuing from “What I’d tell myself a year ago” – the most crucial thing I’d change next time… get rid of more stuff before moving – and better organize what’s left. Putting stuff in storage - a master stroke; utter genius. Last summer, after a major stuff-cull, Paolo & I were shoving things into whatever vessel [...]
I blame HGTV. What can two people reasonably expect to accomplish in 12 hours? DIY, as we’re shown it, has no hassle. Sometimes only one implied crisis – to get you back after the commercial. A glossy fallacy that meant I often went to bed disappointed – “We’re not getting anywhere” – as I mentioned [...]
(The seventh of assorted moving tips – read #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6) After recent count, this is my 19th home in twenty-something years. That’s a lot of moving moments – enough, probably, to fill a bad book. Here’s another of my past mistakes that you don’t need to make: After a particularly harried move, I owed my [...]
A thought that’s at once delightful and concerning: what if we fall so in love with the finished product – the beautiful baby – that we don’t want to sell it? Coffee in one hand, mouse in the other, I’m pretty content with where I’m sitting. While digging through papers last week – yet another [...]
(The sixth of my moving tips – read #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5) Total cost for our movers: $650. That’s labour only, plus a half-hearted shrink wrapping of our couch. Our mattress was moved naked and our picture frames and artwork were thrown into dirty blankets. Dirty, naked things are hard to love. Spending money hurts even [...]
Real life resumes! We’ve got clean towels and Whole Foods’ tastiest provender. Reasons to celebrate, both. But it’s day 3 of no home-based internet and that sucks. Note to self and snarky glance in Paolo’s direction: call to transfer the internet as the first thing on next time’s moving list – not the last! They’re [...]
In olden days, battles were fought differently. Armies would arrive weeks and months in advance, and make camp. They’d dig in and get to know the land. Perhaps rape and pillage the locals, while those higher up the chain schemed and formed the battle plan. I’m always up for Fisticuffs Vs the French, but today [...]
Ensuring any household move leaves the appropriate aftertaste – it ends with cleaning. You think you’re done – and then you have to put on rubber gloves to explore crevices you didn’t even know you’d rented. Vladimir Lenin Landlord had made the schedule clear: You give back keys at noon, then leave. Stringent stuff, but I [...]
(The fifth of my moving tips – read #1, #2, #3, #4 and #6) For crying out loud. The nonsense left over after the professionals moved what should have been our every last possession: heavy, dirty plant pots on the balcony TV and computer monitor (would you rather break it yourself or watch it ruined in the hands [...]
Not so great: our movers earned 6/10 on today’s performance. (That’s a Canadian 6/10, which is overly generous and actually a 3). I’ve never used professional movers for an inter-city move before, so I had high expectations for a day with little stress and minimal exertion on our part. Instead? Very much the opposite. Here’s [...]
