Ye gods.. the move.
While Kristi and her family are running around getting contracts signed and people paid and plans worked out, I have a move to make happen by the end of November. In some ways, it’s going to be the easiest move I’ve done; 80% of my stuff is staying in Florida or getting thrown out. Most of my furniture is cheap bachelor stuff (a guy just needs a place to sit, you know?) that I bought back in my Verizon tech days, 7-8 years ago. It’s showing its age, so I can Goodwill it all without much remorse. Most of the stuff being moved to Modesto is tech, books, files, kitchen stuff and personal items. My apartment right now is full of cardboard boxes – many scored from the local McDonalds that I live behind – and now the hard job is just sorting it all.
We’re going to end up in December with a garage full of boxes labeled “Chicken McNuggets – Frozen” and “Uncooked Potatoes – Salt Fries!”. Because really.. what’s a modern garage without a mountain of fast food cardboard?
The books are tough calls. A writer plus an English teacher equals a big household library. Most of the paperbacks stay. The rares (including several early Harlan Ellison and Frank Herbert hardbacks), my tech book library and most of my writing books get moved. Kristi’s already laid claim to my copy of Frankenstein; I’m debating about my collected William Blake. Blake’s never really been my thing, but somehow I can’t bring myself to part with it. Right now I’m running a 2:1 ratio in favor of books not being moved, but that may be because I haven’t started on nonfiction yet. Decisions on books like Salem’s Lot are pretty easy.
At least I’m sparing Kristi the Buckaroo Banzai novelization. (And yes, hon, I do own one.)