The photo is a little blurry because of the long exposure on a phone cam, but I think you get the idea. The reason this photo is remarkable is because the entire area you see in my garage was filled. Filed with boxes, food, supplies, liquor from a bar I ran at one time, other people's tents, sounds systems, tools, canvas, and so much more. Heck, I had an antique TV, a 22 cubic foot regrigerator (not working, either), and trash like you wouldn't believe. Yes, there's a few items left, but nothing like the splendor/squalor that used to be my garage. The transformation took quite some time.
Yesterday was "move all the boxes of stuff I want to keep into storage" day. It was pretty easy work, just time-consuming. Last week, this same area was filled with boxes. After yesterday, as you see, the floor is almost completely box-free. After next weekend or so, the place will be about as clean as I can reasonably make it.
Monday, 29 January 2007
Under the kitchen
This area, under my kitchen, used to be a mass of boxes, books, and general mayhem. Although hardly pristine, as you can see, it's clean, and you can see the concrete. After years of use as a storage area for all manner of items that didn't need indoor storage and weren't used all that often, this area is clean again.
If you look beyond the concrete, you'll see a sedge, and beyond that, an over-exposed take on the garden. I love my garden, but in the winter and spring, it is overrun by oxalis, a pretty plant, but also a noxious weed. Visitors love the stuff, since it's so green and has pretty yellow flowers. I dislike it because it takes over the garden for three or four months, dies a brown death during hot weather, and will smother almost any other plant that doesn't grow as tall as quickly. About the only good thing I can say about this weed is that it is easy to pull up.
If you look beyond the concrete, you'll see a sedge, and beyond that, an over-exposed take on the garden. I love my garden, but in the winter and spring, it is overrun by oxalis, a pretty plant, but also a noxious weed. Visitors love the stuff, since it's so green and has pretty yellow flowers. I dislike it because it takes over the garden for three or four months, dies a brown death during hot weather, and will smother almost any other plant that doesn't grow as tall as quickly. About the only good thing I can say about this weed is that it is easy to pull up.
Saturday, 27 January 2007
Two More Tasks . . .
Over the last few days, I've been mixing work days with moving
activities at night. I've got almost everything in the house sorted,
boxed, set apart, and phone calls made for its disposition. I made
arrangements for my bar and bar supplies to be picked up by a
wonderful friend. That was four boxes and three homer buckets
removed from the garage.
The next day, I packed up thirty boxes of non-perishable kitchen
supplies I've been storing. I help run a large, rough kitchen in the
summer for some friends and the kitchen came home with me
this year since I was the kitchen guy. I found a home for it late
last week and arranged to see a dear friend of mine before I
left. My good fortune is that she's also living in a house with
a basement and agreed to let me store the kitchen supplies
there. We caught up a bit, I moved and stacked the boxes,
and we chatted a bit more. It was great to have a chance
to visit since we'll be separated by great distance for so
long.
Major tasks left: moving boxes to my storage locker, making
one last run to my local charity to drop off a few things,
visiting North Carolina on business, arranging for my
tree to be pruned (see next paragraph!), and buying
two suitcases.
The arborist I selected flaked on me, and hasn't returned
my follow-up phone call. I arranged for a friend of mine to
house site while the guy was going to be working, and to
give him a check when he was done. This was all supposed
to happen during my street cleaning day to ensure the
parking spot under the tree was empty. Anyway, it was all
scheduled and my friend came to house sit and sat around
for a few hours waiting for this guy to show up. No show.
I was stood up by my arborist!
Tomorrow is box moving day. Hooray! I walked around
the house this evening and imagined all the boxes gone.
It was easy; it's so easy to imagine now that everything
is ordered. It's going to be stark. There will only be two
last untamed rooms in the house: my bedroom and my
office. I think it's very reasonable to have so much time
to sort out, pack, and transport both. Of course,
I also have some supplies in the kitchen and the loo.
Those should pack up effortlessly.
But tomorrow is the real moving day, where a truck
comes and takes away a load of boxes, furniture,
lamps, flatware, and family mementos. We head out
to the wilds of the exurbs to my storage locker. When
the day is done, the contents of the house
will have moved someplace else, and it'll be just me and
those few of my possessions I think I need most.
After tomorrow, moving out will get easier and easier.
activities at night. I've got almost everything in the house sorted,
boxed, set apart, and phone calls made for its disposition. I made
arrangements for my bar and bar supplies to be picked up by a
wonderful friend. That was four boxes and three homer buckets
removed from the garage.
The next day, I packed up thirty boxes of non-perishable kitchen
supplies I've been storing. I help run a large, rough kitchen in the
summer for some friends and the kitchen came home with me
this year since I was the kitchen guy. I found a home for it late
last week and arranged to see a dear friend of mine before I
left. My good fortune is that she's also living in a house with
a basement and agreed to let me store the kitchen supplies
there. We caught up a bit, I moved and stacked the boxes,
and we chatted a bit more. It was great to have a chance
to visit since we'll be separated by great distance for so
long.
Major tasks left: moving boxes to my storage locker, making
one last run to my local charity to drop off a few things,
visiting North Carolina on business, arranging for my
tree to be pruned (see next paragraph!), and buying
two suitcases.
The arborist I selected flaked on me, and hasn't returned
my follow-up phone call. I arranged for a friend of mine to
house site while the guy was going to be working, and to
give him a check when he was done. This was all supposed
to happen during my street cleaning day to ensure the
parking spot under the tree was empty. Anyway, it was all
scheduled and my friend came to house sit and sat around
for a few hours waiting for this guy to show up. No show.
I was stood up by my arborist!
Tomorrow is box moving day. Hooray! I walked around
the house this evening and imagined all the boxes gone.
It was easy; it's so easy to imagine now that everything
is ordered. It's going to be stark. There will only be two
last untamed rooms in the house: my bedroom and my
office. I think it's very reasonable to have so much time
to sort out, pack, and transport both. Of course,
I also have some supplies in the kitchen and the loo.
Those should pack up effortlessly.
But tomorrow is the real moving day, where a truck
comes and takes away a load of boxes, furniture,
lamps, flatware, and family mementos. We head out
to the wilds of the exurbs to my storage locker. When
the day is done, the contents of the house
will have moved someplace else, and it'll be just me and
those few of my possessions I think I need most.
After tomorrow, moving out will get easier and easier.
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
20 Cubic Yards of My Life
Here's a photo (masked by the tree) of the 20 cubic yard dumpster that sat in front of my house for four days. A friend came over to house sit it while I went to work. The fun with debris boxes in an urban setting is that if it's empty or unattended, people will fill it. My buddy tells me a few people came by to trash pick, which is A-OK with me. Anyone was welcome to take from it, since I didn't want the stuff. But, they were *not* welcome to put things in, since I would get the extra charge if they put in toxic waste or overfilled the box.
It truly amazes me how much cruft there was in my house, and all the energy that had been required to deal with it, acquire it, sort it, and dispose of it. I'm glad it's gone, because I have no use for most of it and no desire to store it.
So ends another chapter in the great move. Hooray!
It truly amazes me how much cruft there was in my house, and all the energy that had been required to deal with it, acquire it, sort it, and dispose of it. I'm glad it's gone, because I have no use for most of it and no desire to store it.
So ends another chapter in the great move. Hooray!
Monday, 22 January 2007
Boxing Day
Today, the crew and I boxed up almost all my belongings. Another
long and tiring day, but I came out of it with almost everything I
want to keep in boxes. I also made a second run to my favorite
charity, where I donated almost everything that could be donated.
I'm now living out of one room, with two shelves full of toiletries.
Very soon, I'll be livin out of two or three suitcases and a carry-on.
I see that day rapidly approaching.
I have given myself the luxury of sleeping in my bed for the next
week or so, and of having a chair, a place setting and a few extra
clothes and towels.
I still have to go through my office space and get that sorted and
packed up. I expect it will take me an evening. One of my big
concerns there is ensuring I take enough legal and financial
information with me to establish credibility in Australia. I'm
also worried about doing my US taxes this year. Right on cue
this weekend, though, my CPA sent me my yearly tax bundle.
So, if I'm really, really organized, I can have my tax information
submitted to my accountant before I leave.
Also on cue today was a friend and business colleague who had been
storing some things in my garage. He came by to take apart some
furnishings he had put up. I pointed out some extra items he might
be interested in, or his friends might. And, he agreed to move my
personal server into a colo facility, set it up, and also transfer a
domain for me that some other service provider is messing up
on. Such a great help, and things that had been on my list for
some time.
I've also been in touch with some friends who might be able to find
good homes for the contents of my liquor cabinet. I had hoped to
have a party before I left, but the timing might not work out. So,
I had been planning on foisting off all this liquor on people who
came to the party -- "No, I insist you take this bottle of vintage
Port with you!" -- heh. Now, it will probably end up on the shelves
of some professionals, which is rightly where it should be. And
partygoers (if I have a party) won't be stuck drinking Ruby
Port followed by Rye Whiskey.
Anyway, I'm exhausted and in need of another round of food, so
I'll catch you later in another installment. I'll see if I can take some
pictures of the house of boxes during the week when there is some
light out.
long and tiring day, but I came out of it with almost everything I
want to keep in boxes. I also made a second run to my favorite
charity, where I donated almost everything that could be donated.
I'm now living out of one room, with two shelves full of toiletries.
Very soon, I'll be livin out of two or three suitcases and a carry-on.
I see that day rapidly approaching.
I have given myself the luxury of sleeping in my bed for the next
week or so, and of having a chair, a place setting and a few extra
clothes and towels.
I still have to go through my office space and get that sorted and
packed up. I expect it will take me an evening. One of my big
concerns there is ensuring I take enough legal and financial
information with me to establish credibility in Australia. I'm
also worried about doing my US taxes this year. Right on cue
this weekend, though, my CPA sent me my yearly tax bundle.
So, if I'm really, really organized, I can have my tax information
submitted to my accountant before I leave.
Also on cue today was a friend and business colleague who had been
storing some things in my garage. He came by to take apart some
furnishings he had put up. I pointed out some extra items he might
be interested in, or his friends might. And, he agreed to move my
personal server into a colo facility, set it up, and also transfer a
domain for me that some other service provider is messing up
on. Such a great help, and things that had been on my list for
some time.
I've also been in touch with some friends who might be able to find
good homes for the contents of my liquor cabinet. I had hoped to
have a party before I left, but the timing might not work out. So,
I had been planning on foisting off all this liquor on people who
came to the party -- "No, I insist you take this bottle of vintage
Port with you!" -- heh. Now, it will probably end up on the shelves
of some professionals, which is rightly where it should be. And
partygoers (if I have a party) won't be stuck drinking Ruby
Port followed by Rye Whiskey.
Anyway, I'm exhausted and in need of another round of food, so
I'll catch you later in another installment. I'll see if I can take some
pictures of the house of boxes during the week when there is some
light out.
Saturday, 20 January 2007
And the cupboards were bare...
Here's photographic proof that all the food is gone from the kitchen. An amazing accomplishment, since one of my former roommates once said there was enough food in my kitchen to feed an army. What's so interesting to me now that it's done is how little time it took to clean out all that food. It took less than an hour, and ended up taking only two or three roller cans to clean out all the food that wasn't moving with me. I'm now down to a refrigerator full of food, some cereal, chocolate bars, spices, protein powder, and a bag full of canned foods for donation.
I wouldn't have thought this was possible, but here's the evidence! I SMSed this photo to my Flickr account, set up a posting template, and blogged the photo from Flickr. So, this is variation two on how to post from a mobile phone. I found out there was a glitch in the auto-posting from Flickr, so I'll try that again soon.
I wouldn't have thought this was possible, but here's the evidence! I SMSed this photo to my Flickr account, set up a posting template, and blogged the photo from Flickr. So, this is variation two on how to post from a mobile phone. I found out there was a glitch in the auto-posting from Flickr, so I'll try that again soon.
An empty kitchen
Here's a picture of the rather dirty floor of my now almost completely empty kitchen floor. An empty kitchen in this house is a miracle in itself. We accomplished this today by hiring a 20 cubic yard debris box, having it dropped in front of the house, and working with a crew of four. To do the kitchen, last night I cleaned off the table top (a 45 minute project in itself, then I moved the 6' teak monstrosity out of kitchen into some vacant space in the former media room. Today, with the moving crew, we brought some rolling trash cans into the kitchen and I got up on a chair and threw out every box or bag of food that was opened. All the unopened food went to one of the crew or into the charity box.
I think I've got the moblogging thing down, since I actually SMSed this photo directly to the blog. I expect I'll refine the process over the next few days, and I may switch back and forth between phones to see which one takes better photos and which one makes it easier to post. But, now that I've sorted out the major technological hangup, I hope things will go more smoothly and posting will increase dramatically during the move.
I think I've got the moblogging thing down, since I actually SMSed this photo directly to the blog. I expect I'll refine the process over the next few days, and I may switch back and forth between phones to see which one takes better photos and which one makes it easier to post. But, now that I've sorted out the major technological hangup, I hope things will go more smoothly and posting will increase dramatically during the move.
Me, Myself, and I
Here's me last summer. I don't have the soul patch anymore. Still working on the moblogging.
Friday, 19 January 2007
'Twas the night before moving...
And all through the house, the dust mice were swirling, all through the night.
It's the last night before my movers and haulers start going through my house, hauling out all the trash and unusable possessions, boxing up things I want to store, and generally removing all the unwanted cruft. It's a long-anticipated time. I was telling a friend the other night "I am so over this house." I've lived here fifteen years, and I was ready to move out last summer. I've known I was going to move to Brisbane since November, so I've been ready for this change for months, planning for this change for months, cleaning and organizing for this change for months. Now I know so many of the things is this house are no longer wanted, needed, nor usable, I have been counting the days until they are gone from here. I have imagined the house empty of all furniture, books, trash cans, magazines, paper, pots, and ephemera. In the next few days, I'll see how closely my imagination matches the reality.
In the next few days, the possessions in my house will be narrowed down to a single room. The rest of the house -- 4 more bedrooms, four public rooms, a garage and a backyard -- will return to their natural state. They will form the basis for the tabula rasa my tenant will write upon as he makes his own life here. It's a great house, with a lot of nice features. It has a beautiful garden thriving with life, shade, a large deck, a huge garage, rooms in a usable configuration for either coupled or shared living, a great location, a fruiting shade tree in front, a great climate, hardwood floors, and modern appliances. It has its negatives and quirks. But, I've come to love this house; I've always known I would retain ownership. With a lot of work and a lot of money, this house can be restored and improved, brought into the 21st century, made into a cozy home. And in a few years, I'll have the means to make those improvements.
Although tomorrow promises to be one of the busiest days in recent memory, I'll do my best to take some before photos and post them here. I'm also dabbling with Flickr, so I'll try to organize a "before" photo set. Then, just before I move out, I'll try to recreate the shots, take some "after" photos, post those and also gather them into Flickr. If you're a member of my family or a friend, drop me an email and I'll set you up so you can see the photo sets on Flickr. Theoretically, I can post blog entries from my phones, so it'll be an experiment. I'll see if I can master the technology.
I expect posts to get more frequent, though shorter, at least until I've relocated to Brisbane and gotten regular internet connectivity at home or work. The latest news is I will be out there between the 1st and 15th of February. I don't have my work visa, and I haven't been given the go-ahead to purchase a one way ticket, so it's not a sure thing. But, everybody is working toward that goal now.
In a couple of weeks, I will also be heading out to North Carolina to meet with my two future employees and fellow soon-to-be expats. I'm looking forward to spending time with them, and visiting my peers and superiors before I leave the country. I'll try to catch some candids and some highlights of the trip.
It's the last night before my movers and haulers start going through my house, hauling out all the trash and unusable possessions, boxing up things I want to store, and generally removing all the unwanted cruft. It's a long-anticipated time. I was telling a friend the other night "I am so over this house." I've lived here fifteen years, and I was ready to move out last summer. I've known I was going to move to Brisbane since November, so I've been ready for this change for months, planning for this change for months, cleaning and organizing for this change for months. Now I know so many of the things is this house are no longer wanted, needed, nor usable, I have been counting the days until they are gone from here. I have imagined the house empty of all furniture, books, trash cans, magazines, paper, pots, and ephemera. In the next few days, I'll see how closely my imagination matches the reality.
In the next few days, the possessions in my house will be narrowed down to a single room. The rest of the house -- 4 more bedrooms, four public rooms, a garage and a backyard -- will return to their natural state. They will form the basis for the tabula rasa my tenant will write upon as he makes his own life here. It's a great house, with a lot of nice features. It has a beautiful garden thriving with life, shade, a large deck, a huge garage, rooms in a usable configuration for either coupled or shared living, a great location, a fruiting shade tree in front, a great climate, hardwood floors, and modern appliances. It has its negatives and quirks. But, I've come to love this house; I've always known I would retain ownership. With a lot of work and a lot of money, this house can be restored and improved, brought into the 21st century, made into a cozy home. And in a few years, I'll have the means to make those improvements.
Although tomorrow promises to be one of the busiest days in recent memory, I'll do my best to take some before photos and post them here. I'm also dabbling with Flickr, so I'll try to organize a "before" photo set. Then, just before I move out, I'll try to recreate the shots, take some "after" photos, post those and also gather them into Flickr. If you're a member of my family or a friend, drop me an email and I'll set you up so you can see the photo sets on Flickr. Theoretically, I can post blog entries from my phones, so it'll be an experiment. I'll see if I can master the technology.
I expect posts to get more frequent, though shorter, at least until I've relocated to Brisbane and gotten regular internet connectivity at home or work. The latest news is I will be out there between the 1st and 15th of February. I don't have my work visa, and I haven't been given the go-ahead to purchase a one way ticket, so it's not a sure thing. But, everybody is working toward that goal now.
In a couple of weeks, I will also be heading out to North Carolina to meet with my two future employees and fellow soon-to-be expats. I'm looking forward to spending time with them, and visiting my peers and superiors before I leave the country. I'll try to catch some candids and some highlights of the trip.
Tuesday, 9 January 2007
Real Decisions, Real Actions
Today I undertook more steps to continue my move to Brisbane. I shopped around for mail forwarding services and found one that was very reasonably priced. I realized I needed a forwarding mail address sooner rather than later so I could change my address with all my utility companies, credit card companies, and so forth. So, I got real about shopping around for services in San Francisco, made a few phone calls, and did a deal with a great service in the Castro. I got a good price, and now I can start calling all my vendors to change my address.
I also, after much procrastinating, called my mechanic, and made arrangements to get my truck and car serviced. The truck needs a new set of brakes -- the automatic squeakers are in full effect now, heh. And I do need to get those vehicles dealt with this month, like it or not.
Lastly, I called the hauling and moving folks who were recommended to me. I had a quick chat with them and we agreed to talk more tomorrow. They needed to look at their calendar, and now that I'm organized, I have no problem explaining what I need done, when, and roughly how much work it's going to be. I'll see if my plan is changed much after talking with them. I see basically three visits: one to haul trash, one to box some materials, and one to box more materials and get that stuff out to my storage room in far Antioch.
I also researched charities to see who would come and pick up what and on what schedule. I see the Salvation Army will come by and pick up most anything, while Goodwill will only pick up large furniture. Other charities will only let you drop off at their location during restricted hours. I think I have that all figured out, and will do a combination of pickup of four large pieces of furniture I have, and then drop off the rest at two charities: Goodwill and Community Thrift. There are some things that CT can deal with that Goodwill will just have a hard time of. Plus, I like them both; if I have to load up a truck, it's only a few more blocks from one to the other, and I have to make multiple trips, anyway. So, some things only to CT, some things could go either place. But Goodwill gets the furniture.
Looking at my list of things to do, I need to work on at least a couple every day if I'm going to get them all done by the end of the month and be out of here. I really do feel like I'm living out of a suitcase. Very shortly, I will be living out of a suitcase, sleeping on an inflatable air mattress, and living in a very empty house. It won't be too much different from how I'm living now, but we'll see what I think when I get to that stage.
I've arrived at the next level. It'll be interesting to see how many more there are. Now, I'm just dealing with closing up one house, living until I can get my visa, moving, living in a hotel for a while, finding a place to live, and getting on with the rest of my life in Australia. I'm excited, and have a clear purpose now. I understand the financial impact, I've been navigating the social impact, and trying to get on day to day.
I also, after much procrastinating, called my mechanic, and made arrangements to get my truck and car serviced. The truck needs a new set of brakes -- the automatic squeakers are in full effect now, heh. And I do need to get those vehicles dealt with this month, like it or not.
Lastly, I called the hauling and moving folks who were recommended to me. I had a quick chat with them and we agreed to talk more tomorrow. They needed to look at their calendar, and now that I'm organized, I have no problem explaining what I need done, when, and roughly how much work it's going to be. I'll see if my plan is changed much after talking with them. I see basically three visits: one to haul trash, one to box some materials, and one to box more materials and get that stuff out to my storage room in far Antioch.
I also researched charities to see who would come and pick up what and on what schedule. I see the Salvation Army will come by and pick up most anything, while Goodwill will only pick up large furniture. Other charities will only let you drop off at their location during restricted hours. I think I have that all figured out, and will do a combination of pickup of four large pieces of furniture I have, and then drop off the rest at two charities: Goodwill and Community Thrift. There are some things that CT can deal with that Goodwill will just have a hard time of. Plus, I like them both; if I have to load up a truck, it's only a few more blocks from one to the other, and I have to make multiple trips, anyway. So, some things only to CT, some things could go either place. But Goodwill gets the furniture.
Looking at my list of things to do, I need to work on at least a couple every day if I'm going to get them all done by the end of the month and be out of here. I really do feel like I'm living out of a suitcase. Very shortly, I will be living out of a suitcase, sleeping on an inflatable air mattress, and living in a very empty house. It won't be too much different from how I'm living now, but we'll see what I think when I get to that stage.
I've arrived at the next level. It'll be interesting to see how many more there are. Now, I'm just dealing with closing up one house, living until I can get my visa, moving, living in a hotel for a while, finding a place to live, and getting on with the rest of my life in Australia. I'm excited, and have a clear purpose now. I understand the financial impact, I've been navigating the social impact, and trying to get on day to day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)