The move went without a hitch - even though U-Haul gave me a bigger truck (14 feet of storage rather than 10), and I was initially terrified of smashing into cars on the side, knocking over mailboxes, uprooting trees, and running over cyclists I never even saw. There's no rear view mirror in the middle, and the vehicle goes way way back. It's like having to make your way through a china shop while wearing a massive backpack you can't even see... When I returned the truck I had to sign a statement saying I'd been in no accidents and had harmed noone. I signed it, but more as an expression of desperate hope. How would I even know?!But I exaggerate. A little. I've never wanted to be a truck driver, but this did give me a taste of that - I even cranked up the radio and bought myself a fluorescent yellow energy drink. And once I got on the road I quickly forgot about driving below the speed limit... (Have I mentioned that it's been over a year since I last drove anything, even a car?) By the time I left the turnpike for Brooklyn's potholed roads full of double-parkers (I can't really complaint - I double-parked to unload) I'd somehow developed a sense for the monster, and - to the best of my knowledge - caused no harm.
The move itself was incredibly quick - less than six hours from getting to Lackland Self-Storage with an empty truck to returning the once again empty truck 84 miles away in Brooklyn - thanks almost entirely to my friends: so grateful am I that I'm waiving my usual moratorium on names to say thank you Jennifer, Julia, Brian, Brian and Brisa! Without your help it would never have happened.
Unpacking's only just begun, but what pleasure to unpack (and even wash) familiar dishes! I have a thing for Japanese plates and cups, and this is the first time my pre-2001 cups, plates and bowls got to mingle with the post-2002 ones. The picture above is of some of the cups and mugs, many of which have stories attached: acquired over a dozen years in several places in Japan, Ithaca, Boston, Vienna, California, New York and as gifts. (I've thrown in my stubbie holder from the Ghan to let Australia partake in the festivities.) It is, I grant you, rather a lot of cups... but this just means that there will always be a cup for you when you come visit!
