Monday, December 14, 2009

Moving Day

It is official. As of this weekend, I have officially moved (and without incident oh please for the love of all things holy don't let me get jinxed for saying that) from blogspot to my own domain, http://www.letshaveacocktail.com. If you are reading this, you found it. All you have to do is update your links. Easy breezy. Thanks Blogger. I heart you. 

It was by far the easiest move I have ever done. Because let's be candid, almost every other kind of moving, well, fills most people with contempt. The packing and unpacking which requires you to handle every single possession you own, oh, I am not a fan. 

Because I am fully Type A (large font, bold, upper case Type A)
dislike disorganization of most varieties, I will labor like a dervish to have every single box unpacked and all contents placed in their appropriate location in one day. Bet on it. 

 

 When I finished law school, I discovered the most awesome technique for packing your entire house and moving: Get your older brother to do it. (Thanks again Tumble). When I offered my paltry help to put the boxes in the moving truck we rented, he only advised me to stand back as he packed that vehicle with all the precision of a engineer. MIT would be proud.

However, my brother was not always present to assist. If he was, I could have avoided  a debacle. Many years ago, moving from one apartment to another in the same building, some friends offered to help because it was so close. So I packed up my kitchen. But because social obligations were more appealing than packing, and because my new apartment was a mere 100 yards away, I thought we could just carry things over. And by we, I mean me and these five male friends who willingly offered to ruin their morning doing manual labor ( bribes of food and alcohol notwithstanding.) Sounds like a nice suggestion until you are actually doing it.  

When my friends arrived, they seem puzzled by the limited number of packed boxes until I explained my plan. Five incredulous looks welcomed me to a deep dark day of moving. I quickly offered and guaranteed monetary reward for this endeavor. It took us hours just to get the living room moved. Primarily due to my hundreds of books. And gobs of furniture. Oh. It. SUCKED.    

We started in the early am and by late afternoon, we had hours to go. At least we had music. Isn't moving more fun with Sir Mix-a-lot?  Slightly. Finally, several of us decided to take a pause. One friend, Dr. J, came in the new place, saw us, and asked what we were doing. As we were laughing over some anecdote, I said we were taking a break. To which Dr. J responded. "THERE ARE NO BREAKS ON MOVING DAY! GET THE ______ UP!" Scared straight into obedience, I was most surprised because at no time prior (nor since) have I ever heard Dr. J use the F word.  Moving, it brings out the best in everyone.  

We finally finished around midnight marking the moment I would never again exploit friends for this hideous task. Cold cash much more effective than pizza and six packs of Sam Adams. Professionals much more effective than your friends who will hate you if you ask them to help you move again.

And a few months ago, JohnnyMac was out with some of his pals. One friend, moving from the suburbs to the city, solicited their help in his chore.  Several unwilling friends offered up the bad back or bad knee syndrome.  JohnnyMac who quite possibly dislikes the task of moving more than me, looked at him and said, "No bad back excuse needed. NO. And aren't you 40? In a non-emergency situation? Hire movers. " 

Amen to that.

73 comments:

sheila said...

Yeah, we learned years ago that 'just ask if you need help moving'...is not an actual invitation for them to HELP. lol. Movers are def the way to go. Plus, if something breaks, you're covered. :) Happy Move!

Rowe said...

Okay, well, is this the right place where I am at now? I discovered removalists years ago.

Jenn@ You know... that blog? said...

Congrats on taking the plunge! I guarantee you'll never regret it. I love having my own domain and the freedom that goes along with it.

Have a super day :D

Lee said...

Johnny Mac is right..but he forgot to mention to hire packers as well!

Liz Mays said...

I didn't even have to update my feed. The move was a success!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

The move happened like magic....

I hope your new digs are everything you hoped and dreamed they be and more.

BTW, thank you for sending us all the lovely holiday e-greeting! It was my first from Bloglandia.

- said...

i almost must not rest until every last item has been placed lovingly in its new home. so when i moved into this current apartment, and i didn't have the proper shelving units, and i had boxes sitting for SEVERAL DAYS, i almost lost it.

Mandy said...

As a person who has just gone through a move less than three months ago, I'll give a TRIPLE AMEN to that. This was by far our easiest move since we had packers, movers and a per diem for each day that we were living in a non-home. It's the only way to go!

mo.stoneskin said...

So your admitting (in a round-about) way) to get your brother to help switch your domain?

Slamdunk said...

I can relate to the dread of moving boxes. As newlyweds, my wife had just finished her PhD and we were moving several states away. I have never lifted so many thick boxes of books in my life.

I am with your hubby--hire movers by that age.

mammydiaries said...

Ha Ha! Very timely post indeed :) Trying to pack to go on holidays and the two smallies ae not the greatest helpers I could have enlisted :)

Joshua said...

When we moved from Texas, I hired two college students to help move the couch and boxes. Of course, we had everything packed already, so it only took three hours. The wife wouldn't let me contribute to the delinquency of minors by buying them beer, so it was pizza, soda, and ice cream. Plus a 24-pack of Budweiser "left" in the back stairwell of the apartment building. I distracted the missus so they could make off with the real prize.

If I'd been asked how they came into its possession, "Sir, we're moving. I left a box of food sitting by an open college campus doorway. That was my mistake because when I went to retrieve the box, the food was there, but the beer was gone. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that important to me, so I did not feel the need to report it since nothing else was taken."

-Joshua

f8hasit said...

Moving. Is really MOVE which of course is a four letter word. Right up there with teh F, S and C four letter words. At least in my book.

Obviously my last one was not pleasant. I had the movers from Hell. You know, the ones that you find snooping in your underwear drawers? Yea.

Glad to hear that your blog move wasn't of that nature! Unless you like that sort of thing...
;-)

Unknown said...

The books are a problem here as well. I have soooo many. Only not nearly as many as I did right after our last move.

When we moved into our last house, hubby put a shit ton of my books in boxes in the unfinished part of our basement. They stayed there for a while and I was busy unpacking other things. But then the rain came. ANd alas, we had no sump pump. We figured out quickly that we needed to put one in---but not before hundreds of my books were ruined by the water.

I was pissed. I still can't think about it too much.

Congrats on the debacle-free move!

Sherri said...

Yea for a successful move! I found you just perfectly still in my reader:)

Anonymous said...

I always hire movers now that I'm in my late 30s. When I was younger, it was all well and good to call friends over and watch them flake one by one but I just don't have the patience for that crap anymore, nuh uh.

I also hate disorganization and am the type of person to stay up until all hours of the night unpacking my house.

Intense Guy said...

Congrats on the new digs! Seems like the move went seamlessly.

I find moving to be the best excuse to leave a lot of stuff at the curb (goodwill, yard sales, and the dust bin).

Everyone should move once a decade - it would help the economy and trim lots of stuff out of self-storage units.. :)

Anonymous said...

Moving is usually emotional and physical punishment.

Andi said...

For a period of about 14 years I had 12 different addresses, I quickly burned out friends and family so I ended up doing a lot of my moves myself or with a mover, they aren't as expensive as you'd think, that is a big lesson I learned! Save your relationships and hire a mover.

Menopausal New Mom said...

That would have been such a tedious move, piece by piece even if just down the hall. I hate moving, I mean I like it once I'm there and everything is unpacked but count me out, I'm only up to this task about once every 10 years!

ellen abbott said...

I have the perfect way to move. Spread it out over a year. A piece of furniture now and then, a few boxes. Really, it's painless. I walked into the city house about a month ago, looked around and exclaimed...damn, we've moved. the only stuff still there is the stuff we are leaving there.

MommaKiss said...

I moved almost ever year from the ages of 7 to 16. It sucked! That said, even though my "responsibility" was only my bedroom, I was a professional packer and unpacker. And I'd stay up all night long to unpack and get everything just right.

Love the new digs, even tho they're remarkably familiar :)

Busy Bee Suz said...

This is funny Jenny. I have only had 'big' moves and I never had to ask any friends, but if it comes up in the future, I will heed your advice!!!!

Anonymous said...

I just moved in May. It is never fun. No matter how organized you are! Moving books is not fun! And I have a lot too. I plan to stay where I am for a long time.

Raoulysgirl said...

Congratulations on a stress-free (?) move!!! The digs are awesome!!!

Unknown said...

Glad your move (this one) went better than the one by one bit of your past. I didn't have to much trouble with it when I moved mine to a dot com either, but tweaking it just right is where I still struggle.
Cheers,
C

JenJen said...

Asking if you "need a hand" and to "just call me!" is crap.
Lies lies lies.

I heart JohnnyMac.

Oh
I bought www.jensvoices.com because you told me to.

Jennymac gives great instructions!

Unknown said...

We've been professionally moved three times now. After 5 times doing it ourselves.

Dear GOD don't ever make me do it myself again!!!

Herding Cats said...

I've moved twice this year (long story) and my parents have moved twice this year (another long story). Packing and unpacking for 4 different moves has almost been the death of me. I will always remember 2009 for this reason (sadly).

Little Ms Blogger said...

I moved 9 times in 8 years and the last time I hired movers.

Thank God for movers....

Kristina P. said...

We hired movers when we moved into our condo. It was the best $200 we ever spent. And congrats on the move!

Jules AF said...

My brother's foster children helped when I moved in July. It made me feel like I was using child labor.

Unknown said...

What is the advantage of having your own domain, and is it costly?

Christine Macdonald said...

Congratulations on the move and thanks for the great read to start Monday. Now you get to unpack and decorate. Good times!

Yankee Girl said...

I hate moving, but I like the process of going through everything and throwing things away. I am not an organized person by any means, and moving is the one thing that will make me get things together.

Elyse said...

So how did you do the blogger move?? I have been thinking of doing it myself.

i always hire movers! I love it.

mandatorybloghere said...

I have lived in the same crappy house for 20 years because that is how much I hate moving LOL well done

Jen said...

If we ever move again, it will be too soon and we will totally hire movers!

Unknown said...

Hire movers? Absolutely? Hire PACKERS? Absolutely not. Doing so is how we managed to leave our power washer in Seattle but keep the snow scraper. Which would have been fine, except for the fact that we were moving to the Caribbean, where it almost never, ever snows, but where the black mold will cover every square inch of your house within 48 hours of your having power-washed it off.

Oh, and they kindly packed all of my shoes except for the ones on my feet. Packed them into boxes for three months' of storage!!

I sobbed into my snow scraper for weeks.

Winchester Manor said...

Congrats on your new blog home!

I'd rather gnaw off my left foot with my own teeth than move...I despise it! I've hired movers once to pack and move my things across the country. When I was unpacking, I found the contents of my panty drawer mixed in with my silverware!

My next move will be a hole in the ground!!

MommyLisa said...

I told the hubs that unless we win the Lottery - I am never moving again.

Meg said...

oh moving day... i've moved three times in the past year, and have at least one more move to look forward to in the next year. moving SUCKS. but when you're in your new place and you've unpacked all your stuff and organized it exactly the way you want it (i also have to do this in one day) then it's exhilarating. and that, i love.

Pretty Zesty said...

one of these days I get the domain. I'm going back to school to learn web design so I'll wait until I have all of my eggs in one basket!

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Glad your move went so well. I hate moving and helping someone else move even more.

Emily said...

When we moved (for convenience) a few years ago my (el cheapo) husband said to me, "I'm just going to ask the guys to help out."
Um, yeah, that's how I want to move with a 3 year old and 6 month old in tow. Obviously, I just called the movers myself!

shortmama said...

My hubs and I moved to our house by ourselves...while planning our wedding...that was loads of fun!

Deanne said...

After 3 years in our current residence, I just ordered checks with our "new" address. Yes, I have been using checks with the old address from another state for the past 3+ years. As my husband pointed out, ordering checks is a foreshadowing of one event for us - we will most likely be moving before I get through the first 25 checks!

jules said...

I despise moving myself and have feelings of hatred towards friends who request my help in moving them. Saving for professional movers should be factored into saving for moves.

Hope you enjoy your new home!

Pandorah's Box said...

*shudder* moving. blech.

That's all I have to say. Congrats on the move to your own space though! :)

Mom in High Heels said...

Congrats on your super easy "move." IRL, I have moved about a gajillion times. My dad was in the Navy while I was growing up, so we moved all the time. I went to college and after Mr. HH and I were married, HE joined the Army. Fortunately, they hire movers to pack and unpack (yay!), but they DON'T have people to paint walls, hang pictures, arrange furniture and put crap away. Oh, how that sucks. To date, Mr. HH and I have moved 12 times (including 4 cross town moves) in the almost 15 years we've been married. Oh, and 5 of those moves have been trans-Atlantic. Ugh!

debra@dustjacket said...

Oh go Mr Mac, that's telling him. Yes I can say I have moved a few times and it's appalling at best!

So pleased you could quietly move this time - cyber is so much easier.
xxx

Unknown said...

Congrats on the new domain and move! I've decided I'm never moving again. Not ever. Especially after Husby looked at me day two into our move and said, maybe in two years we'll move to...

Debbie said...

I moved my site a few months ago. The only thing I didn't realize was that I would start at zero on all of my rankings, etc. Not a huge deal but it was still a nuisance.

Urban Earthworm said...

Oh my gosh, just to word move makes me want to hyperventilate now. I am a TERRIBLE mover. Esp with MacGyver in the picture because I am like you with unpacking, but he is NOT. Once the boxes are in the house, he's done. Ugh. Nervous breakdown.

Congrats on the new domain! Awesome!

Anonymous said...

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are REALLY super famous now!

AiringMyLaundry said...

Moving is not much. We'll be doing that soon.

Maybe if I didn't have so much stuff it would be easier...

HalfAsstic.com said...

And how wonderful that Johnny Mac had the backbone and fortitude to stand there and tell his friend the way it is. No excuses needed.
Good for him.
We recently sold our beloved old pickup. The ONLY reason I was glad to see her go was the fact that now, we won't be so readily involved in everyone's moving plans. Or at least not instantly thought of. ;-)

Iva Messy said...

Congratulations on the move!! hi-5!! ;)

HeartsMakeFamilies said...

Congratulations on the move.. Ok where did you move too? Are you still doing all your post through blogger? I'm thinking about moving to Wordpress right now. I just found out that Blogger could just delete your blog if it is on their platform.

Amanda said...

oh my word. I moved in August and had law school friends help me and it was a disaster. Because any type of moving is horrible and because, let's face it, law-types aren't really much for spatial reasoning...if we were, we'd be engineers. I vowed that I wasn't going to move for at least 2 years (it'll take me that long to forget how much I hate it) and that when I do? Professional movers are a must. A MUST.

mCat said...

Which is why I will die in his house. I am afraid of the very thought of packing and moving. More afraid of findin all the crap that I undoubtedly will in every nook and cranny.

Conquer The Monkey said...

Rock on sister, congrats on the successful move, it all looks fabbbulous!

I linked to your charity list blog in my post today FYI!!!!
Cameron

Lemonade Makin' Mama said...

I've been considering doing this myself... (move to my own domain) I hope I can muster up the bravery to just do it!

You always make me laugh.

Holly said...

Oh man, it's crazy that you should bring up how much moving sucks. My fiance and I are going out of town to get married on the 28th of this month and then moving into our first house immediately upon our arrival back home. The excitement of becoming his wife and buying our first home together is overcoming the dread of moving right now, but I also haven't started packing yet...

Jen said...

Oh, but I just don't trust professional movers! I have a friend who works for a moving company and another who works for a company for the moving company to fix all the furniture they damage in the move. Their horror stories are enough to make me suck it up and move myself.

AnnQ said...

Amen to Movers!

Alexis AKA MOM said...

Oh how I hate moving it's like changing jobs not a task I like to do at all!

Good for him ... LOL Movers!

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Seriously. Next move, movers will be on my speed dial!

Amanda (Small Acorns) said...

The easiest move I've ever not helped with! As long as I can still find you I'm happy wherever you are!

Stephanie said...

Congrats on the new move!!

Unknown said...

Amen! I pray I never have to pack boxes and move again.... : ) I am glad your move went well!

Corrie Howe said...

I've been lucky that my company moved me twice and then my fiance's friends. Very simple.

Pop and Ice said...

After our second move, using friends, my hubby said he'd never move again without hiring movers because of all the damn books!

Yeah, professional moving is the way to go and obviously your blog move was successful as well!