The to-do list: four weeks left
Thu 02 September 2010
A friend asked what my to-do list looks like right now. Here's what I'm doing at T-minus-four-weeks.
Pack up.
Thanks to my excellent landlords, I'm coming back here when I return. They will rent the place out fully furnished, if possible, while I'm gone. I'm packing up everything that isn't furniture.
Now that we've rounded the corner of September, I can box up most of my things. I flip between thinking I don't have so much stuff and that I have far too much. For the sake of my sanity, I need to pack. The stack of boxes and bare bookshelves are visible progress.
The box obstacle course is a steady, benign irritant. In four weeks I'll be completely out of my element. The mess is building up my tolerance for disruption.
Clear out.
After settling in here I identified a new batch of candidates. The big items were taken last week, and smaller ones this week. Some were giveaway candidates when I moved, but I wasn't ready to let go of them. Others are perfectly nice things that aren't worth packing, schlepping, and unpacking in a year. The biggest telltale is that they're exactly where I dropped them when I moved in.
Several things are being loaned long-term . A friend is looking for a tv, and considering buying a Roku. Quelle coincidence! I have just such a thing! Another friend will test drive the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker. Certain books would help friends with their projects, and they've been mailed. I prefer my stuff gets used, so it's a win-win situation.
Use up.
See friends and family.
My family threw me a lovely Thanksgiving-Christmas-Birthday party. Turkey, mashed potatoes, pie, the works. I'll be homesick during the holidays, and it'll help to think back on ThanksMasDay.
Make some decisions.
Unregistering the car: good idea or big hassle? I'm again indebted to the generosity of family and friends: I had three offers for parking spaces. I'd be fine with the car being driven, but needed to look at it more carefully.
I talked with my insurance agent. It costs $1000/year in insurance and taxes. Suddenly the decision becomes easy: the car will take a sabbatical year too. The insurance agent will even take care of plate return, so no standing in line at the registry.
( I checked the expiration dates for my license and registration a month ago. Massachusetts has stopped sending notifications, and I could imagine the hassle of trying to renew from abroad.)