The little joys of packing and preparing to move to the other side of the globe

I’ve learned a lot about in the past few weeks. For instance, even if you believe that your apartment has been re-rented. Check, double check, and check again. Otherwise, four days before you leave you could be on the phone with the leasing director screaming and crying that they failed to inform you that the potential sub-leaser you sent them was rejected three weeks earlier, and that subsequently you turned away four other possible leasers.

If you are a disorganized pack rat, packing can be an emotional minefield. You can open a book and see that when your mother was ten, she signed her name in it and that your sister, who died two years ago, did the same thing when she was ten. You might also come across caricatures that were drawn of you and friends six years ago in New York city, one of the friends being the late husband of your best friend. This means that in the middle of packing boxes, tape and stacks of your things, you will break down and cry. Allot time for this.

Also, as a disorganized pack rat, you could open a purse, wallet, or make up bag and find a Ritalin pill that, by your estimation would have to be four years old. You, of course, will take the pill. And you will get much done that day. However, when you lie in bed that night and your heart is pounding, you will remember, half doses. You used to take half doses.

If you live in a third floor walkup in the back corner of a courtyard building, with the trash room at the front of the building, every time you throw something out it will involve three flights down and about 250 yards to walk there, then back and up the three flights. Even as a disorganized pack rat you will find yourself opting to throw away rather than pay to store or ship most of the crap that you should have tossed years ago. This means blisters on your feet, sore muscles, angry shoulders and a crick in your neck from the approximately 40 bags of trash you carried down those three flights and through the courtyard to the trash room.

If you decide to sell your furniture on Craigslist, don’t carry all the cash in your wallet when you go to TJ Maxx to treat yourself with a new summer top. When you are in the dressing room, if you have more than the 8 items limit to try on, bring your purse with you while doing the hangar exchange. Otherwise some jackass of a bitch will go into your dressing room stall and rob you of the cash you just got for selling your sofa. This does not make you happy. However, it does make leaving Chicago a bit easier, if for only a few minutes.

Check and double check the baggage limits for all flights. Especially if you are flying to Washington DC and then San Jose California before leaving for Singapore. Miscalculating the weight requirements could cost you over 300 dollars each leg of your trip. The realization of this might cause a brief moment of hysteria. Then you discover UPS Ground. If you pack at least 5 days early, you can ship your two 60 lbs packed suitcases to your Mom’s in California.

Don’t pack all your winter clothes right away, especially if it’s March in Chicago. One day it will be in the 60’s, the next it will snow. This means you will be head first into a wardrobe box trying to find your boots and a sweater. Also, once you pack up everything, and keep a warm jacket, not a cool spring one, one a winter jacket, the weather will reach 70 degrees. You will wish you had packed that jacket for storage.

You need to make sure you get enough sleep, that you don’t forget to eat, and that you don’t over caffeinate. This combo could make you a bit insane. Especially a few days in row.

Salvation Army will stand you up for picking up your donation. If you haven’t eaten, you are overtired and over caffeinated, this will make you hysterical.

When your apartment is empty, you have all your windows open, it’s a 70 plus light breeze day and you are sitting on the back deck, you will be overcome with nostalgia and sadness about saying goodbye to what was your favorite apartment to date. And you’ll feel a little bit panicked and nervous about the property-less wandering life for which you are about to embark.

Singapore, Here I come

I’ve tweeted, buzzed and announced it on Facebook. But I haven’t blogged about it. I am moving to Singapore. For one year. I’ll be going back to the Greatest Company Ever. Working out of their office in Singapore.

I wasn’t necessarily looking to move to Asia. I was actually networking for jobs on the East Coast. With my job situation not panning out, and missing my family too much, I was contemplating a move back East. I wasn’t expecting to move so far East.

But, the opportunity presented itself to work with (actually for) one of my dearest friends, for The Greatest Company Ever, to experience living in Asia, and to get a substantial raise that will help me knock out my debt. I couldn’t turn it down.

Now I’m planning my USA GoodBye tour, trying to rent out my apartment, secure my cat in a new home, sell my furniture, put whatever I don’t sell in storage, say goodbye to everyone I need to say goodbye to. Oh yeah, and, I’m going to start working for the Greatest Company ever, here in Chicago at first. So, I’ll be working while attempting all of this.

My challenges?

My mother lives in The Bay Area.

My father lives in the DC Area.

Two coasts.

Two parents.

Lots of frustrations.

I am determined to spend Easter in DC. I love Easter at my Dad and StepMom’s. My little brother and his girlfriend are coming down from NYC for the weekend. My older brother and his fiancé will be in town. And my StepMom FINALLY got reservations at Volt (restaurant of Brian Voltaggio, from Top Chef, and the husband of an old co-worker and dear friend from my NYC days, who, come to think of it, I haven’t seen since their wedding day).

So, I have a mother on the West Coast, Family on the East Coast. And Easter in the middle.

As of now, my USA GoodBye tour involves a drive from Chicago to DC (to deliver my cat to my brother’s) then a flight back to Chicago, and, possibly, a flight from Chicago to San Jose to see my mom, then a flight probably from San Jose to DC for Easter, than a flight (or probably more than one flight) from DC to Singapore.

Goodbye to Good Time Charlie

Good Time Charlie

I first started working when I was ten (yes ten) babysitting. I believe that's illegal today. Then I worked at the snack food stand at the little league field. That was the summers I was 14 and 15. When I was 16, I started working in the local Public Library. And when I was 17, GapKids at the mall.

But, my first office job was the summer between 11th and 12th grade. I interned for Congressman Charlie Wilson. That summer I did not get paid. I interned another summer while I was in college, and I did get paid. I believe for the princely sum of $1200/month. Which, to a nineteen year old in the early nineties, was living large.

Charlie Wilson was all the outrageous things said about him, and none of them. He had a crass sense of humor, and notorious love of beautiful women, a party hard lifestyle. He was also a shrewd politician. He was a public servant first, a politician second.

Yes, much of his staff in the Rayburn House Office Building was made up of young, beautiful woman. But, unlike how they were portrayed in the movie, it wasn't about cleavage and a party at the playboy mansion type atmosphere. Everyone on his staff was ridiculously intelligent and hard working. I was impressed and intimated by them as young adult.

Wilson was a large personality. He had a voice that deep and booming. He stood 6 foot four with a toupe that was usually just a bit crooked. There was a letter taped up in the office from a constituent saying that while she liked his politics, when she saw him on CSPAN, she was embarrassed by the tilt of his toupee.

I hadn't seen Wilson in about twenty years when I heard about his death. But was sad to hear of his passing. I posted his obit on facebook and twitter and late Friday night an old high school friend asked if I would be interested in writing a haiku about Wilson for her column on Huffington Post. With my sleep deprived mind, I threw something together quick, emailing it to her saying, well, I hate it (like I do all my writing) and understand if you don't use it. But alas, she did. And I was the featured writing, which, was a shock to me.

So... Check out Susanna Speirer's column.

Goodbye to the Aughts

Before Christmas I started to draft a decade retrospective blog entry. A listing of the things I said goodbye to in the last decade. Things like an answering machine, a landline, DC, New York, and people lost. I had envisioned it being part nostalgic, part sentimental, part, sad, part funny.



But seriously, just the number of funerals that I went to in the past decade, was depressing. (btw, that number is 7). I just couldn't lighten it up enough.

Rather than a quippy retrospective, this is what I have:

In sum, the past decade, I switched careers, moved to NYC, entered my thirties, switched careers again, moved to Chicago, did some traveling (Spain, Morocco, Italy, London, Dublin), had some boyfriends, made some friends, lost some people, had some stories published, grew to appreciate my family (and the few really amazing friends that I have known for decades) and their love.

It is time to say GoodBye to this decade.

I'm ready for the tweens.

update: I forgot to add, started a blog.

Goodbye to a legend...

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.
- Kurt Vonnegut

November 11 1922 - April 11 2007