Lists are Good, Moving is Not

I normally keep a list of all that I need to do in my head as I'm going throughout my day, but you can tell when things are going crazy for me because I'll start writing the random lists down. I do this a lot at work, where there are tiny scraps of paper perfectly sized for me to write down the call number of a book for a patron, or when I'm not busy, for me to write out my thoughts, put the paper in my bag, and promptly lose it. When I'm really desperate, I'll take out my planner and write out the list of all I need to do minute-by-minute. I rarely get to that point. And I should probably be more organized about these things.

Because of this habit, it was only a matter of time before I started using my blog for the same end goal. Here's what I have to do in the next two and a half weeks before I move. And yes, parts of this list were compiled as I dug other lists I've made out of my bag.

• Talk to my dad, who is very graciously flying out from Utah to help me move, and figure out the exact route of our trip back home. Book hotels.


• Finish getting my car checked out for the trip.
  
  • Take the car to a garage for a checkup.
  • Replace the serpentine belt and get the wheel alignment adjusted.
  • Buy four new tires.


• Reserve a U-Haul trailer to tow all of my stuff to Utah.
  
  • Also get a hitch installed so I can pull said trailer.


• Figure out August rent (paid!), see if I have the guts to ask for a deduction in July's rent since the construction work has been such a pain. (I asked, they said they'd waive the carpet cleaning fee when we move. And that they'd deduct money from the September rent. You're welcome, future residents of D'CALC.)


• Sort through my stuff and figure out what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of.
  • Before throwing things away, find out if anyone wants/needs the things I'm getting rid of.
  • Sell the furniture I've decided not to take back with me.
  • Make a Goodwill run.
  • Figure out what to do with the items I own that even Goodwill wouldn't want. My very lumpy mattress comes to mind. And my computer.


• Remove my name from any bills associated with apartment costs. (Apparently I'm not supposed to do this. The future tenants are.)


• Call a few places to change my address, get my mail forwarded to my new (old) address.


• Show great restraint when buying groceries—I need to eat what I have so I'm not carting a bunch of food back to Utah, or leaving it for my roommates to deal with.
  


• Try to do some of the fun things I can only do in Bloomington before I leave.
  • Go canoeing on Griffy Lake. (Done twice)
  • Eat at one of Bloomington's exotic restaurants.
  • Make a final shopping trip up to Indianapolis. (and end up eating at another exotic restaurant)
  • Make a recipe I've never tried for a last dinner with a few friends. See the results here.
  • Attend a concert or two. (This wasn't the kind of concert I had in mind, but it was fun to go see an indie group—Los Campesinos—with Ferskner and Scholarastastic.)
  • Go to the Monroe County Fair.
  • Hope that a canoeing camping trip some friends are planning happens before I leave. (Due to several factors, this is changed to a hiking trip with no camping involved.) Beautiful! If you've never been to Leonard Springs Nature Park, you should go. Now.
  • Take multiple walks to see the fireflies.
  • Finally watch Breaking Away. I recommend it over Hoosiers, but Hoosiers is fun too.


• Finish all of the books and movies I've checked out at the library. Repeat.


• Watch the Finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Multiple times. (Twice in a row counts, right?)


• Enjoy the final days of British Sunday. Miss Marple: Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, Persuasion, and a possible Middlemarch marathon.


• Finish a few blog posts I've planned on writing about life in Bloomington.


• Go to work.


• Through it all, keep applying for jobs. I don't want to rely on my parents' charity for too long.


• Turn in various keys I've inherited from various jobs/apartments, etc.
(Three down, one to go)

• Pack all of my stuff


• Pick up my dad from the airport.


• Drive off into the sunset.