Shipping Up to Tillamook

Hello from Tillamook, Oregon, everyone!  I’ve finally finished up my move to where pastures are green, cheese is plentiful, and the air has a…peculiar smell (here’s a hint: when you have a lot of cows about, milk isn’t the only think they regularly produce).  Packing and moving has been a whirlwind experience, and I’m glad to finally have a moment to catch my breath and reflect.

My moving gauntlet began last week, when I began slowly transporting a good deal of my possessions to the house of my longtime romantic partner, Cthulhu (not their real name, they wished to have their name protected when mentioned in this blog).  The room that I’m renting has limited space, so there was a lot I couldn’t take with me.  Fortunately, Cthulhu was kind enough for me to leave many things in their custody.  Because this involved a lot of shuttling items between houses, this gave me plenty of opportunities to test out my new set of wheels, a used 2015 Nissan Versa that I have lovingly dubbed “the Benmobile.”

The Benmobile: she may not look special, but she's reliable and efficient (much like her owner, seen here gesturing proudly).

On Sunday, it was time for the big move.  Cthulhu and I loaded up what I was taking into our respective cars and road—er, rode—up to Tillamook, convoy style (cue the song “Convoy,” by C. W. McCall).  The ride is officially about an hour and a half, but with traffic being what it is and constant roadwork, it’s more like a 2–3 hour drive.  Such a trip is daunting to many, but thanks to modern GPS smartphone technology, even a goof like me can pull it off.   So, 2–3 hours later, we arrived at my new pad, unloaded everything, got some sushi for dinner (Tillamook County is on the Oregon coastline, so there’s some excellent fresh fish in the area), and did some grocery shopping.  After Cthulhu left, I embarked on the last step of any move—unpacking everything into my new home.

However, I wasn’t done yet.  I had several pieces of furniture at my Salem apartment that I couldn’t take with me, but that Cthulhu was interested in taking off my hands (including my queen-sized bed with built in drawers).  As such, I drove down to Salem on Monday morning to tie up loose ends.  After transferring a few other items we missed last week, I worked with some professional movers to get the furniture moved over.  My apartment all but empty, I then proceeded to defrost the fridge, clean the bathroom, vacuum the floors, and conduct the other mundane tasks that one must complete when ending a tenancy with a rental agreement.  The tasks took much longer than anticipated, but they did get done.  Because it was twilight by the time the apartment was empty and locked, I decided to stay the night in Salem than drive for 2–3 hours in the dark.  Fortunately, despite their estate now being very crowded with my things, Cthulhu was willing to let me sleep over.

As luck would have it, Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of my relationship with Cthulhu!  As such, after dropping off my old apartment keys, I got to spend a romantic brunch looking into Cthulhu’s eyes at one of our favorite dining spots.  My business in Salem completed, I bid Cthulhu a warm goodbye and started the drive back up to Salem.  After 2–3 hours, I arrived back at my new place and unpacked what little I had brought with me.  Despite having run around like a madman for the past few days, I had one final big thing to do: meeting my fellow Tillamook lawyers at an informal bar association meeting.  The meeting was at a seafood restaurant by the coast, which had lovely views and delicious food (as previously mentioned, being on the coastline gives Tillamook County excellent fish options).  I got to introduce myself to the tiny legal community of this rural county, and I hit it off pretty well with them.  I even got to tell my life story to the CEO of the Oregon State Bar, who was impressed with my current ambitions.  When the dining and socializing was done, I drove on home.

And so, I’m curled up in the comfy chair in my new room, jotting down my recollections.  Already, I’ve gotten used to the new place, accustomed to grocery shopping in town, and excited about new potential restaurants and cafés to sample.  It’s only a matter of time before I head down to my new office to get things ready, so it’s nice to be able to take a breather.  Seeing how I’ve been able to do a tremendous amount in the last few weeks (buying a car, packing everything up, organizing a multi-step move, driving cross-county repeatedly, breaking ice, and completely unpacking and furnishing my new room), I feel a little more reassured about the challenges to come.

Here’s hoping things continue to go smoothly!

The view from the Oregon coast.