Convoy

Dear readers, it’s finally happened: I’ve moved to Salem, Oregon!  Technically, the main move took place on July 29, but it’s taken a while for me to catch my breath.  There’s still a lot of things to do, but the biggest steps have been taken.

I knew that it was going to be an ordeal to finish moving up to Salem, so I took a few precautions.  I reached out, pulled some strings, and got some friends to help me out.  Namely, Cthulhu (my perennial partner) and Carson (whom eagle-eyed readers might remember from last year’s Rose City Comic Con) agreed to make some time on July 29 so that they could volunteer their vehicles.  As such, I had the month of July to get everything prepared.  This meant moving everything.  Ev.  Er.  Ee.  Thing.  Clearing out my office was plenty difficult (especially with my computer and printer), but this was going to a massive undertaking.  Fortunately, I had some cardboard boxes and a whole lot of time (my office has stopped taking new cases, and my court hearings are far and few between).  July therefore became a month of travel for me: about 2 or 3 times a week, I transported a full carload of things to my new Salem house.  Clothes, cooking implements, electronics—everything got transported, piece by piece.  All the while, I had a clear goal I was working toward: getting everything I needed moved contained enough that it could fit in 3 cars.

Finally, the big day arrived.  I had one last court appearance the morning of July 29, and then it was moving time.  Cthulhu and Carson brought their cars to my Tillamook residence, we loaded everything up, we had a nice sushi lunch, and then we set out in a nice little convoy.  True to my wishes, I had just enough things to fit in our cars.  Closing the book on 6 years of cheese-filled, dung-scented residence, I finally left Tillamook.

 

The evening of July 29 and the following days were less intense but still very busy.  Unpacking everything is quite the enlightening chore (you never realize how much toothpaste, deodorant, salt, and tea you have until you have to pack, unpack, and store them all), and it’s one I’m still trying to finish.  My clothes are all put away, and I generally have a sense of where everything is going to fit.  I’ve started cooking at my new residence, and I’m figuring out how to plan and schedule day-to-day life.  Most importantly, I got myself a bed and bedside table to make sure I really feel at home.  When I fell asleep in that new bed after assembling it and waiting for the mattress to finish expanding, I woke up feeling like a full Salemander.

I may still be settling in and restructuring my business, but I’ve gone through the biggest change in years.  I’ve officially changed cities (see the updated subtitle of this blog), and there’s a lot that comes with that.  Be it personal or business-related, I expect that the rest of this year will be seeing more transitions, more ventures, and a whole lot of frustrations.  Thankfully, at least the big move is complete!