The Morning After

Friday – Sacramento

The movers came and loaded all of my possessions on Thursday, a day later than originally scheduled. I chose a move-in day in one week from now, on a Thursday. That begins my 2-week window. The movers could deliver my goods anywhere between 1 and 3 weeks from now.

I am committed. If the movers arrive at my apartment in Knoxville ready to unload my possessions on Thursday, and I am not there to meet them, the penalty is $200/hour for every hour late.

10 hours late = $2,000 penalty. Time is money.

Of course, if they arrive 3 weeks from now, it is my risk and “sorry Charlie”. It is a one-way street. Heads, they win. Tails, they don’t lose.

I understand. It would be a nightmare scheduling a succession of intra-national moves with customers showing up late all the time. I get it. It just feels like we are taking it on the chin.

The hellish move has drained me, along with pulling 4 all-nighters in the previous 10 days. Today, I am supposed to be in the car driving to a hotel in Battle Mountain Nevada, ETA 5 pm. Instead, I am recuperating and re-orgainizing all of my gear at my Mother’s house in Sacramento, where I will crash tonight. My last night in California.

Thank you, dear old Mom. Mothers are. Always.

Maybe I was too aggressive shooting for the movers to be at my Knoxville place on Thursday and should have given myself a little more cushion against unforeseen problems, especially as I have already lost a full driving day today. I am 63 years old and I don’t have the stamina, reactions, eyesight, or alertness to pull off multiple 10-hour driving days anymore. I wouldn’t even think of attempting one of those surreal all-night cannonballs, with the windows down and the music blaring from the stereo, quaffing flagons of coffee at every truck stop along the way to keep from nodding off.

My destination, Knoxville Tennessee, lies 2,400 miles to the east.

I had planned on 6-easy driving days of around 400 miles each. Well, that plan is now shot to hell. I am now looking at minimum 500-mile days to get to Knoxville by Wednesday. I have to be there by Thursday or face the prospect of a $200/hour tardiness charge. But I have my own reasons why I have to be at the apartment by Wednesday.

I have with me in the car, full size paper cut-out templates of every piece of furniture I own. i.e. – bed, dresser, chest, display case, office desk, computer desk, dining table and chairs, EZ chairs, & etc. With full size paper cutouts, I can lay out the furniture for my entire apartment in advance. When the movers arrive, all I have to do is direct e them to place each piece of furniture to the corresponding paper place-holder. You can’t get more efficient than this.

If I don’t get to my apartment before the movers, it is going to be a mess figuring out what goes where in each room. I really need to be at my new Knoxville apartment early Wednesday, so I can carefully layout out all the furniture in every room, trying different configurations and picking the best.

Numb with exhaustion, I hit the sack without a badly needed rejuvenating shower.

And so begins the tossing and turning and insomnia that always happens the night before a big event. Why is that? Why can’t I just turn off my brain and go to sleep? Uggg!