On Why I Hate Moving But Love My Friends

In which a thing that is normally terrible becomes much less so.

Moving blows.

Once everything is in the new place and it is all set up it's pretty sweet.  But I hate, hate moving.  Boxing up all the nonsense that I have accumlated and tell myself not to get rid of for one reason or another¹.  Carrying said boxes in 95 degree heat.  Trying not to damage, ding or destroy my furniture, or the walls, as I move my furniture out of or into a house.  However, the worst part is cleaning the house after you get everything out.  Mopping floors, scrubbing counters, washing behind the toilet, avoiding electric shock while cleaning a refridgerator², spackling over nail holes...it's all terrible.  Then, when you finish the insane cleaning marathon the landlord tries, and usually succeeds, at sticking you with a bogus charge.  If I wasn't morally opposed to arson I would just burn the place down and walk away.

This year, however, is a little different.  Back in April Carrie and Tim (the roommates) bought their first house.  It was kind of a hole, well that's not totally accurate, it was a total hole.  But it had potential and it backed up against the Rose's house with whom we are trying to live intentionally.  They took possession at the beginning of July and we went to work fixing it up.  You can read about the process here, here and even here.  Carrie is a terrible individual and hasn't finished writing about the renovation project, so if you are looking for closure look elsewhere.  Namely, the next sentence.

We finished, nearly³, all of the projects and were ready to move in the second week of August, which is good because the next weekend we had to be out of the old place.  A few weeks back our friends Seth, Julie and Mark (who live in Columbus, Ohio) invited come college friends to come visit them.  Carrie, Tim and I politely declined since we would be in the midst of fixing the house and/or moving.  So the three of them suggested, why don't we come to Bloomington and help you move.  Which is exactly what happened.  Seth, Julie, Mark, Nick, Ellie, and Kristen all came into town, stayed for the weekend and helped us move (along with some friends from in town who were just as great).  It was an amazing experience, seeing such a generous outpouring of love blew my mind.  On Saturday I had to work at the farmers market Saturday morning⁴, when I got back the old house was empty and almost entirely cleaned.  When everyone was gone by Sunday afternoon Tim and Carrie and I simply had to do some minor touchup stuff and clean out the basement, it was easy.

If every move went that well and was so surrounded by awesome people I probably wouldn't mind it as much.  But our jerk of a landlord is going to stick us with a bogus charge.  Somethings never change.
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¹ You never know when you may have to urge to bust out Cool Boaders 2.
² This totally happened to me two years ago.
³ A few small projects remain, trim and kitchen cabinets are the big ones.
⁴ I'll be there twice a month if you want to come and say hello, and avoid salmonella in your eggs. Also, I might be at the Broadripple market some weekends, I'll let you know.