Apr. 15th, 2007
Friend Help Friends Move...
Apr. 15th, 2007 12:26 pm...and Real Friends help friends move bodies.
I am so sore. But also feeling a warm sense of accomplishment.
As predicted in this post, I got about four hours of sleep. I was a little hung over Saturday morning, but a big glass of water, some aspirin and a multi-vitamin cleared that up in about five minutes.
I drove up to Didsbury and was only a few minutes late from the scheduled 9am start time. I had nothing to worry about - I was one of the first people there. We socialized for about an hour as people arrived, then we started loading up the truck (and some cars).
Short version - it took us two trips and we finished moving stuff sometime around 6pm. with a one hour break for pizza. So we basically all put in an eight hour day of solid physical work, split up by some half-hour drives.
I've helped a lot of people move. This was one of the longer efforts, but also one of the better ones. I think the difference between a frustrating, joyless move and a good move like this lies in two places: The people doing the pre-move packing and the people doing the moving. If things are well organized, and the people doing the work are competent and not afraid of physical effort, then things go smoothly. There is lots of camaraderie and nobody feels like they're the only one pulling their weight.
A bad move will just entail crankiness. It's been a long time since I've been part of a bad move. I think they happen less and less as your friends get older. Or at least, most people don't have more then one or two bad moves because they learn their lessons.
After the move, we socialized until around midnight. We has some wicked barbecued steaks. There was liquor if you were drinking (I was not). And somebody actually set up the company room with proper furniture so there was one room were you could comfortably lounge around.
Like I said, it was a good move, because people were using their brains, as well as their brawn.
So I was thinking, if you were to move, what would be a good moving kit. A package of essentials so that you wouldn't have to dig through boxes looking when your at your most unorganized.
I am so sore. But also feeling a warm sense of accomplishment.
As predicted in this post, I got about four hours of sleep. I was a little hung over Saturday morning, but a big glass of water, some aspirin and a multi-vitamin cleared that up in about five minutes.
I drove up to Didsbury and was only a few minutes late from the scheduled 9am start time. I had nothing to worry about - I was one of the first people there. We socialized for about an hour as people arrived, then we started loading up the truck (and some cars).
Short version - it took us two trips and we finished moving stuff sometime around 6pm. with a one hour break for pizza. So we basically all put in an eight hour day of solid physical work, split up by some half-hour drives.
I've helped a lot of people move. This was one of the longer efforts, but also one of the better ones. I think the difference between a frustrating, joyless move and a good move like this lies in two places: The people doing the pre-move packing and the people doing the moving. If things are well organized, and the people doing the work are competent and not afraid of physical effort, then things go smoothly. There is lots of camaraderie and nobody feels like they're the only one pulling their weight.
A bad move will just entail crankiness. It's been a long time since I've been part of a bad move. I think they happen less and less as your friends get older. Or at least, most people don't have more then one or two bad moves because they learn their lessons.
After the move, we socialized until around midnight. We has some wicked barbecued steaks. There was liquor if you were drinking (I was not). And somebody actually set up the company room with proper furniture so there was one room were you could comfortably lounge around.
Like I said, it was a good move, because people were using their brains, as well as their brawn.
So I was thinking, if you were to move, what would be a good moving kit. A package of essentials so that you wouldn't have to dig through boxes looking when your at your most unorganized.
- rope
- hammer
- screwdrivers
- pliers
- fasteners
- packing tape
- toilet paper - at least one roll per bathroom
- hand towels
- bar of soap
- bath towels
- One change of clothes for each person
- disposable dish-wear
- basic cooking implements
Today was spent indulging in some me-time. I had a combination breakfast lunch (around 2 p.m.) at the local Earls with my roommates
kermie_canada and
spookiemonkie2. I bought a few books at Chapters.
I was planning on going to Banff with friends, but everyone bailed. So I went by myself. Left around 4:30 p.m. When I got into Banff I went straight to the hot springs. Now for the unbelievable part: I drove to the hot-springs directly, without taking a single wrong turn. Those who've driven with me to the springs anytime (and I make the trip several times a year) will know that I have never managed to do this correctly. I always second guess myself and take a wrong turn to the Banff Springs Hotel. And because I was alone, no one will ever believe me.
I'd better go the right way next time I'm with people, or I'll never live it down.
I have to say, Banff is a lot easier to take late on a Sunday evening. I got some rock star parking at the hot springs. Their was lots of room against the pool wall and the changing room was damn near deserted.
Later, when I wandered around the town-site, there was hardly any crowds. I walked into Welches Chocolates and was the only person in the store.
I had a nice leisurely supper, then drove back to Calgary, arriving around 10 p.m.
I'm discovering something I like about driving. It takes just enough mental effort to keep my mind occupied, but not so much that it's exhausting. It's a nice way of quieting the constant racing in my head. I'm really starting to like these little half-day excursions. Oh, don't get me wrong, they'd be nicer with a partner, but I'm getting to a point where the lack of a partner is not keeping me from going in the first place.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
I was planning on going to Banff with friends, but everyone bailed. So I went by myself. Left around 4:30 p.m. When I got into Banff I went straight to the hot springs. Now for the unbelievable part: I drove to the hot-springs directly, without taking a single wrong turn. Those who've driven with me to the springs anytime (and I make the trip several times a year) will know that I have never managed to do this correctly. I always second guess myself and take a wrong turn to the Banff Springs Hotel. And because I was alone, no one will ever believe me.
I'd better go the right way next time I'm with people, or I'll never live it down.
I have to say, Banff is a lot easier to take late on a Sunday evening. I got some rock star parking at the hot springs. Their was lots of room against the pool wall and the changing room was damn near deserted.
Later, when I wandered around the town-site, there was hardly any crowds. I walked into Welches Chocolates and was the only person in the store.
I had a nice leisurely supper, then drove back to Calgary, arriving around 10 p.m.
I'm discovering something I like about driving. It takes just enough mental effort to keep my mind occupied, but not so much that it's exhausting. It's a nice way of quieting the constant racing in my head. I'm really starting to like these little half-day excursions. Oh, don't get me wrong, they'd be nicer with a partner, but I'm getting to a point where the lack of a partner is not keeping me from going in the first place.