Pack it up, pack it in....

If you check this blog, you've probably noticed that I've been posting even less than usual. For some odd reason, working 6 days a week, plus taking a 2-day a week night class, plus trying to move, makes it difficult for MadAnthony to do other things he enjoys - like reading for pleasure or going to the gym or blogging or sleeping.

I've been trying to force myself to pack at least one box a day. It's difficult to pack and to try to go on with everyday life - to figure out what stuff you need to live and what stuff can go into a box for the next couple weeks. This results in what I like to call "the paradox of packing" - the stuff you pack is the stuff that you use least, that is already stowed away. As a result, most of what I've packed so far is stuff I seldom use - boxes of random computer parts that I "might need someday", books from the bookshelf, clothing that I don't wear, dishes I don't use. This means that I now have a ton of boxes that I can't really get around, and a bunch of empty bookshelves and cabinets, and still have a ton of stuff left. It also means that I find myself wondering if I should be throwing more out. I tend to be a pack rat, and find myself saving stuff I don't need, like power cables - we have a ton of these where I work, to the point that we regularly throw them out, yet I saved a box of them in case I needed them. Granted, I've thrown a bunch of stuff out- everything from a jamming laser printer to a 6-year-old box of Tuna Helper - but I've kept much more.

I'm going to a Hamfest - basically a flea market for geeks - next week in the hopes of unloading some of the crap I don't need and don't have time to eBay, which should give me a couple bucks and a few boxes less junk. Granted, at least some of the junk I'm dealing with was purchased at previous Hamfests, so I run the risk of buying more junk than I sell. Granted, this means giving up a day I could be using for packing - Sunday is currently my one day off - but I'm hoping I get rid of enough stuff to make it worthwhile.

One thing that has suffered of late is my diet. I haven't gained any weight yet, but I've been eating way too much deep-fried cheese and not hitting the gym enough due to time constraints and laziness. My landlord also has the world's oldest treadmill, something I will miss when I move - I'll have to buy one of my own, thus spending money, something I always hate to do but do too much of.

Speaking of which, I'm also debating about buying a second vehicle. The college I work for is selling off some surplus vans, and I'm thinking that buying a van would be a good idea - I can use it to move and to save on delivery fees for the furniture, treadmill, grill, ect that I plan on buying for the new house. I would then either sell it and get back most of my investment or keep it as a second vehicle for when the PT is in the shop or I need to haul something - provided the van didn't blow up or anything. Of course, I would have to deal with the extra insurance and registration costs, and I'm not sure how cost-effective this idea is.

Well, that's the MadAnthony update.