Donate, sell, trash, keep, and maybe.

We started cleaning the closet out yesterday.  Staying true to most of my cleaning efforts in the past, I got about half way through (at least I made it to the messiest part of the process) and ran out of steam.  This means of course, that everything has been pulled out of the closet and is now in piles (I use the term "piles" loosely) all over the room.  Donate, sell, trash, keep, and maybe.  Ugh.  Moving is the pits.  You'd think after my many moves, I might have learned not to hang on to so much stuff.  Stuff and I have a love/hate relationship.  I certainly don't need much of it and will be happier when it's gone.  Woo.  

The class I am teaching is almost over which means things are crazy on that end.  It is going well, but who wants to pack after being up to their elbows in art stuff all day?  Not me.  Looking for energy and motivation in the form of naps and the promise of better weather for now.  Also, looking forward to making the new place nice and homey...ready to get a fresh start :)

I'm melting

Is it too much to ask for some clouds and a cool breeze?  I am not looking forward to the super heated summer we are headed towards.  It is already melty outside but we are scheduled to hit triple digits over the weekend.  Things are not looking good for a heat stroke free move.  Bummer.  Check out the difference...

Woo!

Slow going

I haven't really done much as far as packing goes.  It has been really busy with the class I am teaching this summer and trying to get some other stuff finished up before the big move.  I guess I'm saving all of the really fun stuff for when Ilya arrives on Wednesday...laundry, packing, purging, taping, lifting, sweating, cleaning, etc.  I'm sure he's thrilled.  I'm excited to have him home :)  so we can get to our new home in one piece.  

The Relocube

This nifty little guy works just like a POD only the price is right.  It is a 6' deep, 7' wide, 8' high "cube" that will be dropped off at my apartment and picked up and shipped to our new place once we are done packing it.  Pretty neat.  Also a good way to encourage efficiency.  No extra stuff is going in that tiny cube.  It will be just like a game of Tetris...with furniture and boxes.  Fun.  I am relieved to have the Relocube scheduled, that's at least one thing checked off of my never ending list of stressful things to worry about.  

Getting our move on.

location location location

The countdown has begun!  Just 22 days until we begin our trip to California, our new home.  The next few weeks will be filled with packing, planning, and of course all of the regular life obligations still to be completed here in Texas.  At least there is one thing we don't have to worry about for now, and that is finding a place to live.  A few weeks ago we secured a small bungalow located at the very northern tip of Oakland, just below Berkeley.  Ilya is living there now sleeping on a cot, but it will be new to me and our stuff.  The whole process of organizing a move across the country is pretty daunting.  It also seems like a pretty good time to purge ourselves of excess stuff.  I am very excited about getting rid of lots of things I never use.  If I haven't touched it in the past year, it must go!  I'm sure there will be exceptions of course, but for now, that's the rule.  Throwing things away is harder than it sounds.  I liked it when I got it.  What if I want or need it later?  I don't want to rebuy something.  Isn't this the stuff hoarders say?  I have started getting rid of things a little but the real purging process won't begin until Ilya arrives.  He always encourages me to get rid of stuff quite happily (I assume it has to do with the fact that he does most of the heavy lifting).
We are very lucky to have found such a nice place!  The whole rental process was kind of stressful.  It isn't like Texas where there is an abundance of large, well kept, affordable apartments.  You pretty much have to be the first in line with your money and the promise of your first born child in order to secure a place, then you sign in blood and promise not to burn candles.  

The new place is full of quirky little additions to the interior, designed by the owner and landlord, an architect from Berkeley.  I can't decide if white floors are exciting or terrifying.  I am pretty excited about the outdoor space and studio at the new place.  It will be great having a designated work space so close to home, but not IN my home.  Here are some pics of our new digs...I'll post more of the inside once we get our own stuff moved in.  

The front of our new digs

The yard

The living room with stuff that isn't ours

Studio space off the yard.  It doesn't look like much now...

Into the kitchen  

Peek into the bedroom with a strange cabinet