Moving Day (and Surviving Uhaul)

After a busy final day of packing, an uncomfortable night of sleeping on the floor listening to a domestic dispute at 2 a.m., and a nightmare about large scorpions emerging from under my oven, I awoke to the unpleasant task of picking up my 14' Uhaul truck.

Around 8:15 a.m., I drove to the local Uhaul location. Upon exiting my car, I was surrounded by guys who didn't speak English well and seemed to be looking for work. I walked into the office, where I heard a woman get in a loud dispute with the staff about a dolly (the response she got was rather rude). Luckily, everything was organized for me.

As I got in my truck, the guy who accosted me earlier showed up again. He and another guy put something in the back. Perturbed, I got out, opened the rear, and found a small dolly. I told them I didn't want it and took it out.

I got in again to review my map, and the guy began to adjust my passenger-side mirror. Though I appreciated the help, I'm still unsure why he opened the passenger door. I decided to look at the map elsewhere and left.

My moving day continued when the two movers (hired via emove.com) arrived early and went straight to work. They were about my size and relatively young; they were courteous, friendly, and efficient.

Once my stuff was loaded, I realized I could've gotten by with a 10' truck. Though it would've been tight, I could've gotten by with a 25-square-foot (vs. 50') storage space. I think the reduction of possessions threw me off.

After unloading at the storage unit, we dropped off two pieces of furniture at my friend Phil's basement and made it to my parent's house to unload my TV and clothes with a few minutes to spare (I had hired/paid them for four hours).

I managed to drive the rolling deathtrap back to where I got it and was happy to get into my comfortable VW. I picked up a few things at my apartment, dropped off the keys, returned the cable equipment, and headed back to my parent's house for R&R (and a Guinness).

By 10 p.m., I was utterly exhausted and fell right to sleep—the kind of sleep you deserve after a hard day's work.