Reverse White Elephant Party

More packing, more shredding, more tossing. Thank God for Chicago alleys...everything continues to just disappear. I'm trying to get picked up and packed up and get everything ready for the party tomorrow. I figured that I could just send everything I'm not taking to charity, but some of it is stuff my friends like. And I didn't see anyone throwing me a going away party, so this is my chance. Here's the scheme for the Reverse White Elephant Party:

Invite all your friends.
They may not bring anything, but if they come, something has to leave with them.
Put all the stuff you want to get rid of in the basement on shelves etc. (currently fills 3/4 of the basement! And that includes lots of stuff on shelves) Label the big pieces like office furniture, wheelbarrow, exercycle that are in the rest of the house.
Buy tons of hors d'oevres and booze

Have a blast.

I've got china, crystal, glass, baskets, artwork, office supplies, furniture, pottery, etc. etc. etc. Enough, really, to furnish a house. Whatever they don't take will go to the Brown Elephant or out in the alley next week. The pickup is already scheduled.

In the meantime, workers across the alley...they were glad to take the full sized windows, construction materials, cylinder of home A/C gas, etc. off my hands. Glad to find someone who can use it.

Lot's of farewells this week. Dinner with Bob & Dad, with Greg. Jane and Roderick each came by and helped pack. What a blessing. I'm already exhausted and there are still roomfulls to go. And I've been tossing and packing already for over a year!

Less than 4 weeks to go. Tired and dirty. Can't wait to lie in the sun...hope to take my hammock in the car. It's starting to feel real.

Shred it!

It's great to get rid of all this junk!

But Best Practices say I should shred client records...full of credit card info, passwords, userid's, etc. Plus shred old financial records. Had to buy a new shredder because I wore the old one out.

Jane came by and helped me pack up more books, and all the office shelves. What a godsend to have help.

She also let herself be conned into taking some potting and building stuff. And Karen may take some of it for the Art Center.

Realtor came by to make a proposal. Met with my Schwab guy to go over financial issues related to the move.

So I'm relaxing in front of the TV and shredding. I have at least 20 file boxes that have to go. Of course, shredded paper is useful for packing. :)

Only 5 weeks to go. So much more to pack. I'm already exhausted and skipping sleep. Panic begins to set in.

Meeting with Ex

Just dropped off 15 boxes at the Post Office. They don't make it easy. No wonder they lost so much market share to UPS, Fedex, etc.

Met today with my Ex (who now lives 90 minutes away) Took him boxes of company records, and went over, again, details on how the company is managed. He seems pretty overwhelmed. I guess he never paid attention to all the stuff I was doing in terms of government filings, accounting, payroll etc. Guess he'll figure it out. I'll probably see him once more before this is all over. I'm way more eager to off-load all this to him than he is to receive it. But he wants to continue using the corporate entity, and this is what it takes. It would be easier all around just to kill off the corporation.

It's still weird to be with him. Part of me feels like we never split, but then part of me remembers how he treated me the last few years before the split. I still can't reconcile the old guy with the new. Always unsettling, and usually aggravating.

Back home to watch some videos and shred.

Terminating Services

Well, I've canceled the home lines. Called in moving companies for quotes. Sent in address change forms for my magazines. It's starting to feel real.

This weekend is Easter. Typically that means hosting a big dinner, either here or at the cabin. Going to friend Bill's place this year. The last Easter with this group of friends. In a way, I'm glad it's there...less sense of loss. Plus, I've started packing, and the place is beginning to look like it. Tuesday I meet with the owners of another consulting firm who want to take over my business. If that works, I can tell my clients and have someone to hand them off to.

It's weird canceling the phone line. I've had that number since '78. Admittedly, I hardly ever get calls on it now...get them on the cell or the biz line, or communicate by email more than by that line. But still.

I'm sorting books. I'll take the ones that I want to keep to the Post Office and mail them, it's cheaper than paying the movers. But some poor mailperson is going to have a lot of heavy lifting.

I'm starting to feel the loss...amazing how books and items bring back the history behind them...what I was doing or where I was when I read them. But really, how many of these books will I read again. I've taken about 100 to the library, and packed up about 15 boxes to mail.

I'm moving to San Diego

OK. I've spent a week in San Diego checking out the job situation. Met with or talked to a variety of folks, some from IT, and they all say my background looks good, and jobs are plentiful. Mom & Dad say I can use their guest suite as long as I need.

I'm so ready to leave Chicago. It's a great city, with vibrant theater, stunning architecture, and an incredible variety of food. A really livable metropolis. But it's cold half the year, hot & muggy another quarter, and moldy, pollinated or smoggy whenever the temperature is high enough to be outdoors. I'm spending my life inside.

Plus, I've been in this house since 1978--the longest anyone in my family has ever lived anywhere. It's full of memories of my life with my Ex. I want a different place in a different neighborhood.

Since the breakup in 04, my whole social scene has changed. Good friends have moved away, other friends got wrapped up in their own lives. Plus, almost all my friends are couples. How am I gonna meet single guys?

Ex & I still own the business together. He's buying me out of our joint vacation home. I need to get out of our business, though.

I've been wanting to move to California for decades...ocean and hills, sunshine, outdoor activities (I hope...other than smog I think the allergies are better there). And the midwest just seems stodgy to me. The people are nice, but pretty set in their ways. California at least does some experimenting...for better or worse.

So, time to finish fixing up the place for sale. Of course that also means clearing out 30 years of stuff. I'll be going from 4,000 sq. ft. in 2004 to around 1000/1200 sq. ft. in California. And I really don't need to move 3 sets of bedroom furniture, umpteen kitchen things, two library-of-congress equivalents, and my high school religion notes. :) Thank goodness for Chicago alleys. When I put stuff out there it's gone in an average of 45 minutes. If I had to haul stuff to a dump, or pay to get rid of it?

So I'll make my lists and schedule in movers, workmen, and friends. I've been saving Dell boxes for 3 years, so I'm hoping I won't have to buy too many boxes. But filling them is going to take forever.

But I'm excited to finally do this. Hope the housing prices in San Diego don't rise too fast. If I get a decent price for the Chicago place, I should do all right, have a big down payment.

Location: Chicago