We don't move for a month, that means I don't really have to start packing for a few days yet. So I can go do things like watch TV or play on the computer or go out with friends...

What? We're moving in 3 weeks? Oh okay. I supppose I should actually go look for moving boxes. And have that garage sale so we don't have to take everything. And buy trash bags so we can toss all the stuff we're NOT KEEPING.

2 weeks left till the move. I have... 2 boxes filled. Mostly with bedding and stuffed animals. Uh, I suppose I should go start working on the DVDs and books...

1 week left. I haven't packed ANY of the kitchen. The house is a mess with things strewn everywhere, I still have to pack half the bathroom, and part of my bedroom, and some more boxes of books, and oh where did the cat carriers and harnesses go? I could have sworn I saw them the other day...

3 days left. I still have the kitchen to do. The books are finally packed, the bathroom is done except for what we're using, the bedroom is mostly gone.

1 day left. STILL haven't touched half the kitchen but the rest is done. Er... I was supposed to clean the house?! No one told me I had to CLEAN! Pack yes, get out of here on the day we said we were moving, but clean? All my supplies are packed! I must go to the store and buy new ones! Help!!

Day of move: Wonderful friends and family show up and help me finish packing the rest of my junk and clean the house/apartment/whatever I was living in at the time. We finish at 3am. I so owe them big time...

Packing books. Oh, I haven't read this book in ages! I wonder if I can find the part..... 1 hour later. Oops! I was supposed to have this box finshed ages ago! Or: I have this book? I don't remember this book... Maybe I should skim it to see if it's to keep or sell or toss or... WHY do I have this book?? Over an hour later. Oh, THAT'S why I have this book! Pick up the next one. I don't remember this book?

Finding random DVD stuck under the sofa or behind some other random object. Now how did that get here? It's so dusty, I wonder if it still works? 2 hours later. Oh I love that movie! Wonder how I forgot I had it? Hmmmm? Oh yes, I'm packing! Really, just needed background noise!

After stacking things in neat rows on the table or floor while I make boxes to put them in. Cats come running by at top speed and knock EVERYTHING all over and half-way across the room before they dissappear. Now I have to re-organize and that took me ages to do!

Hey! I haven't eaten yet. I think I shall go out and meet a few people for 'goodbye' meals or just to get away from packing. 2+ hours later. That was fun! Now packing...urgh....well, in another 2-3 hours I can go have dinner!

Where's my packing tape? I had it right here a minute ago... Wandering through the house. Hey, that was supposed to have gone in the bathroom box! And that was supposed to be in book box #24! Darn it, now I'll have even MORE misc. boxes with too many random things in them.

It's only 8am, I have another week to pack. I'm sleeping till at LEAST 10 or noon...

Get all the supplies together. Well, I can do the walls in here, and the bathtub and toilet. But everything else is still covered in stuff... Can I remember where I left that broom?

This room is full of the boxes, which means I don't have to clean it as that would mean moving all the boxes out of it, cleaning, then putting them all back. And that would mean the room was dirty again, right? Let's do this room later...

Found the broom! Now to sweep. Hey! Get out of the way silly cat, that's not a toy. It's garbage or a dust bunny or, hey! Not food. Shoo!

There's only 2 rooms left, and a bit of areas in other places. I can clean after loading the moving truck. Much easier to see when there's no boxes around.

Wait, what do you mean we don't have anytime to clean today? Everything's loaded but the cleaning supplies, I can do a quick run through and... I'll have to unload myself when I get there if I clean now? Sigh...

No alarm goes off because you packed it already. You wake up at 9 and were supposed to pick up the truck at 8.

When you finally get a truck to the house and start packing, all the friends who said they'd help are still missing. 2-3 trickle in over the next 2 hours, you might get 1-2 more after 4pm. None of the others show. And of the ones who do, one won't touch anything dirty or nasty, one has a bad back and can't lift, one has to leave by 2, and the last one only came for the food. Which you will need to order as there is nothing left in the house to eat.

It takes 3 trips to take all your stuff to the new house. The old house is finally empty, a bunch of items having just been stuffed in open boxes with a wish and a prayer that they make it intact as you procrastinated enough not everything got packed. The cleaning was only half-done as it got dark and with the electricity off, you can't clean at night and have a hope of seeing what you're doing.

Now you're in the new place surrounded by boxes, and wondering to yourself: Do I really need to unpack everything? I'll be moving again in a year or three, I'm sure I can live out of boxes, and that'll be even less to pack next time if I don't take anything out now!

Next move, start re-reading at the top of the lens.