Awake at 7:30 am, I tried in vain to return to sleep. I am so tired, and I just want this day to be over. Perhaps if I sleep through it, somehow Emile will complete everything and awaken me with breakfast in bed. I was wrapped up in a coverless duvet on a sheetless mattress with naked pillows. I had stripped and washed and packed the bed linen the day before and I certainly wasn’t packing dirty sheets.
I waited, but the smells of frying bacon did not waft under the door – considering we had no pans or bacon this would have been unlikely. I threw on the first thing I found and wouldn’t wear normally – a bathing suit cover-up dress thing I had – and set about trying how to fit 2 complete wardrobes into 1 tiny Honda fit in a reasonable way to ensure general comfort while driving 3 days across the country.
The answer to this 3-D tetris puzzle eluded me for 24 hours and realized that it was the Kobayashi Maru – if I wanted to win this, I would going to have to change the parameters. And so I set about sorting my career clothes from my casual clothes. The work clothes went into cardboard boxes, the casual items into one of my suitcases. The other suitcase was given to my husband the clothes horse so he could pack everything ready to start work on the 10th. I then mailed my clothes to the coast. Emile’s wardrobe takes the space in the car.
While I was in the middle of folding 27 shirts for Emile while still wearing my bathing suit cover-up, the new owners of the house arriving ready to move in. “No Rush!” they said as they started moving boxes into the house. Um, we haven’t finished packing or washed ourselves! Good thing they were friendly people we had got to know a bit.
We quickly finished up with this weird friendly pressure, but this resulted in an uncomfortable and strange situation which I have diagramed for you:
We pulled out of our house about 2 pm and all I felt is relief. The packing and deciding is done and now the journey begins. First stop: Toronto to say goodbye to friends over a cooking table at a Japanese restaurant. Then to my in-law’s friend’s home to say goodbye to their group of friends.
A restful long weekend at my in-laws is in sight – no tasks, just sleep. Glorious Sleep. And Sheets. Sheets are good.
August 31st, 2012 Extra Ordinary: Homeless and Unemployed, we leave our house.
The Daily EO 
Susan means she mailed her clothes to my house, not quite the coast of BC! Now to try to pack Emile’s clothes into one suitcase weighing 50 pounds and no more than 62 inches in total of the three dimensions and into one carry-on weighing 22 pounds and no larger than 17″ x 13″ x 6″ for his Air Canada flight to Vancouver. He just might have to pay $20.00 for a second suitcase in the 50 pounds and 62 inches range. Then, I guess, we use the Canadian Postal Service for the rest, as Air Canada charges $75.00 for the third checked piece of baggage. Luggage scales will definitely be in use next weekend! But as Sooz loves taxes, I love packing!
Maybe you should get your own blog about packing!
Perhaps it would make more sense to put Emile extra clothes in the car with me, not spend $75 mailing them.
That too!