Stephen Yeargin

I have learned an important (and somewhat expensive) lesson about buying appliances. Nothing to do with the brands or features, but rather the simple engineering problem of an item of a fixed size needing to fit into a fixed size space. If the space is smaller than the item, even by a little, one of them has to give. In my case, it was giving back a washer and dryer to Sears and exchanging them for a much smaller model. The only things that were lost in that transaction were a non-refundable delivery charge, a 15% restocking fee and two days that we desperately needed clean clothes. Because we got the smaller unit, it ended up being a net savings for us anyway. I am kicking myself for a) not refusing the shipment when I realized that it was much too small and b) not measuring more accurately in the first place. The real estate agent had said a compact model would not be necessary. He was mistaken.

Other than that goof-up, every other hassle has been minor. More than 85 percent of the stuff we are keeping is out of the old apartment, and hopefully all that we are giving away will be cleared out next weekend when a couple of guys from my college fraternity come and get a few pieces of furniture for one of the houses. It is a generous amount of stuff, the only stipulation is that they either have to take all of it or help me get rid of what they do not take or does not fit.

Samantha has been taking care of getting the finer details of our living space ironed out. We are still without bedroom furniture (other than a bed), but that is supposed to be arriving from ModerNash on Saturday. The living room furniture will wait a bit until after the taxes are paid. The space is smaller, but I think we’re already seeing how we will be able to get “more” out of it.

The one thing that we were not counting on is replacing is my personal computer. The guy at the Genius Bar ran it through some diagnostics and formally declared what I already knew: the hard drive was toast. He gave me their quote for a replacement ($225 plus $85 or so in labor) and then proceeded to advise against it and to just take it to an authorized repair center for a refurbished or aftermarket drive. The computer is ultimately not suited for my needs anymore, so I could not justify spending money to have it fixed. Instead, I have offered up for $75 and anyone who wants to give it a shot can try to fix it. I will see how long I can put off buying a new one (probably not very long at all) despite having just purchased a new display to replace my 10 year-old CRT. Just my luck, I suppose.

I am looking forward to warmer weather, having a clean/organized apartment, hanging out with friends and not having a major expense every couple of days. At this point, I would take any two of those.

I probably need to pack. At least, I need to keep packing. It is not like I need much of a reminder — our apartment is covered in bins, boxes and bags. Everywhere I turn there is something that I could trip over, or eye wearily knowing there are three floors below us before that item will make its way into a car or truck. My brain starts looking at everyday items as a weight and how difficult it is to carry. The only thing keeping me upbeat is knowing that the move should be over soon after it starts.

The replacement appliances are on order to be delivered next Monday. Paying for a washer and dryer two years after buying the last set stings, but there is little that can be done after the architect decided that only stackable units should fit. Also on the agenda are a computer desk (a maybe) and a counter-top microwave (a must). Replacement shower curtains, mini-blinds, trash cans, etc. are also on the shopping list.

The good news, as I have said before, is that we are selling or donating many things that will not need to be replaced. We offloaded four bags and two plastic bins full of an assortment of items at the local Goodwill today. Most of it was old coats and household decorations that never quite fit the decor here and simply would not fit at all at the new place. As much stuff as it was, it does not seem to have made much of a dent in what we wanted to be rid of. Our associate pastor and his roommate came and got our washer and dryer today while a friend from college picked up the bar stools.

Fewer daylight hours, busy times at work and the whole process of moving has sapped just about all of the creativity out of me. If I can get one or two of those things in better shape, I think I will be a bit more upbeat about 2010. In the meantime, I am going to go explore the joy of figuring out our tax return.