Where It's At

Major strides were taken this week on the road to victory for Operation New Jersey Return (ONJR). The majority of my belongings were packed, for better or worse, onto a PODS container. Initiated in a very organized and well-planned manner, it turned to the usual moving mayhem once my father stepped onto the scene. What began as a well-thought out endeavor with meticulous packing and labeling of boxes quickly escalated, or maybe degenerated is the better term, into semi-random stuffing of my furniture and belongings into the sixteen-foot container.

Some things working for my belongings arriving without everything breaking:

• Table legs were removed, everything that could be taken apart was taken apart
• China and fragile valuables are cradled by enough bubble wrap to contribute to the Earth's destruction somehow
• Most of the heavy stuff was tied into the container fairly well

Some things not working in favor of my belongings sustaining boo boos:

• Many of said table legs and removable components of furniture were placed in the container by my father, so I cannot vouch for them being wrapped in bubble wrap sufficiently
• Many items appear to be basically tossed into the container in a haphazard manner
• I cannot vouch for what I didn't tie down, which is an awful lot of important stuff

I was out there at dusk last night, fitting the last of what I could fit in by myself, which was an awful lot in retrospect. Somehow I was able to get my filing cabinet in by sheer brute force, a hand truck, and the will of God behind me. It is placed in the container, on top of my couch which is sideways. It is upside-down due to the fact that I basically had to roll it in. Crammed around it are various boxes filled with heavy things. Behind all of this lies the contents of my house minus the baby's crib, 2 mattresses, 2 computers, and just little odds and ends.

Inside the house is a skeleton crew of belongings. Just enough to eat at, sleep on, watch TV, use computers, and attend to personal hygiene. We're at the point when it's all about using paper plates and not even having to run the dishwasher. I do, however, have 4 coffee mugs still in the rotation because I just don't like to drink coffee out of anything else if I can help it.

It won't be long now, gang...