Moving Target

This is in honor of my new resolve to put more things on this tiny tiny corner of the internet


This week I have been getting a bit stressed about OTS's impending beginning.  I had laid a lot of groundwork early, getting uniforms sown up and buying supplies, that I had felt pretty on the ball and ready for this.  Already going though basic helps assuage a lot of fears.  So does using works like assuage in blog posts that nobody will read except google spiders.  And now that sounds like an incredibly douchy thing to say and I feel like an asshole.

FOCUS PELLOW!!  You're writing about the mundane stress of packing and moving.  Get back to it!

Anyway I was feeling pretty ready ...and then the reality of 1 week left hit me.  I had been lazy and mostly put off clipping strings until this week.  I had forgotten how many strings proud blind people can put in a uniform (For those that don't know  all our uniforms are made by proud blind people who do quite an amazing job.  Better that I can do with sight)  Between ABU tops and bottoms, as well as all the new Blues I had to get there was likely half a pound of string clipped away.  Half a lb might not sounds like much but strings are fucking light and trust me, a half pound of strings is a metric shit ton of clipping.  Read a book, it's in there.

So I got this mountain of strings to clip, bags to pack, memorization material I still have not really looked hard or long (ha!) enough for, I'm out-processing my base, trying to get back in shape, and dragging my least favorite activity, moving, out through the whole week.

I went through many different attempts at packing early.  They were all a disaster; until (finger's crossed) tonight. I was limited in what I could pack until I had all my stings clipped.  I am also taking a printer with me that has to be packed.  You are only allowed the one trip from parking your car to inside the building to bring your things in, so it all has to be carried in 1 trip.  I don't want to be the guy who's struggling with 7 oddly shaped bags on the first day.  So I got this printer that is supposed to be super useful taking up half my bag, the other half is taken up by this giant Tupperware with all my materials crammed in it; shaving cream, toothpaste  squeegee, pens, rubber bands, ect.  Somehow I also need to lay my blues on top of off this stuff in a way that won't make the wrinkled to hell..

The most frustrating moment was yesterday when I was trying to figure out a new way to make more space where none existed.  My roommate's wife was bored and talking to me about something.  I don't remember what because I was trying to focus on packing.  I was also foolishly trying to do this without the designated packing lists they give you.  So I'm already stressed out, I've got my roommate's wife distracting me, and I have no idea what the hell else is supposed to go in my bag.

I just gave up completely.  Hours later I was laying in bed unable to sleep, still trying to figure out how the heck I was going to fit thing into my suitcase, and how the heck I was supposed to move my stuff out if I can't figure out what I need for OTS and what can actually go in storage.  I was also dealing with how to rearrange my storage unit to fit eh last few big items this weekend.  It was in the middle of all that brainstorming I finally had my breakthrough 

....



..........



.....................


A bigger bag!


Yup, i put my big sexy brain to work and came up with that; let's say genius.  I swapped out my luggage for this big blue roller bag that my Sister-in-law Peggy got me to move to college 9 years ago.  It's a little beat up at this point, but the thing holds a ton, has wheels, and best of all a lower compartment that should be just right to hold all my blues without any wrinkles.  Also I started doing my packing with an actual list and it went sooooooooooooooo much better.


So that's my 700+ word diatribe on packing.  This is what you get for even thinking I should post more.  Karma baby.