Moving
Moving is such a pain in the ass.
And I don't even have that much stuff.
When I was younger, about 10-14, I went to Colorado a few times with family and once one a Scouting trip.
I did enjoy my time there, but never realized how nice it was there.
If you've read some of my other posts, you should know what I do to pay the bills.
But in case you hadn't, I do concert and theatrical production.
Mostly lighting, but occasionally sound, set construction, grips, rigger, flyman, and pretty much anything else other than props or costumes, though I've done both once or twice.
Anyway, because of my work, I ws again given the opportunity to visit Colorado several times starting about 5 years ago.
Now I'm old enough to see how bitchin' this place is.
Scenery, fresh air, not too hot, not too cool, snowboarding in the winter, mountainbiking in the summer, just damn cool.
My very first time back up here, I realized that I wanted to live here.
Not that I came from someplace crappy, Topeka was ok on the air quality front, though it does tend to get a little bit warmer than I like there in the summer, and doesn't really get as much snow as we used to in the winter.
But, it was a dream that was out of reach.
I had a decent job doing a lot of work, which I really liked, overall.
There's always a gig that you have to do even though you don't like the venue, hands, food, or some other reason.
There just wasn't a lot of work for me here when I wasn't here with my company.
Because of my work for the Jazz Aspen/Snowmass festival, I made some contacts and got involved with the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
They've had some great shows the last few years that I've been able to work it.
And I'd made some friends working on both of those shows.
One of whom had a job at a nightclub as a lighting person.
When she needed to be gone for vacation and such, she needed someone to fill in and there are very few people here qualified enough to do the job, so I got a call.
It's been nice working there. They have had some great shows including Gogol Bordello, Buckethead, Danger Kitty, Toots and the Maytals, Ben Harper, G Love and Special Sauce, Galactic, and others.
So I was here in February working for my friend, then went home for about two weeks, then was to come back again for the Comedy Fest.
That's when I found out a couple of interesting things.
Turns out that she is getting a bit tired of working 6-7 days a week in-season and they are wanting to hire someone to split shows with her.
Am I interested?
Of course.
Then, it turns out that one of her roommates is moving out April 1.
Hmm, so I could have a job that pays well, and a place to live that isn't much more expensive than what I already pay?
Guess I better jump on that one, eh?
So I did.
Besides, I was getting tired of driving out here 6 times a year to work.
700 miles each way tends to add up and cut into the profit margin from the paycheck a bit.
So now I'm here for two weeks in February, going home for about a week, coming back here for two more weeks, then going back to Kansas for a week to pack my crap, then drive back to Colorado once again.
Oh, and I've got to take my U-Haul trailer back to Denver too.
Many, I'm just a glutten for punishment I guess.
So, it turns out that it's cheaper to rent a U-Haul from Topeka to Denver than Topeka to somewhere closer.
Like $100 bucks cheaper.
So I can either spend an extra $100 to drop it off within 40 miles, or I can drive it back 160 miles to Denver and spend $50 on gas for both ways.
Gee, not much to figure out there.
I got back on a Sunday night and had plans to go out with some friends since I knew I wouldn't have much time to do anything the rest of the week because of packing and cleaning up to get my deposit back.
We had a lot of fun that night.
Monday morning, I woke to find I was not well.
Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with what I had consumed the night before.
So I got to lay around on the couch and watch TV and nap all day.
Neato, I've got 3 days to pack and clean, and now I'm sick on one of them.
But I got through it and started packing up on Tuesday morning.
When I moved last time, it was an in-town move, so it wasn't a huge logistics issue.
This time, I knew I'd have to get rid of a few things.
And I did. Nothing really important, old magazines, some clothes for Goodwill or whomever, things like that.
I got a number of nice sized boxes from my sister who works at a grocery store, and my father who works at a printing plant.
On moving day, dispite all my efforts, all my junk wouldn't fit inside the trailer.
Shouldn't really be a big shocker, and it wasn't but I didn't think I would end up as short on space as I did.
I had always planned to put some stuff in the back seat of my cab, and maybe a couple things in the bed of my truck (a Dodge Dakota, which I love and plan to drive Dak's until the day I die [though hopefully not this one]), but I ended up with a dresser, office chair, bicycle, skis, and a few other things cramed in back there.
I had set aside some things that I knew I could leave behind just in case I was running short on room, and despite this, I still got basically every thing I had loaded up.
There were a few books and some pictures that I didn't have anywhere to put, but that was basically it.
So it went into my parents vehicles to be stored in their basement.
The plan was to be out on Thursday afternoon/evening and have dinner with all the family that lived in town.
Come 5:30, I was out of the apartment and headed over to my folks place to clean up and rest for the nice long drive on Friday.
It was a good dinner and a good time was had by all.
My parents went above and beyond on Friday as they went back to my apartment and finished some light cleaning and to turn in my keys for me.
It was a mostly uneventful trip back here, and I got a few calls from friends and family which was nice, and not so.
Ya know how it is, they always call at inopportune times like when you've stopped to fill the one tank and empty the other, or right when you hit rushhour traffic.
I did appreciate the thoughts intended though.
Thanks.
So, I'm at my new home now and ready for sleeping as I need to unload all my crap on Saturday, so I can return my trailer on Sunday.
Man this was a tiring schedule.
But I got it all done, and even though I haven't quite unpacked all my stuff a month later, I'm basically settled in.
There's been some work, though not as much as I'd hoped for, but that's what I get for moving here at the beginning of off-season.
It'll pick up soon as we move into the summer season.
And I don't even have that much stuff.
When I was younger, about 10-14, I went to Colorado a few times with family and once one a Scouting trip.
I did enjoy my time there, but never realized how nice it was there.
If you've read some of my other posts, you should know what I do to pay the bills.
But in case you hadn't, I do concert and theatrical production.
Mostly lighting, but occasionally sound, set construction, grips, rigger, flyman, and pretty much anything else other than props or costumes, though I've done both once or twice.
Anyway, because of my work, I ws again given the opportunity to visit Colorado several times starting about 5 years ago.
Now I'm old enough to see how bitchin' this place is.
Scenery, fresh air, not too hot, not too cool, snowboarding in the winter, mountainbiking in the summer, just damn cool.
My very first time back up here, I realized that I wanted to live here.
Not that I came from someplace crappy, Topeka was ok on the air quality front, though it does tend to get a little bit warmer than I like there in the summer, and doesn't really get as much snow as we used to in the winter.
But, it was a dream that was out of reach.
I had a decent job doing a lot of work, which I really liked, overall.
There's always a gig that you have to do even though you don't like the venue, hands, food, or some other reason.
There just wasn't a lot of work for me here when I wasn't here with my company.
Because of my work for the Jazz Aspen/Snowmass festival, I made some contacts and got involved with the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
They've had some great shows the last few years that I've been able to work it.
And I'd made some friends working on both of those shows.
One of whom had a job at a nightclub as a lighting person.
When she needed to be gone for vacation and such, she needed someone to fill in and there are very few people here qualified enough to do the job, so I got a call.
It's been nice working there. They have had some great shows including Gogol Bordello, Buckethead, Danger Kitty, Toots and the Maytals, Ben Harper, G Love and Special Sauce, Galactic, and others.
So I was here in February working for my friend, then went home for about two weeks, then was to come back again for the Comedy Fest.
That's when I found out a couple of interesting things.
Turns out that she is getting a bit tired of working 6-7 days a week in-season and they are wanting to hire someone to split shows with her.
Am I interested?
Of course.
Then, it turns out that one of her roommates is moving out April 1.
Hmm, so I could have a job that pays well, and a place to live that isn't much more expensive than what I already pay?
Guess I better jump on that one, eh?
So I did.
Besides, I was getting tired of driving out here 6 times a year to work.
700 miles each way tends to add up and cut into the profit margin from the paycheck a bit.
So now I'm here for two weeks in February, going home for about a week, coming back here for two more weeks, then going back to Kansas for a week to pack my crap, then drive back to Colorado once again.
Oh, and I've got to take my U-Haul trailer back to Denver too.
Many, I'm just a glutten for punishment I guess.
So, it turns out that it's cheaper to rent a U-Haul from Topeka to Denver than Topeka to somewhere closer.
Like $100 bucks cheaper.
So I can either spend an extra $100 to drop it off within 40 miles, or I can drive it back 160 miles to Denver and spend $50 on gas for both ways.
Gee, not much to figure out there.
I got back on a Sunday night and had plans to go out with some friends since I knew I wouldn't have much time to do anything the rest of the week because of packing and cleaning up to get my deposit back.
We had a lot of fun that night.
Monday morning, I woke to find I was not well.
Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with what I had consumed the night before.
So I got to lay around on the couch and watch TV and nap all day.
Neato, I've got 3 days to pack and clean, and now I'm sick on one of them.
But I got through it and started packing up on Tuesday morning.
When I moved last time, it was an in-town move, so it wasn't a huge logistics issue.
This time, I knew I'd have to get rid of a few things.
And I did. Nothing really important, old magazines, some clothes for Goodwill or whomever, things like that.
I got a number of nice sized boxes from my sister who works at a grocery store, and my father who works at a printing plant.
On moving day, dispite all my efforts, all my junk wouldn't fit inside the trailer.
Shouldn't really be a big shocker, and it wasn't but I didn't think I would end up as short on space as I did.
I had always planned to put some stuff in the back seat of my cab, and maybe a couple things in the bed of my truck (a Dodge Dakota, which I love and plan to drive Dak's until the day I die [though hopefully not this one]), but I ended up with a dresser, office chair, bicycle, skis, and a few other things cramed in back there.
I had set aside some things that I knew I could leave behind just in case I was running short on room, and despite this, I still got basically every thing I had loaded up.
There were a few books and some pictures that I didn't have anywhere to put, but that was basically it.
So it went into my parents vehicles to be stored in their basement.
The plan was to be out on Thursday afternoon/evening and have dinner with all the family that lived in town.
Come 5:30, I was out of the apartment and headed over to my folks place to clean up and rest for the nice long drive on Friday.
It was a good dinner and a good time was had by all.
My parents went above and beyond on Friday as they went back to my apartment and finished some light cleaning and to turn in my keys for me.
It was a mostly uneventful trip back here, and I got a few calls from friends and family which was nice, and not so.
Ya know how it is, they always call at inopportune times like when you've stopped to fill the one tank and empty the other, or right when you hit rushhour traffic.
I did appreciate the thoughts intended though.
Thanks.
So, I'm at my new home now and ready for sleeping as I need to unload all my crap on Saturday, so I can return my trailer on Sunday.
Man this was a tiring schedule.
But I got it all done, and even though I haven't quite unpacked all my stuff a month later, I'm basically settled in.
There's been some work, though not as much as I'd hoped for, but that's what I get for moving here at the beginning of off-season.
It'll pick up soon as we move into the summer season.
posted by urbnsol at 11:11 AM
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