Open Close Vacuum

Today marks the beginning of the 7th move of the 3rd annual move Jordan back to school. It might be more. Let me explain. She is only a junior but so far we have moved her at least seven time-- you're welcome to count. Actually, I have moved her seven times. David has moved her less, but he has assured us he will be there for this move. Only time will tell.

Her freshman year we moved her up to school and back from school. Then, because we were spending the summer in NY we moved to NY and then up to school. Her sophmore year we moved her from NY to Va.and then up to school. This required packing in Arlington, packing, and unpacking in NY. Repacking in NY to move back to Arlington in order to have all her things together to move to Boston. Then, because we like her we picked her up from school and moved most of her stuff to Virginia but since we were spending another summer in NY, once we got to Va. we needed to pack to go to NY. Thank God for Seth and Joyce who not only helped with the Boston part of the move, but for two years took much of her crap and stored it in their house in Plymouth Ma. which meant we didn’t have to schlep all the crap back to Va. In order to pack it for Boston. Back to the moving. Are you following so far? Today we packed all the stuff that we took back to Va. from the move at the end of school last year.(Yes it is not all her stuff).

Because she is no longer a dorm rat, (she is living in an apartment with 4 of her friends), this included dishes, a George Forman grill and her magic bullet. In addition we packed all her clothes and sheets for two different beds. Because Jordan is in a show until September 3rd and we won’t have time to do any furniture shopping, we bought an Aero Bed until she can get a real bed. The Aero Bed is a queen but we think the permanent bed (permanent is a very iffy word for us), will be a double—they are cheaper and who needs expensive for two years. Whatever, she still needed sheets.

Our plan is to pack to car, take it to my Mothers in NJ. (not unpack anything) and then when we’re ready to pack all the stuff in NY we will get the car from NJ, pack the reat of her junk and drive to Boston. Her apartment is on the 3rd floor but there are five flights of stairs. (This will be another blob for sure). We have asked Jordan to find friends to meet us upon arrival and move all the crap we have gathered from Va., NY., NJ, and Plymouth and carry it up the stairs. The alternative, we explained gently was that we would leave everything on the street and she could fend for herself. We are older parents so our desire (and ability) to lift and carry up and down and up and down is limited. We’re not being harsh just realistic.

So what about the open close vacuum? I may have already explained this but when my Aunt Sophie died she left me her Caddy. This was not a guy who helped her when she was playing golf, this was a car. It’s a big gold caddy and it gets about 27 mpg and very comfortable, when you’re on the highway. It gets about a mile per gallon in the city—so we only drive it back and forth to NY, NJ and Boston.(Which as you can see is quite frequntly). It has a very large trunk and we have been able to fit most of Jordan’s stuff without a problem. But only because of space bags. These are plastic bags which you fill with clothing and then vacuum out the air so they shrivel to almost nothing. If we had to use a conventional suitcase either her clothes or one of us would be standing by the side of the road waving goodbye to the other two. You fill the bag, seal it up, suck out the air and voila the bulk is no more and everything fits. (Parents who did not do this had to bring vehicles the size of Nebraska.) They were very impressed with our packing acumen. I don't want to minimize the amount, at least it all fits in the trunk and the backseat. It’s amazing. Well I gotta go. We're leaving at the crack of dawn and I’ve got to finish open, close, vacuum. We’re just sayin…