Moving Karma

It is the plight of most 20 somethings to be moving around a lot. Through dorms to crummy, falling apart apartments, to slightly up the scale only to fall back when prices rise again. The only thing to do is call in the calvary, also known as friends and family and anyone else you can somehow rope in.

The last time i moved, i even ended up bribing my friend's younger brother to help since several of my friends were unavailable (two of them, i think, were out of town on business). Granted, i was moving from one room (plus a dining room table and a couch) to my own apartment. So i really, didn't have a lot of large stuff. Since then, I've been building furniture, and filling up my apartment with stuff that makes me feel at home. I'm glad I started building up my moving karma.

It wasn't until i helped my friend Lindsey move this weekend that i realized how much more difficult it will be when i decide to move again. She's incredibly frugal but she still had three truck loads to go...and that was AFTER she had been taking boxes over in her little economy car for over a week! Most of my Saturday was spent going up and down stairs lifting boxes, hauling mattresses, and playing the puzzle game of how to get the most stuff in the van when nothing nested together.

Lindsey is a great friend, probably my best gal pal. Drama slides off of her like water on a duck's back and i love that about her. That and for a change, she has her own money and need me to spot her on...well, just about everything. If she says she'll pay me back, she does. She's also smart, hard working, reliable, and matter of fact. I can always rely on her for anything from second opinions on outfits and decor to needing someone to just hang with.

However, laughter is never in short supply when she gets around tools. It took me a while to get used to her lack of training even in things that i consider basic. But she's willing to learn and try things for herself which puts her leaps ahead of the masses. Every now and then, i get a call: "If you come over, i'll make dinner" which is Lindsey-speak for "I broke/need to fix something and my dad's not available". Together, we've put together furniture, installed mirrors, hung pictures, and even made lollipops.

In the process of tearing down her bed, she started talking about wanting a new one, that her current one didn't go with any of the new furniture i helped her put together. Since I've been thinking about upgrading to a queen size bed since December, I started talking turkey. It's an Ikea bed so it's short, but it's made from solid wood which means it's customizable. With a few modifications, it could be perfect for my needs. Raise the legs up with wood, not plastic bed risers, and add a pannel to the back of the headboard so pillows don't fall through...and it's perfect! She was happy to have me take it off her hands when she gets her new one in. All i have to do is help her find a cheap or free box spring and everyone will be happy.

Also, i finally managed to catch my dad at a moment when he was clear, energized and most importantly.... available. Together, armed with the right tools, we whipped out the remaining table legs in about an hour and a half. Perhaps i forgot to mention the best part about the table design: The legs are all removable. They will be able to break down into smaller pieces to make more room if I need it in my tiny apartment.
Onto building the table.