I'm tired...and I'm not sure if I'm in panic mode yet

It's just a little before 11pm now. I'm making my way around the apartment trying to get as much as I can packed up before I leave for Reno tomorrow. And as I'm doing so, I see all of the things that I still need to do, wonder whether everything will fit in my car, what the timeline will be for making sure I get all of my needed errands done tomorrow and worrying that I might be neglecting work somehow. Ugh.

So the good news is that my futon frame DOES fit in my car. It took a bit of manuevering to make sure that my seat wouldn't be slammed so far forward that my knees would hit the steering wheel and make it nearly impossible to drive. I've just gotten the one piece in there, but the rest I'm sure will fit right on top.

And I'm tired. And I hurt. My back feels like it's going to either tighten up perminantly or collapsen on me at some random moment if I don't lay down flat every once in a while to rest. But, all things considered, that is about the least of my worries.

So there's still alot of stuff in here. Trying to get all of my suitcases packed for tomorrow (I'll have *3* checked bags and a carryon suitcase and a backpack). I wish there were only a few more things to deal with, but asit stands now, there's a couple more boxes to be filled. Ugh again.

24 hours to takeoff!

On another packing/cleaning break. Just noticed that my plane is due to leave out of Phoenix in just about 24 hours from now. That is, pending certain weather conditions and flight delays that have plagued air travel for me for the past couple of months.

Well, things are progressing, even if they are progressing slowly. I've managed to clean out all of the closets (my bedroom walk in, computer room closet, walk in pantry and the linen closet), which gives me a sense of accomplishment. I'm starting to use the "Mount Vernon method" of cleaning that my mother always quoted; start in one corner and just work your way around. So, in addition to my closets, I've started near the walls of my apartment and am cleaning everything around them and moving everything towards the middle. Which, by my calculations, should put everything in my living room here pretty quickly!

Oh, also something else I've discovered. UPS is not as cheap as they quote on their web page! At least when I go to the UPS store, the cost to ship a medium Uhaul box is $5-10 more than they say on the web page. So tomorrow I might run a few boxes to the US Post Office. Hopefully what THEY quote is truth!

Alrighty, my time for the wasting on blog writing has expired. Now out to the trash and start carrying the pieces of the futon to the car!

Calming thoughts...calming thoughts...

Well, I'm fast near approaching the day which I must vacate my apartment in Tucson. In fact, it's something like just over 50 hours until my plane leaves for Reno on Thursday. Which means that I need to get to the airport 2 hours or so before that, and the drive to Phoenix takes 2 hours. That leaves just 46 hours to get everything up and out. Then there is that pesky need for sleep. Figure I'll end up sleeping for 12-14 hours of that. Oh...then there's work. Need to work, need to get paid, need to finish PhD.

I suppose, when all is said and done, I have about 12 hours where I'm not at work/sleeping/otherwise out of the house.

In other related news, I switched to the 30 minute routine, as opposed to the 10 minute one that I had yesterday. I did that cycle for like 4 or 5 times, at which point I took a bath then laid down for a little. And didn't want to get up. I've already gotten a few things accomplished with the new 30 minute alterating pack/other stuff rule. I figure within the next 2 hours, I'll have packed up and cleared out the computer room! By the end of the night, I need to get the futon mattress off of the frame so I can take apart the frame to put in my car (REALLY hoping it fits!)

Well, don't have a whole lot of time to waste on my "break." And I'm starting to ramble, so I'm off to do some "other" work.

The 10 Minute Rule

Perhaps I have a touch of ADD, or I'm just really sick of procrastinating/having to deal with the repercussions of not having finished my packing and moving stuff yet. Regardless, I decided today that once I got myself home and fed, that I would do my darndest to make yet another dent in the giant pile of stuff yet to be moved. And to get myself motivated, I decided that I'd set an alarm, work for that period of time, then rest for an equal period of time before going back to work. Therefore, I'd be working in short bursts and then getting to rest.

Well, I was shooting more for 15 minute bursts, but my phone only has a quick alarm setting for 10 minutes. (And I'm much too lazy to set it manually, of course). So, that's where I came up with the 10 minute rule. I just finished packing for 10 minutes, and now I am on a 10 minute break.

In the first 10 minutes, I managed to assemble two boxes, pack up random small items from the former computer room and put them into a container, carry several notebooks into the bedroom to be put into boxes, and started sorting out notebook papers so I could just throw away as much as I could (after all, do I REALLY need a notebook with all the handouts from my Science, Society and Ethics course?)

Perhaps at another 10 minute break, I might update on how progress is going.

Or I might take a nap.