Sigh

I remember the heady days of unemployment, those many days ago when I could relax, play some video games, spend hours teaching the dog to say "I love you."

Sadly, my life of leisure already has descended into a life of unending productivity so we can get the hell out of Dodge. I've spent each day packing, sorting, selling, donating, and mailing. Today, I even put my car up for sale. I've decided that, ideally, I'll get $13,500 or so for it and then be able to pick up a dog-friendly Impreza Wagon used in Alabama, where they're probably a bit less in demand.

It's funny that my life has never been so unpredictable and uncertain, yet we're both more excited than we've been about any move. I figure the best way to ensure I get a job quickly is to get really excited about spending time unemployed with my family. If the Athens, Ga., gig works out, my trip to Birmingham might just be a quick stopover. But I've been getting great feedback from potential employers lately, so I'm feeling pretty hireable. Karen, too, has amassed an impressive set of skills and references by being a manager at a nonprofit. I think we'll be fine.

On a related note, my moving scam of the week (in my favor) is media mail. The other day I made some joke about just shipping all our crap to Alabama, which would cost a small fortune. Then I remembered that a friend used USPS media mail to truck his entire library cross-country. Sure enough, I was able to mail off about 55 pounds of books for $20. I'll likely ship off another 150 pounds or so, which will be money well spent. I have a feeling space is going to be at a severe premium in the moving van. We're already shedding furniture like crazy, but it's still just SO MUCH CRAP.

Well, back to the grind... of, you know, sitting around in pajamas and catching up on Tivo while I pack kitchen sundries.