Delta y

I've moved a lot of stuff down to the new apartment already.  I'm making another run tonight, with some of the dishes, the dining room chairs, and some other bulkier stuff (like my M:TG cards, which I still haven't gotten around to selling yet but are now apparently worth $3000-$6000).

This weekend is the big one: a coworker is (supposed to be) helping me move my bed and dining room table, and I'll move my computer chair and the rest of the dishes as well as whatever clothes and such I have left (I've been wrapping the dishes in shirts and such, since that seemed like less of a waste than using newspaper or buying packing material).  After this weekend, I'll be "officially moved" and living down in Westwood, even though I'll still have some clean-up and such to do at the old apartment.  Like, I still have to make an e-waste run to Good Will.

Tomorrow will likely be my last day taking the train into the office (I'm planning on driving on Friday).  That feels a little weird to me.

A whole lot is obviously about to change, and I'm starting to get nervous about it.  It'll work out - beyond that, it'll be great - but change is always disruptive and anxiety-inducing, even when we're looking forward to it.  The things that I'm spending the most time thinking about are dumb things, though.

Like, I've gotten into a routine for the last few months where I hit the same few restaurants on weekends.  There's a place I go for nachos by work, and a couple of burger joints I hit at various points.  I'm obviously not going to be getting those nachos much any more, though there appears to be a location in the same chain to the south of the new place.  And the Village has a lot of restaurants that are great, including more than a few that I've been to in the past.  Beyond that, it wouldn't kill me to eat at home more.

But that's the kind of thing my mind latches on to, generally.  I'm good with the "big stuff"; it's the little details that I stress about.

Like, one thing that has been going back and forth in my mind: I have a regular bedspread, but I also have a hand-knitted blanket my mother made as well as an electric blanket.  I obviously don't use all of them at any point and only use two when it's pretty cold in the dead of winter; generally speaking, the ones not in use are just piled in the corner of my room.  I don't have that much space in the new place, so I need to come up with a different way of storing them.

But storing which?  The electric blanket is harder to take on and off, obviously, because it's got the cables (though I usually just leave those plugged in).  The spread is bulky, and anyway, I think that's the one I'd most like to keep on the bed (as it matches the decor best).  But my mom's blanket is just awesome and, lately, is what I've been using most (as it's been generally too hot for either of the other two).  Again, it's a silly thing to worry about and it'll get figured out, but it's annoying me.

Anyway, I notified one bank and the DMV of my address change; I'm doing the other bank today.  I've already re-registered to vote in the new address, so that's handled.  I need to set up my internet service, which I'll probably start today; the complication with that is getting to a place to pick up the modem, but I'll manage.  Gas and electricity are already on.  And I've already got a couple of my text books for the quarter.

Oh, I also got a scholarship from the state for about $1700 a quarter, which is awesome.  That's just under 40% of  my costs, which means less pulled out of my IRA.  I got *that* part set up as well, so when I'm ready to transfer the funds, it should be easy.  The market's been doing better, and of course pulling out less means less of a long-term impact.

It also means that 1) I may be able to get away with not withdrawing anything else from the IRA after this quarter (if I behave) and 2) I can probably get the notebook PC I really need to have for school (which flies a bit in the face of (1), but is really something I ought to do).  I've found one I like through Costco, so it's not as expensive as it would be otherwise, and with staying at full-time hours in September but already being at the lower rent, I'll have extra funds that I wasn't planning on for the month.

All in all, things are (so far) working out pretty well.  I just need to get through this weekend.