$Id: xtreme_moving.txt,v 1.2 2004/05/03 15:19:36 wdr1 Exp $

-- Pack everything before moving.  Do not plan on packing the day of.
   Yes, there is always packing the day off.  But that's unplanned
   packing.  If you add in packing you post-pone there will just be
   more of it.  

-- Day of move, have a few boxes you can just toss last minute crap into.

-- Use boxes.  

-- Pack boxes so they close and can be stackable.

-- Get the free weeklies to wrap up fragiles items, such as dishes.
   Wrap each item individually, as fill as placing crumpled up filler
   on the bottom & the top.  Fill in gaps with filler.  The less the
   breakables move around, the less likely they are to break.

-- Don't use garbage bags.  They suck.  They're hard to carry, they
   break -- they're just a bad idea.

-- As you pack, try to place easily moved ideas into logical
   positions.  

-- Find your move path.  This is the main route people will be taking
   back and forth.  It should be as short as possible.  Prop open any
   doors.

-- ALWAYS get a u-haul (or equiv).  DO NOT PLAN ON USING A PICK-UP
   TRUCK.  DO NOT PLAN ON USING A HATCHBACK.  Get a U-haul one size
   bigger than you think you will need.  It is better to make the move
   in one fell-swoop, than repeated trips back and forth.   Expecting
   to move a couch, half in a hatch back, the other half being carried
   is not a good plan.  I don't care if it only is a "couple of blocks."

-- Get a dolly, ideally two.  

-- Do not ask me or Sang to move fold-out couches.  They are hell.
   Sell it.

-- MEASURE BEFORE YOU MOVE SOMETHING UP LONG DISTANCES.  If you ask me
   to carry a couch up 29 flights only to find the door is just as
   small as the elevator, you're damn right I'm going to be pissy
   moving it back down 29 flights.

-- If you're not sure you'll be able to put the truck in the ideal
   spot because someone else might be parked there, try like a maniac
   to park in the ideal spot the day before.

-- Move in the mornings.  I hate mornings more than you do, so don't
   whine.  But trust me, it's *much* better to move in the morning
   (when it's cooler) than in the afternoon (when it's hot).

-- Do not attempt to try to clean while moving.  That's just
   annoying.  Move everything, then come back and clean.

-- Invite a lot of people to help.

-- Have beverages on hand.  More than you think will you will need.
   It is better (and not that expensive) to have more, as opposed to
   not enough.

-- It's best not to put things like monitors, tv's, etc. in the
   truck.  More than likely, folks have driven to help you move.  Put
   things like the tv's in the cars.

-- If you have a pet, ask someome to watch it for the day AT THEIR
   PLACE.

-- Ideally, you have two friends that together can move a couch.  Ask
   them, beg them, plead with them, but you should have at least two
   strong guys.

-- Pair the strong guys up.  They should move the big stuff.  They
   make the heavier, but less frequent trips.  Everyone else is a
   worker bee.  Their job is to move the small items as quickly as
   possible in or out of the truck.

-- Have a "guy in the truck" when loading.  Ideally this someone is
   either a CS major (who knows how to properly pack a knapsack) or
   someone who is very good at tetris.  

-- If you are the "guy in the truck", survey the load before loading.
   Come up with a mental plan.  Remember the truck is 3 dimensional.
   Put the big things that easy to stack on (e.g. dressers) in the
   back.  Put things like mattress on the side.  Stack up to the top.
   This part cannot be empahised enough: PACK AS TIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE.
   A lot of people fail at being at the "guy in the truck" because
   they figure the "few things left" can just be thrown in too soon.
   It's much easier to spread things out when you're finally done,
   than it is to retro-actively pack tighter.

-- The "guy in the truck" should assist when unpacking, as things may
   be packed oddly.

-- If you own a house, just f'ing hire profressional movers.

-- Same goes if you own a f'ing refridgerator.  

-- Side question: why the f--- doens't every apartment in LA come with
   a fridge?  That's the just retarded.

-- Don't take a break mid-load.  

-- Warn people if there are stairs or we'll quitely hate you.

-- If you only kinda-know us, at least *offer* to pay us.  Most likely
   we'll decline, but it's nice to offer to show your appreication of
   the massive incoinvience you've just imposed on us.  If you're
   friends, there better damn well be pizza and beer, and you're now
   expected to help us move.

-- Don't invite people to help who are largely useless.  This includes
   people who can't lift a simple box or will continually ask "what
   should I do now?"  It's moving for crying outloud!  Move a damn
   box!  What did you think you should do?

-- Don't pack things heavier than you can move yourself.  If you can't
   pick it up at all.  I.e. just because you got the giant
   toliet-paper box from the grocery store, does not mean you should
   fill it with books.

-- I love books, but be smart when packing them.  They are heavy.
   They should be put into small boxes that are easily stacked.  Then
   stack them and use the dolly to move them. 

-- When renting a truck do a few things:
   - Reserve the truck as far in advance as possible.  (Some places
     give discounts if you reserve two weeks in advance.)
   - Try to get two dollys.
   - Confirm you reservations several times prior.  You wouldn't
     believe how often this gets fucked up.  I know, I know -- those
     highly trained, crack counter staff are paid minimum wage to
     enter these reservations!  Hard to imagine they would/could screw
     this up, but believe me, it happens.
   - Get the truck the night before.  If not, you risk discovering the
     hard way that truck rental companies are LYING EVIL BASTARDS.
     U-Haul will even tell you stone-faced that your "reservation"
     does not actually reserve you a truck.  (A la Seinfeld, do they
     really understand the meaning of reservation?)  If you get it the
     night before, you have time to deal with complications & work
     things out.
   - Don't rent from U-Haul.  Use Budget, Ryder, or one of the other
     major competitors.  First, for the reservation reason.  Second,
     the gauge you on EVERYTHING.  (For a one-way move, they have the
     balls to quote a price of $69 for a dolly vs $15 from Budget.)
     Third, those things break down ALL the time and they are not very
     responsive to helping you.  I know several people who got a
     truck, clearly fucked up from the start (but "it was the only
     one"), broke down, and he had to wait over 6 hours from some guy
     from U-haul to come & help.  Of course, they didn't help move
     things from one truck to the other -- despite your moving help
     long since leaving -- the U-Haul guy will stand there and watch
     you do it.