Shortly after my one-year anniversary in my new house, had to pack up and move to school. This packing process was not quite as painful, since i had some ideas about what to pack and how, but it was exacerbated by trying to decide what not to bring to my small cinderblock dorm room. In the end i packed in a mad rush, condensing a bookshelf of novels down to ten essentials, and compressing all of my vinyl clothing into a mere half of a giant-tupperware container.

In retrospect, the move to school was rather painless. I got used to permanently living out of boxes throughout the year, which made it much easier to bring home clothes and cds for Christmas and Spring Breaks. However, soon thereafter came the great dorm switch, which i discuss at length elsewhere. In this switch i had to not only transport all of my break belongings, but also such gems as Freshman year textbooks and memorabilia from my season with the Drexel Players. This move was the hardest of them all, because i had no one who was specifically dedicated to helping me. Sure, there were at least 16 orientations leader’s floating around who were also moving, but no one was standing by my side, helping me carry the heavy boxes.

In the three months i have spent in this dorm i have not totally unpacked a single box. The more you move, the easier it gets. Packing clothes a few hours ago was as simple as folding them; i know how to categorize so that they aren’t a mess when i unpack them. However, with each move there are things that get harder and harder for me to pack and unpack. Desk supplies, pens, pencils, altoids boxes full of subway tokens, pictures i have tacked to my wall, unused boxes of tissues, mugs, spare headphones… how am i supposed to pack all of that? When moving into the dorm i had a few trips back and forth to make sure i got everything, but tonight i have to get it right all in one shot. Hopefully i won’t forget anything vital, like my signed garbage cd. Or my allergy medication.

Or the power cable for my computer.