Moving.

(This was written in January 2007 when I was in the midst of moving out of my parents' house for the first time and getting quite stressed in the process.)

You know what's stressful? Moving house.You know what's a great idea? Let's get to Ikea as early as we can and walk around for four hours. You don't need to have breakfast first. Of course it'll be easy to decide what to buy. Of course we won't buy anything unnecessary. Of course it'll fit in the car. Of course it'll be easy to assemble. We won't have to wait long for it to be delivered. Don't be silly, I'm not irrationally displeased about that bedside table being out of stock, it makes sense that they're out of stock, after all where could you put them, it's not like this store is bigger than the suburb I live in. It's alright, I wanted the shelves in that colour really, I just didn't know it. You've been VERY helpful. No really, I didn't mind running between the checkout and the shelves of stock 6 times, I needed the exercise. I can leave the store any time I like, it's not like I'm TRAPPED in here... (I find it disturbing to be walking through a store and see small, hidden doorways with signs like "Shortcut to Bedding". How many stores do you know that require shortcuts for a person to get through them alive?)

You know what's an even better idea? I'm not the slightest bit cranky after clawing my way through Ikea, how about we start moving some of the furniture I already have to the new place? Better yet, let's make it a family outing, and we can have completely rational conversations about how we're going to fit that chest of drawers in to the car, because it's not like we're driving each other crazy... Lift it this way! Can't you see? Lift it the way I'm pointing with my eyebrows which are largely obscured by a great hunk of wood as I stagger down the stairs. A suitcase full of books isn't heavy, what're you talking about? Yes, they are vital to my existence and I need them ALL. Yes, I feel perfectly safe perched on a folded down seat in the back of the car with no seatbelt on and a chest of drawers shuddering beside me as we tear down Oxford St to dump them in my new house. Yes, I know exactly how I want to arrange the furniture in my new room. No really, the louder you advise me, the better I'll be able to understand you.

Despite the frustration of moving, when I awoke the next morning it was satisfying to feel that the process was started, even though I wouldn't actually be moving out of my parents' house for another week. That calmed me until I started to get dressed and noticed I had nothing to wear. Where were all my clothes? They were several suburbs away in the chest of drawers we had moved the previous day.