Moving
A Blog Post in Two Parts

I
Moving In

This morning I got out of bed early enough to warrant noting it in this space (7:00 AM), with good enough reason not to curse and go back to sleep. Aside from the almighty dollar, there are precisely two people I gladly get up that early for; Gerry or Michael. Today was for the former, the Fool®. Gerry has decided to return to Ball State (stop me if you've heard this one) to earn his teaching license for journalism education.

I spent a little while on my animation this morning, just so I wouldn't feel guilty for neglecting my work, and then I set out to meet Gerry and his family to travel to BSU for the great American move-in day, also accompanied by BSU alum and fellow amateur mover Jason. There was some discussion on how to divide up six people among two vans, four in the family minivan and two in a white rental. Standard twenty-something logic said put the four college-age guys in the minivan with the small items and put the two responsible parents in the expensive rented van. Infallible Mom Logic said that the roads were wet and neither of her sons ought to be driving the van in those conditions. Sensible (and impatient to get on the road) paternal logic said (paraphrase) "You four boys in the minivan, we'll take the big van. Follow us." This worked out well. With Gerry at the wheel, I in the passenger seat, and the back loaded up with lamps and laundry, we departed.

The ride down I-69 was mostly dry and filled with talk of comic books and Fort Wayne television news gossip, underscored by a booming rap mix CD compiled from the Indiana University fraternity digital music collection. Four white boys in a minivan listening to loud rap was the 3rd place selection for the Indiana state quarter. At about the point that we ran out of music we reached the iconic Big Jack statue that marks the correct Muncie exit and the way to Gerry's new apartment; a spacious single bedroom luxurious enough to have carpet that had been replaced since the Teapot Dome Scandal.

We were joined by Gerry's longtime sidekick and temporary neighbor Moses*, another volunteer mover. Seven people may seem a tad excessive, but it worked out for the best as the vans were emptied quickly in the rain. Once the futon, TV with stand, desk, and bed were in place, Gerry's brother Steve and I set ourselves to the task of assembling Gerry's new furniture. Steve and I worked on a kitchen table with stubbornly uneven wings, while Moses took a box full of abstract plastic components and built a vacuum cleaner out of them. I snapped together a wire modular shelf kit in all of three minutes. Steve assembled a curious neo-modern nightstand with a drawer, four different handle color choices, and precious few straight right angled pieces to make any kind of sense with the directions. Jason and Gerry pushed furniture around in a game of Feng-Shui Tetris until a satisfactory setup was attained. Meanwhile, the parents set up the kitchen and hovered around making sure we had the right tools.
[*Marvel style footnote- see 4-14 for his first appearance, true believers! -LV]

We all went to Pizza Hut for lunch, collectively opting for the meager lunch buffet. For some reason the kitchen staff had decided this was the day to clean out the refrigerator and dump odd ingredients on the doughy half-baked pies, and nearly everything had mushrooms. There was one with just mushrooms and cheese. There was rumor of a plain cheese pizza coming soon, so we sat and waited, vowing that we would beat the four year old at a nearby table to the pizza. We were hungry, and Gerry is never one to let little kids push him around.

After Lunch, Gerry needed groceries, so we all took a trip to the Muncie Wal-Mart. I know I've waxed poetic/ sarcastic about this establishment before, but seriously, you have to see this place. Ed Wood couldn't design the experience any stranger. Gerry gathered food with his parents while the rest of us perused the toy aisles and mocked the carnival sideshow selection of discount movies and music.

Back at the apartment we waited for the cable company to come hook up the digital cable and internet. Gerry dealt with the tired and gruff internet installer while Jason calmly explained to the TV installer how to hook up the cable to the TV and the VCR separately. I sat on the couch and twirled a pair of pliers in my hand because I was tired. Once everything was reasonably well organized, we locked up and left for home.

Tomorrow: I go deep into the heart of darkest Ohio and the idyllic Kenyon to bring my brother back to Fort Wayne. He'll thank me for this someday, he just doesn't know it yet.