“Are you excited [yet]?” This is the question that has been most frequently asked of me, over the last couple of weeks. It puzzles me, a good deal, for a couple of different reasons. First and foremost is, why wouldn’t I be? I mean, I’m starting a new job in a new city on a new coast with a kick ass company; it’s obvious to me that I’d be excited, so I find that asking this question at all would be a bit curious. And anyway, right now, I’m rather distracted by some of the little things.

You know the little things. Small details that come with a typical relocation: selling a condo, forwarding mail, managing utilities, scheduling a packing process, trying to arrange for living “quarters” three time zones away, and other small stuff like that. And right now, that’s got a good deal of what is normally a multi-tasking capable attention span.

I’ve been thrown out of my condo at least twenty times over the last week and a half, so that prospective buyers can view it. My junk guys have come and gone, so my garage is empty again, and I can’t really do anything else to prep for packing. I’ve already started to handle my mail and now I’m worried that the local post office will forward it all immediately, which is way too soon. I’ve tried to stagger the first car pick up, the second car pick up, the rental car, and the rest of the packing – I don’t want to take stuff off the walls until next Sunday, if I can help it, but that’s just another “to-do”. I picked up a huge suitcase that I can fill with some clothes and check during my flight, so that I don’t have to run around naked in WA.

Earlier in the year I bought new tires for my Jeep; I had to go back to the shop to get a fifth tire for the spare because the new tires are a different size and who knows if I could find that exact tire in another state. I’ve ping-ponged between three UPS Stores – two locally and one in WA – via voice, fax, US mail, notary signatures and email, just to get an address in WA. I’m arguing with the rental services that I’m working with, first because I don’t know where my temp housing will be yet and next because I want to start looking for places now and they seem to think I want to wait until I get out there. The rental is a stop-gap solution, so that I can buy some more time to find a place to buy in WA; I want to get that going so I can get a place as quickly as I can.

Cable gets cancelled next week. I’ll have to take on ADT and the phone company some time this week. I can’t nix the phone too soon because I need the DSL line to stay active until I’m done packing. Water I’ll turn off next week. Electric and gas have to stay on until the place is sold. I don’t know when I can cancel the sewer service, honestly – I’ll look into that next week too. I also have to let my condo association know that I’m moving, in case they need to reach me during the selling period.

I have to register a change of address with the federal and state IRS departments, all of my past employers of the current year, and the DMV, as well as any of my current medical insurance. As part of that, I’ve already been to the three doctors that I see over a regular years time, and have released my medical histories. I also have to deal with cancelling the car registrations, changing my other insurance information, and dropping home owners insurance while picking up rental insurance. After that, it will be time to tackle the credit card companies, car leasing company, and updating my banking information – I already opened a new account with a bank in WA, but I have to wait until I’m out there start using them…

And in spite of all of this I’m still actively worried that I’ve forgotten something… that in a few months I’ll go looking for something and realized that it’s sitting somewhere in CT, waiting for me to pick it up. I already checked on my dry cleaning and I have nothing waiting, thankfully, but I still get the impression that I’m missing something big. Could be school related too – I’m teaching my last class next week – but I also know that I won’t be able to figure it out until after I’m packed and moved.

But the question remains. The thing that everyone I know has asked me over the last couple of weeks: Am I excited about the job? The move? The new place? The whole thing? Like I said, I’m focused on the task at hand, and right now, that’s doing everything that I can to get all of this done. I’d be a much more relaxed person if I could confirm my temporary housing for my first couple of weeks in WA… right now that’s making me more crazy than it is excided, but I’m working on that too.

If I wasn’t so freakin’ tired and worried… then yeah, I’d say I’m excited.