There are two schools of thought on packing for a move:

The Pseudo School: shove all your crap into boxes roughly organized by room, working as quickly as possible to minimize the agony of packing. Throw all the boxes into the truck. Move.

The John School: Pick up each item to be packed. Turn it over lovingly in your hands. Contemplate the best box in which to place it, taking into account the size, shape, weight, and astrological sign of the object in question. Wrap it in foam. Place it in a box. Discuss with Pseudo whether the selected box is the correct choice. Remove it. Place it in a different box. Commend yourself on excellent box selection. Tell Pseudo the object has found its One True Box. Once all objects are in boxes, diagram layout of moving truck to plan where in the truck each piece of furniture and box should go. Diagram layout of new house and plan where each object will find its new home. Attempt to engage Pseudo in a debate about the dimensions of the new house and whether, in her estimation, particular pieces of furniture will fit in particular spaces. Ignore her when she starts to weep in frustration because she is the World’s Worst Estimator. Congratulate yourself on excellent diagramming skills. Debate best box in which to pack said diagram of new house, but decide really it’s better to keep it in your wallet so that it’s at the ready when needed. Move.

So packing’s going well, clearly.

We spent last weekend going to six (six! no joke!) different office supply stores in an effort to buy a filing cabinet that was actually in stock. I had a really long post typed about the anguished process of trying to just buy a freaking filing cabinet, for crying out loud, but it was so boring it made me want to cry, so I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say that after finally getting one, we managed to get rid of about 40 pounds of old papers, which felt like a tremendous accomplishment. At the end of a major filing project, though, all you’re left with is a boring-looking filing cabinet- there’s no obvious external sign of your hard work. It’s kind of a let down.

We move in three days. Wish us luck.