11 quick thoughts on moving
Things are changing
Hello to all the new readers out there 👋
My family and I are moving to New York City from Nashville, TN.
Manhattan. Near the Lower East Side.
Without getting into many personal details, here are the universal truths of moving. I’ll follow up with thoughts on New York City (huge topic!) another time.
The moment is a rush. Everything happens at one time.
Plans are in place, but then friends and nice people who want to see you one more time sweetly alter those.
It takes longer to pack than you think it will.
Photos? With friends? I don’t have many. It’s my personality, it’s their personality, it’s all of our personalities because we’re friends?
Cash? You’ll need it. I recently read that 4/10 Americans don’t have $400 on hand for an emergency. Some people can’t move even if they wanted to.
There’s not really time for nostalgia. We’ve lived in Nashville for 13 years, and you need to start going to your favorite places right when you decide to move because there won’t be time.
The last item in the house is always funny to me. On one move it was a Christmas ornament. On this one, it feels like an extension cord will be left. Or a random soap dish.
I said goodbye to a few friends only to see them unexpectedly a few days later. Your last conversations in town won’t be with your best friend, but probably with the gas station attendant. Or the second-level acquaintance I just saw at the local coffee shop.
You’ll be very familiar with the dump and the donation center.
I’m renting my house. We’ve lived in it for 7 years. Someone else will have dinners and parties in these walls. If only the walls could talk, they would repeat back a series of HBO dramas.
Moving with children across the country is a test of wills. Some days we’re kind. Other days we’re too harsh. Be flexible. Be patient. Be thankful.
BONUS: Check reviews for movers before hiring to avoid them coming 9 HOURS late
BONUS: Nothing is left in your house but you still chat with the next door neighbor & walk in the park. The interior life us radically different even if the surroundings haven’t changed. Only you have.
More Things
Don’t eat Oreos when you’re bored by me! At Medium.
The Rise of Short Books. At Esquire.
Pixar Was Never a Masterpiece Factory by Freddie DeBoer.
Why Millions Stopped Going to Church. At The Atlantic.
Lol, a review of Popeye’s Fried Chicken Sandwich. YouTube.
Winning Time on HBO
This is the show about the Showtime Lakers, or the emergence of them
I like the style of this show, I appreciate the Adam McKay-ness of it
The cuts and editing make it very interesting, like they collage it together
John C. Reilly as Dr. Buss (owner of the Lakers) has a bombastic style to him. He seems like the epitome of a wheeler-dealer type
I didn’t know Magic Johnson was so…uh, promiscuous (if that’s accurate), but yes, it makes sense
This show isn’t the best, maybe because it lacks the suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen. But I love basketball so I’ll keep watching
I appreciate Nate Silver breaking down the Pac-12 conference demise. What a quagmire. None of this makes sense, or it only makes sense for football, and not any other sport
There’s a new documentary about HQ Trivia, but the original podcast about it from 2020 was pretty good IMO
Last Things
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
Keep going,
-Josh Spilker
An architect friend once said, "Make no mistake: renovations are as traumatic as divorce, death--and moving."