The End of An Era

I've lived in my condo since September 2004. Last Thursday, I met with a realtor to begin the end of that era.

It's an exciting time. I look forward to moving in with my future wife. But it's always an interesting process to be closing a chapter in order to open a new one. This was the first home that was "mine"--not just in terms of owning it but also that I lived by myself. I decorated it. I took care of it. I cleaned it all--or it didn't get cleaned. It was my home. In a way, it was me.

And still is, but now I am hurriedly readying it to go on the market. That means staging the unit as very neutral and impersonal. Wall hangings go down. Shelves get cleaned out. Knick-knacks go away. That also means painting over all walls that aren't neutral colors. That means goodbye Monopoly-themed bathroom. Goodbye very-blue dining room. Goodbye Sci Fi Living Room. Goodbye White Sox corner. Goodbye homemade Star Wars endtable.

It's weird to be packing up to move about 4 months before I will actually move. I am packing up some things in boxes that won't be opened until July or later. Other boxes will be things I do need before the wedding--but that need to be out of the unit for showing. Some stuff I need everyday. One thing is for sure, when I am done preparing this unit to go on the market in March it will look and feel like a very different place than the one I've come to call my home. (I plan to show lots of before and after pics here soon).

As I am packing up, I am doing a lot of sorting and organization. I've filled 7 garbage bags in less than a week. I am also doing a lot of reminiscing--both about times in that condo and about stuff I am finding in all my horded belongings. I found a Smurf button last night. And notes for a screenplay. And lots of silly lists that my old boss Randy and I used to keep--like one of all the names I used to call some guy because I could never remember his real name. (It was something like Rufus Hoover. Or Reggie Honus. Or something.)

One good thing about the timing of selling the condo is that it now has heat for the first time in 3 winters. Seriously. And I never realized it. The thing is, my condo is on the third floor and it's HOT all the time. Thanks to heat rising, it's always been just fine in the winter. Until last week when temps went down to -11. Then, for the first time I realized, "Hmmm, the heat doesn't seem to be doing much..."