A rundown of yesterday’s events…

1:00 a.m. – fresh off scrubbing both bathrooms and the kitchen spotless (and using more Pine-Sol than the law probably allows in the process), set my alarm for 7:30, and finally get to sleep.

5:00 a.m. – pop wide awake. D’oh. Toss and turn for a little while, realize that I’m just not going to fall back asleep, and reluctantly get up. Clean out the refrigerator, freezer, and microwave.

6:30 a.m. – go to McDonald’s for breakfast. It’ll be the first of two trips to Mickey D’s today.

8:15 a.m. – go to a local storage facility place. I had called yesterday afternoon after business hours inquiring about a 10-by-12 storage area for rent. They told me to come this morning and look at it. Find out that after I called, someone else rented the area. D’oh again.

8:30 a.m. – talk to another storage company on the phone, asking if they still had open the 10-by-10 area that I looked at yesterday. They do not, but they tell me that one might open this afternoon and that they will give me a call if it does. I will not receive a phone call from them today.

8:45 a.m. – talk to another storage company, asking about a 10-by-15 area. They have one. The Hallelujah Chorus plays in my mind. I tell them I will be right over to do the paperwork. I go by U-haul on the way back and buy some picture boxes.

9:30 a.m. – just getting back to the apartment, I am getting some last-minute things together when my dad arrives. He’s an hour and a half early. This turns out to be a very good thing.

11:30 a.m. – the first load of stuff (including my couch, recliner, dishes, and books) is loaded into my car, his truck, and the trailer he brought, and is unloaded at the storage area. We look at the size of the 10-by-15. My dad thinks we’ll have plenty of room for all the stuff. So do I.

Noon – lunch. By this time, I am already pretty tired, and my breakfast is long gone.

1:00 p.m. – we start loading up again. Big items this time include all of my bedroom furniture and my mattresses. I lament the fact that my bedroom furniture is made entirely of wood. All of my weights go during this time as well. I lament the fact that I haven’t lifted them more recently.

2:30 p.m. – we finish unloading this load; we note that it’s going to be a tight squeeze to get the rest of the stuff in. I am thankful that the other two companies rented their areas.

3:00 p.m. – third and final load (including my dining room table and chairs and entertainment center) is loaded in. I note the amount of stuff that is left in the apartment. I will be taking all of it home. I wonder if I can get it all into my car. By now, I’m getting tired enough to possibly give the new tenant housewarming gifts if I can’t get it in on the first try.

4:30 p.m. – we finish what we thought would be a three-hour job in roughly six. The storage facility’s door will barely close, we have packed things in so tight. I guess optimism runs in the family.

4:45 p.m. – we drive down I-59 and I turn off onto McFarland Boulevard’s exit. My dad drives on to wherever he’s supposed to go on location. We exchange waves. I think how much I love my dad.

5:00 p.m. – I start loading things into my own car for the trip — where? I think about going over to Birmingham and staying the night there before I come home. It’s been a long day, after all. I decide to make the decision on the road, at the last possible moment.

5:30 p.m. – everything’s loaded into the car except for the vacuum cleaner, which I use to vacuum the apartment one last time. I pick the vacuum up, turn off the living room light, and step out of what was my home for two years. I close the door.

5:45 p.m. – I throw away the day’s trash and head to the apartment complex office to turn in my keys. I talk to the manager for a couple of minutes. I pull out of the apartment complex for the last time. I put in Caedmon’s Call and forward to track 12: “I’m Coming Home”.

6:00 p.m. – I turn left onto I-59 and leave Tuscaloosa for the last time as a student.

6:50 p.m. – exit 15 on I-459 looms, and so does my decision. Go home tonight, or stop in Birmingham? I am exhausted. My muscles ache from more use than they’ve had in a long time. Beyond that, I’m tired just from not having much sleep. My decision is easy. I turn on my right signal light and pull into the lane for I-65 south. I’m going home.

8:00 p.m. – somewhere around Montgomery, I realize that I left my shower curtain in one of my bathrooms. I wonder if this will adversely affect my deposit.

9:27 p.m. – I pull up into my parents’ driveway. I need a shower, food, and sleep desperately. The shower feels wonderful against my aching muscles. The food is good, plentiful, and is cooked by a mother who is extremely happy to see me. The sleep comes quickly as I drop into my waterbed.