Anyway, it's almost done. We spent the early part of last week getting the paperwork in order for Waterside Plaza, and while we were chewing our nails hoping things would be okay, Sandhya spent a lot of time talking to packing / moving companies. On wednesday, I get an email that contains this important opening line:
"This is to confirm that your application has been processed and approved for rental."
I head over to the Bank to prepare two big cashier's checks for the rent and security deposit, and promptly courier them over. Sandhya and I sit down with the research she's done on Packing companies, and prepare a detailed spreadsheet to compare apples to apples.
Online Review Hell
We read the reviews of these companies on the web, and some comments really freak us out. It seems like everyone's either de-light-ed with a particular company, or so completely disgusted that they're incapable of expletive-free conversation. And the latter types are sure that all the former types are fakes, employees of those companies themselves. Oh-oh. How can we rely on anything? Certainly the anonymity on the web creates both sorts of problems - the opportunity to trash someone when they don't deserve it, and also the opportunity to game the system. A closed system like eBay or Amazon where you have to transact to rate someone is much more reliable. Open systems like Yelp or Epinions is just open to such abuse. Angie's list has a fee, which we balk at - what if we pay up and find that they don't have sufficient ratings on packing / moving companies? Note to self -- in future, whenever you use something, write a review on a few sites - you owe it to those who come after you.
We finally go with the safe option - Nor-Cal Moving - a firm that someone we know has used, and had a good experience with. It helps that their costs are also among the lowest.
Moving day arrives
We spent the day before the packers arrived sorting through our meagre possessions - this to storage, that to New York, this to the trash can, and that we'll take to New York ourselves.
In retrospect, that was a day well spent, and except for one DVR remote that mistakenly got sent off to storage, (I think) that most of the stuff got packed and sent correctly.
The guys from Nor-Cal Moving were a real delight. They showed up on time; as many men as were promised came; they were courteous, professional, extremely hardworking, and packed the stuff pretty well (we'll know when we unpack). They finished most of the stuff for storage the first day, loaded a lot of it into their truck, and then drove off.
No-proof nightmares
As I saw them off, one of them waved me a peculiar good-bye - almost like he was saying "Thanks for everything, sucker!". A shiver went down my spine - I didn't have a shred of paperwork showing that they had loaded up more than half our possessions into their truck and driven away! I lay awake tossing and turning that night, wondering what I would do if they had actually made tracks and didn't show up the next day. Fingerprints? Of course, they handled a lot of glass. Truck plates? I had quietly written that down on my Blackberry. I couldn't tell Sandhya of the fear that was gnawing at my insides - she may not have been able to handle it. There was also no sense in spreading my panic around.
I went over to our now-nearly-empty home at 7:30 the next morning to await the movers. 8:00 am rolled by and there was no sign of them. Then suddenly at around 8:10 the orange nose of their truck appeared around the corner. Hallelujah! I breathed a big sigh of relief and kicked myself for being paranoid. I must be getting old, I guess.
Packing completed
They made short work of the remaining stuff - most of what was left was going to New York, and Fedex Ground made more sense than shipping it using a long-distance carrier, because it was just 1,500 lbs. They packed it up for Fedex, and then left with a small tip of gratitude from us. I weighed and measured each box, and then carefully created 41 mailing labels on the Fedex.com website. I was impressed by the accuracy of the Nor-Cal estimator's estimate of weight -- Sandhya had roughly pointed out the stuff going to New York - part of this, some of that, some of these clothes - and the estimator had estimated 1,500 lbs. The sum total of our boxes came to 1,520 lbs!! I was also impressed by the usability of the Fedex site - it was extremely easy to enter dimensions, weight and estimated value of 41 boxes, and then generate all those labels.
Renting out our home
In the midst of all this, we also signed the lease and collected the security deposit and first month's rent for our home in Fremont. A young couple, the Sanchez's, are going to rent it out for a year. He works at the local Toyota-managed Auto Plant, NUMMI. When I called my mother with this news, she drew my attention to an amazing coincidence - their house in Bangalore is also rented out to the local Indo-Japanese Friendship Society, which is managed by Toyota!
We managed to rent our home out in a tough market, and thanks must go to the aggressive efforts of our rental agent, Barry Ripp. Unlike other agents we met, Barry exuded confidence in his ability to rent our home out quickly, and sure enough, he came through. His confidence was reflected in his fee stucture - purely a % of the rent - so till we had a tenant, he wasn't going to make a dime. The others wanted an up-front fixed fee, and a fixed fee for managing the property.
We had our home (should I start calling it "house" now?) cleaned today, and it looks quite forlorn without the furniture, art and artifacts that make a house a home. I hope the Sanchez's take good care of it - it does feel nervous to rent your "baby" out.
Final touches
We leave for New York on Thursday, so these few days after emptying the house have given me opportunity to reflect on these 10 years in Fremont.
I went to Hayward Airport, the place of my first solo, and also where we landed after suffering an in-flight total electrical failure on our way back from San Diego.
This is where Dhruv, the joy of our lives, was born and came home for the first time, 5 1/2 years ago.
This is where we met and built some of the closest friends we've ever known. They threw a lovely farewell for us on Sunday, and while I know that we've promised to stay in touch, the planet hasn't become small enough that staying in touch from New York is as easy as staying a short drive or walk away.
If it takes a village to raise a child, we had the best village of all -- a community of like-minded adults with similar values, aspirations, cares and concerns, all within a short radius of where we lived. Dhruv thrived growing up in that little village, and while he may not know it, I know he will be the poorer without it.
New York is a lot closer now, and daunting. I keep trying to focus on the long-term positives - the work, the museums, the concerts, the parks, to avoid being overwhelmed by the short-term challenges that accompany any such move. It's been working so far - this move has been incredibly smooth, given the magnitude of the change - and that's why the blues don't have good reason. I hope it stays that way.
I'll report from Manhattan next week!!
your blog is very nice......
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