When you move to the other end of the world, you learn stuff about stuff. You learn that, while the idea of stuff is universal, there are local 'stuff nuances' that have very practical implications.
So, as I was packing for the big move, I was suddenly facing some big decisions about my stuff. What stays, what goes on plane, what goes on the ship, and what do I (OH NO) get rid of?
Well, being an American with more stuff (and closet space) than anyone needs, the choices seemed simple.
What stuff stays in Long Beach? The stuff that I haven't touched in 10 years, will not miss while I am gone, but I will definitely need when I get back to the States. Like the overalls that I bought at Costco in 1988. They're essential to my being.
What stuff goes on the ship? Anything that I might have touched in 5 years and might again touch in the next 5 years. Surely it is critical that I have it while I am in Australia.
What stuff goes on the plane? Just enough stuff to tide me over for a few months. (More about this later.)
What stuff do I get rid of? That little pile over there. (But wait...surely I might need the feathered Tiara from New Years Eve 1997. Let me grab it before it goes to Goodwill.)
So all these decisions were made in September, knowing that the stuff on the ship would not arrive in Sydney until sometime in November.
So, in the interim, with the precision of an air traffic controller, I brought some winter/spring clothing on the first flight to Sydney. I left clothing for the Hawaii vacation in Long Beach to retrieve in October. I shipped that clothing from Hawaii to Sydney when the vacation was over and I headed straight to Tokyo. I left summer business clothing in Tokyo for a month between business trips. I bought warmer clothing on my next trip to Tokyo, since it was now fall. I shipped that clothing back to Sydney when the trip was over. I carried some back to Sydney after that trip, where I was successfully reunited with all that stuff.
Fast forward to November, and I have just been notified that the ship arrived in Sydney yesterday. It will take a week or two to clear customs. But, Houston, here's where we have a problem.
The apartment in Sydney has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1 medium sized closet in the master bedroom, one small coat closet in the hall, and one humongous linen closet that could hold all the linens on the QE2....that's it. The master closet is already full with all the stuff above (plus a few of John's shirts and jeans). Apparently, Australians prefer their stuff to be in the form of towels, sheets and tablecloths, rather than apparel. By the way, this is not just a theory. I have concrete evidence. Sunday, our neighbor in the next building put a white linen tablecloth on his patio table to serve some friends burgers. He was wearing shorts, a tee shirt and flip flops.
So that brings me back to the stuff on the ship? What do we do with it? Well, we are hastily assembling a new Ikea wardrobe, and figuring out how to repurpose the linen closet to be more suitable to Americans, we are also facing the harsh reality that some of the stuff has to go...
..Or maybe I can rent a storage locker...
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