Another slow start for moving, mostly because I need to apply for five jobs this week for the sake of my unemployment payments -- and with needing to make the move in a few days, I've committed to applying to all five today. It's still not happening very fast, though, because I really do need to help pack. So by the time 10 o'clock runs around, I've only applied for one. And I definitely need to help do some packing now, so I won't be able to get back to job applications 'til after lunch. 

The job-hunting situation continues to be grim for much of the day. Several jobs that looked promising actually look a lot less promising. At least one is offering a very low salary while demanding extensive experience and expert-level knowledge. One asks what kind of food I'd like to be and why. One is a megachurch with sadly familiar anti-Christian attitudes and beliefs. But after many breaks to help with packing, I finally get my five jobs successfully applied for by 6 p.m.

This evening has been filled with finding all kinds of random items that need to be packed somewhere, and then trying to find an actual somewhere where we can get it to fit. Ancient notebooks I hadn't seen in years? A jar full of pens and pencils? Old Everything2 bumper stickers? DVDs that really shouldn't have been stored in that closet? Old shoes, coats, worn-out socks, envelopes, batteries, cassettes, flashlights, frisbees, Zip disks, address books, vacuum cleaner bags, Christmas ornaments, and on and on and on. Some go in the trash. And plenty others are something we just have to find space for somewhere. 

We're in the home stretch -- because we have to be, but also because we've filed so much stuff away. Nevertheless, a few really daunting packing tasks remain. My clothing needs to be packed, my computer needs to be packed, and all the awkwardly-shaped and -sized items need to have some space somewhere in the trunk or the back seat. And I need to label the items we want in the house so the movers don't bury them in the back of the storage unit. 

Tomorrow is the last full day of packing. The movers will show up Tuesday morning. 

In news only partially related to moving, I decided tonight to finally figure out how to play my mp3 player in my car so I'd have some music during the long, boring, seven-hour drive up north. The only problem is I have absolutely no idea where the cable for the mp3 player is, so I can't load any music onto it, much less charge it up. So I'll need something else to keep me from getting hypnotized by the endless, endless road...