Oops...

I've been on a mission today - to clean up and clean out. My room is now spotless, my beach things are unpacked, the laundry is sorted and in process in the basement, and I've gotten rid of a bunch of stuff that I no longer want, need or have use for.

I've also found a few things for which I had been searching for a long, long time. A sketchbook (I have probably 10-15, so they have a tendency to jump away from me), watercolor pencils, the book I had wanted to take to the beach, the cord to my camera...and one last thing that I don't know if I really actually wanted to find.

No, it's not racy pictures, letters from exes (I don't think I've ever gotten one anyway), or even clothes that I bought, never wore and now don't fit.

Let me back this up. When my roommate and I were moving this past October, we were on a tight schedule with little assistance. Her family had moved to Tennessee from Delaware, mine lives three states away, we only had her car, and we were both single as of that previous summer. Andrew, one of my few male friends that might agree to help move, was busy the entire week, and we didn't really have anyone to help us other than those options. To top it all off, we were BOTH getting major surgery within a day of each other, so we had a deadline. So we packed everything ourselves - and made about 15 trips total with her car.

Despite our best efforts, about 8 pieces of furniture were either too heavy for us to lift, too bulky to fit in her car, or just plain in danger of being destroyed if we were to attempt it ourselves. Our new landlord recommended a mover for us, who was nice enough to give us a rate of $100 an hour for 3 guys and a truck. Having just put a bajillion dollars down for first, last and security deposit, I was dead broke, so I made darn sure that every piece of furniture was ready to go. Yeah, they took their sweet time. Four hours later, I was just about in tears - $400, plus my roommate had tipped them $50 - EACH. Really, I'm a good tipper, but that's INSANE. They're paid handsomely, a $20 under the table should have sufficed, especially since they were owners of the business.

While the movers had been moving our furniture in, we really couldn't keep an eye on them. They seemed like nice guys, and one was even an artist who picked up money through gigs like that, and we chatted for a while on the subject. So I trusted them. When I got inside and unpacked everything, including the boxes that were just laying around opened that we had brought in by car, I noticed that I couldn't find my iPod. Anywhere. I was certain I had thrown it in a specific box - because it was one of the last things to go.

Yes, I assumed the movers had stolen it. Everyone's heard a story like that. I had already had one stolen out of my car in July, and this was actually my OLD iPod - the pre-photo iPod, I think it was the second generation of them. I was desperately poor and coming off of the worst streak of luck I've ever had. It was the icing on the cake.

I couldn't prove it, so I never complained to the movers. I certainly sent bad vibes their way, though. I even recommended someone NOT use them, because of my experience.

Then, while cleaning out a box labeled "sewing stuff" - I hadn't had to sew anything in a year or so - I found the iPod.

I'm glad I didn't ever report it or accuse them of stealing it, but I do feel HORRIBLE now for having sent so much negative energy their way and recommending a person not use their services. While I still feel like it should NOT have taken four hours for 8 pieces of furniture to be transported ten blocks with already-secured-front-and-center parking, I still feel bad for that kind of karma going out when it was really my own damn fault for putting it in a different box and then never unpacking it.

They're only a local mover, but if you ever need a mover in Philly, I can recommend a nice - albeit somewhat slow - service for you.