Weekend Summary - People are moving everywhere! - Day 32

This Saturday has been full of comings and going. A friend called last night and asked if I could help him and his wife move to their new apartment. It turns out most of his stuff was in storage, and his mother also needed help clearing out her items from the storage unit. So from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, I was helping him move. I was happy to help a life-long friend and it seemed like it only took three or four hours, not double that time. Everything went well, and they are settling in to their new digs.

Also, my tenants in my basement moved out today. This is a bit of a hardship, as I was not expecting them to leave for another couple of months, but they gave me notice two weeks ago, their lease was up, and they paid for thirty days, so nothing to complain about really. They were good tenants and I was sad to see them go.

Another move happened today in the Tandy household. We decided not to rent out our basement any longer. Our son is 14 months old and still in our bedroom because there was no where else for him. The study we have on the first floor also houses the dog kennel, bookcases, and the litter box, among other items. It's a craft/cat/dog/office/computer/sewing/study room. As such, after all day moving a friend, I grabbed a bite to eat with my family, went shopping for some groceries, and then pulled down massive amounts of boxes and bags from our attic crawlspace to be sorted through and properly stored. It should be noted, the attic crawlspace was used for storage because I had no where else to put things, so I had laid planks across the insulation and ceiling beams! Anyway, 10:30 PM, and we finished moving them. Now we have a week of moving other furniture, organizing, and more. The up side? I will have a better space to write in. Canning can be done in the downstairs kitchen, keeping our upstairs kitchen open for actual meals. Crafts can be accomplished easier, no more trips into the crawlspace, and my son will get his own room!

With all of this, I keep on writing and keep on blogging. But more than that, it's made me reflect about how much change can be in a character's life. Within just a short period of time, a day, a week, and a lifetime can be changed. It doesn't require some catastrophe like a death, or terrorist attack. Most characters are who they are and in their positions not because of those events, but because of the character and life building activities that add depth and realism. This next week I will be pondering how I can add more depth to my characters in the simple things of life.

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Categories: Author Blog , Matt Tandy , Matthew Tandy , Weekend Summary