Nestmaid

Emily (see below, with the man in the Hawaiian toga) came to Seattle with me and invented the concept of "nestmaid"--like a bridesmaid, but for moving. She helped me with a million little tasks plus with the large task of feeling settled. We also played some fantastic games of Botticelli ("Krishna?" "Not blue.")

Seattle is full of pros and cons. Cons: my apartment is covered with dropcloths and is only barely begun to be painted, so I will be camping out for a while. Pros: the people here make "Minnesota nice" seem like open hostilities. For instance, I was buying a drink at the little cart at Lowe's, got chatting with the woman running the place, and got offered a part-time job. That would so never happen in Boston or the OC.

My landlords are super-nice, but ... they go running for transportation. I'm not sure that's right.