It's working as planned

And so it begins in earnest.

As I write this on Tuesday morning at 11:39, two very efficient women from Door to Door Solutions are carefully and scrupulously packing everything in preparation for tomorrow's move.

They're good. Really good.

They also have all the supplies they need to do it right. In the past week, I've already moved about six boxes of stuff to the apartment on my own. I did not have the right supplies. I was not as organized as these two women are. My bad.

It's disconcerting. There are boxes everywhere. I keep having to look for a pencil or pen to jot things down. The fridge has a bottle of soda, half of a sandwich, and a container of yogurt in it. That's all. I'll be on my own for dinner tonight. It'll probably be a double cheeseburger from McDonald's.

They're not packing the coffee maker. I'll definitely need that tomorrow morning.

Hiring a company that packs, moves, and unpacks my belongings has made this so much easier than it might have been. Hiring a designer, who came up with an imaginative floor plan and will be on site tomorrow to supervise placement, was also a smart idea. A friend -- a former curator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a colleague for three decades -- badgered me into using a designer. Thanks, Maggie!

Tonight I'll have my TV and my computer, a bed, a lamp, and a chair to sit in while I read, and my morning supplies: toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, mouthwash, shampoo and soap.

Everything else will be packed, wrapped, secured, boxed or padded, and waiting for the movers at 9 a.m.

Sure, I'm stressed. I expected to be.

But the move is going exactly as planned.

And that's the good news on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.