Muscle Man Moving

The Grace Period

www.musclemanmoving.com — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As you survey your new living space in pristine condition for the first (and very possibly last) time, bare wall to bare wall the rooms should be brimming full of one thing: Potential. Yes, the potential for greatness surrounds you. However, the everyday hustle and bustle of your normal life will resume in due time. Why not let your new pad marinate for a proverbial minute or two before throwing it on the barbie? You may be tired of the entire moving process by this point, but don’t let your weary arms defeat your kindred spirit. Rushing into getting your new place up and running will cut short a rare loophole in male living, referred to from here on as simply, the “Grace Period.” From as little as a day to as long as a month, the Grace Period is exactly what you make of it. A properly executed Grace Period will require a carefully prioritized “to-do” list, and yes, a “to-do” list is necessary, if only for appearances’ sake. Remember, the Grace Period is an excuse to shirk unwelcome tasks and duties, but only serves as an effective alibi when you are perceived as busy, not lazy.

First Things First: You are now privy to an enclosed arena of which you are the authority figure. Our suggestion: a fun & games day. Beer Olympics, New-Home Run Derby, whatever your heart’s wildest desire. With no valuables in sight, or at least unpacked, the propensity for property damage commonly associated with such activities is suddenly mitigated. Don’t throw caution completely to the wind, as depending on the size of your security deposit, it may still be necessary to take some precautions. Indoor paintball could make for an epic hour or so, but the long term repercussions will leave much larger marks in your bank account.
Second Tier: Once you’ve had your inaugural romp, it’s time to lay groundwork for the survival and entertainment basics. Hit the grocery store, unload a few key boxes (including the Emergency Survival Box if you’ve been paying attention), call the Direct TV guy, but don’t by any means set up your internet yet. Think about it, television provides diversion you don’t have to answer to; meanwhile, in today’s online era, computer access is synonymous with responsibility. Not to mention, a lack of internet can always be blamed on the internet company or your new landlord. Rarely would an authority figure consider that you chose to delay your own internet. For those terribly concerned with what their Facebook friends might think, just use your phone. Still, the beauty of the Grace Period is a little time off the grid, with no uninvited supervision. If you truly want to take advantage, repeat the golden phrase, “My phone charger is in some box somewhere.” This will allow you to hurry off the phone (then ignore subsequent texts) in an effort to “save battery,” without offending inbound callers.
Face the Music: All good things must come to an end. Eventually you will have to rejoin the productive members of society. The Grace Period is simply meant to be a brief reprieve, a hard earned break after the stresses of moving. Enjoy it, savor it, but don’t get lost in it.

The Moving Man Mega Mix

mrice — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:55:34 +0000

You’re not the Baltimore Colts, no need to fade quietly in the night. Well, unless legions of scorned women are conspiring to chase you to the city limits, then there might be some use for a little discretion. However, in most cases, moving should be a high energy experience, a bold proclamation that “I came; I saw; I conquered.” Looking back one final time over your shoulder at the empty space still housing memories, clenched fist held high in a quintessential victory pose, should feel like the final scene in an epic movie, cuing a power ballad as the credits roll. Which finally brings us to the point, every end to a great story needs an equally worthy soundtrack.So what jams should you crank as you pack, lift and hurl boxes around? In full disclosure, we aren’t accomplished cinematographers, but our best guess is that the sounds should somehow correlate to what’s happening on screen. In turn, you can answer your question with another question, simply by asking yourself “why am I moving?” Then use the chart below for appropriate song suggestions across all genres.Breakup

“Here I Go Again On My Own” Whitesnake (a great opener, closer or both)
“All My Friends Say” Luke Bryan
“Fck It” Eamon (obscene, impassioned and hilarious the triumvirate)
“Love You” Jack Ingram
“Designated Drinker” Alan Jackson (if you play along, let a friend drive the moving truck)
“Gone” Fuel
“Miss Me Baby” Chris Cagle
“Ho” Ludacris (short, sweet and to the point)
“All My Friends Say” Luke Bryan
“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” Darius Rucker (assuming you did the deed)
“Beer” Reel Big Fish
“Hey Jealousy” Gin Blossoms (if there’s still chance for reconciliation)

Quit Your Job/Got Fired

“Johnny Cash” Jason Aldean
“Runaway” Love and Theft (also works with heartbreak)
“Nothin’ But a Good Time” Poison
“My Prerogative” Bobby Brown
“Hit ‘Em Up” Tupac (fits really any angry mood)
“Yaaah” Soulja Boy (Hit ‘Em Up Lite, if you will)
“Real World” Matchbox 20
“Livin On A Prayer” Bon Jovi
“Man in the Mirror” Michael Jackson (if you deserved to get fired)

New Job/Opportunity

“World’s Greatest” R. Kelly
“I Believe I Can Fly” R. Kelly
Really anything by R. Kelly
“Area Codes” Ludacris (even if it isn’t true, be optimistic)
“Lose Yourself” Eminem
Jock Jams Volume 1 & 2 (in their entirety)
“Back in the Saddle” Aerosmith
“Life is a Highway” Tom Cochrane
“Paradise City” Guns N’ Roses
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” Michael Jackson
“We Are The Champions” Queen
“The Final Countdown” Europe

Feel free to mix and match from the lists above, after all, sometimes we move for little to no reason at all these are all still btchin’ tunes, none the less.

In Search of Roommate Bromance Chemistry

www.musclemanmoving.com — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:47:21 +0000

When it comes to finding a place to live, half the battle is figuring out who to live with. After all, you single men out there will want to find yourself an adequate wingman who likes to not only chase a few women from time to time, but do other man-themed things once the girl-hunting season comes to a close. Worst case scenario, you wind up with your TiVo filled with America’s Next Top Model re-runs and an oven full of home baked cookies. Actually, on second thought, the whole cooking thing might not be half bad. Still, shared interests are essential in roommate compatibility, but how can you find a person to live with if you’re moving to an area in which you literally know nobody?It may not be the manliest answer, but check Facebook. We aren’t the biggest proponents of social media, still subscribing to the outdated method of keeping in touch with people via the telephone and quality time, but having a list of everyone you know and where they live at the disposal of your fingertips can come in handy from time to time. There’s no shame in running a quick search for “Denver” to see if it come up on the “Current City” of any familiar faces.Of course, you could always ask pre-move group of friends if they know anyone who lives in your relocation area. You might not know anyone in the Denver area, but perhaps your buddy who went to Colorado at Boulder has an old frat bro who lives there that you might get along with. Any time you find mutual friends, it serves as a de facto background check for those of you who may not have password protected access to police files and court documents.In any event, sometimes you can be your own best roommate. If freedom, privacy and a general aversion to cleaning are important facets of your daily life, don’t be afraid to try living by yourself for a chance.

Emergency Survival Box

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Sit back and ask yourself, “If I was marooned on a desert island with no television or internet and I could pack one box to take with me, what would I bring?” This is a question you will need to answer a few days before you actually move out. Both computers and TV’s are excluded from the question because it very well could be a while before your connections are set up in your new place. During that process you should have plenty of time to figure out where it was exactly you packed them. Unfortunately, a lot of the boxes you’re filling to the brim with the junk you just can’t bring yourself to throw away might as well be time capsules addressed to Future You. If you’re moving during the playoffs, it could be weeks before you even make it to your second box.Because us men are easily sidetracked by sports and other things most women find trivial, not to mention our general disdain for unpacking and organization, it is crucially important to create at least one “Emergency Survival Box” to be kept separate from the mountainous pile of other boxes and in plain sight at all points in your move. When packing this survival box, be sure to include items that, while may not be of the utmost importance for you, are essential to maintaining an upstanding reputation with both employers and lady-friends alike. Pack the items you would typically take an on an out of town vacation, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, bath wash, shampoo in addition to any basic grooming tools you use on a regular basis such as a razor, shaving cream and or clippers. You might also want to include enough basic wardrobe changes in the box to get you through a week or so, in case the majority of your clothes are wadded up together in some suitcase. Moving is hectic for everybody and it could be a while before you actually get around to doing laundry.Don’t forget to account for something to do as well. A book or magazine to hold you over until the TV and internet are working should suffice for most guys. Most importantly, make sure you have the chargers for all items that make up your entertainment bread and butter, whether it be your phone, laptop or ipod.

Heavy Lifting

www.musclemanmoving.com — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:44:45 +0000

If you’re like most guys and hit the weight room less often that you watch World’s Strongest Man reruns, tossing kegs and carrying boulders isn’t quite as easy as it looks on TV. Fortunately, as long as your bravado and pride doesn’t get in the way, there are plenty of tips and devices than will enable you to quickly and efficiently move heavy boxes and furniture to and from the moving truck.Tip 1: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If anything, moving day can be a bonding experience, and a case of beer or round at the bar is usually all it will run if you are lucky enough to have a good friend or two who will lend a hand. If possible, avoid calling the friend who just moved back in with his parents or decided living with his girlfriend was a bright idea. When it comes time for that guy to move out, your name is going to be at the top of his list. Friends locked into a long term lease or with kids in the city’s top public school zone should be in high demand.Tip 2: The rental truck company will sometimes provide a dolly, or at least rent one fairly inexpensively along with the truck. Use it. You will thank yourself the next day when you can sit up out of bed without the assistance of a nurse or physical therapist. Dollies can make moving larger items significantly less stressful on the body. Athletes might get a lot of girls, but women have little to no interest in your refrigerator lifting form and technique. No need to strut your strength.Tip 3: You might not like to dance, but walking, running and general mobility seems to be something most guys are interested in. Moving gloves will greatly enhance your grip on heavier objects so you don’t wind up with a grand piano on your big toe. After all, it’s not like Bill Buckner was too proud to wear a glove, even if it turned out he really didn’t need one.

Loading the Moving Truck

mrice — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:39:49 +0000

Heading down the highway at speeds of 60 miles per hour, with the suspension of a horse and buggy skidding across cobblestone, the back of your moving truck isn’t going to look quite like the mental picture you took just before closing the hatch. If you are not careful, your boxes can make like Mexican jumping beans and you’ll have to phone in the National Guard to come in for some clean up duty before moving in to your new place. These helpful tips when loading your moving truck should teach your boxes to sit and stay, without dropping a deuce all over the floor of your moving truck.Tip 1: Load the heaviest items in first. As a rule of thumb, before you load a big box chalk full of random mementos you are going to want to load whatever major appliance or piece of furniture was originally delivered in that box. If one or two items are significantly heavier than the rest of your stuff, make sure to set them on separate sides of the truck. Balance is key if you don’t want your truck or trailer to be doing the Ickey Shuffle side to side down the interstate.Tip 2: Use mattresses, futon pads and other surfaces you used to pass out on as buffers to surround your more valuable, fragile possessions. You might love your big screen television and you might also love your book shelf, but you most certainly won’t be as fond of the hybrid lovechild they create bumping against each other in the back. Pretend like it’s your sisters first date and send the mattress as a chaperone so the book shelf keeps its safe distance.Tip 3: Place cumbersome or awkwardly shaped objects in last to make sure they will have little room to move or wiggle as roll down the road. After all, if your table is really that awkward it’s probably used to getting picked last and would be more comfortable hanging out in the corner anyway.

Renting the Right Truck

mrice — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:34:08 +0000

Sure you set the school record at Tetris back in 1996 but while you were hammering away at your Gameboy in the back of math class you might have missed some of the more valuable, greater geometry themes that day. For example, a truck shaped rectangle of a certain area can only fit a certain number of squares of a smaller area before there is simply no more area left to fill. The overwhelming confidence you have at fitting things in tight spaces, as a result of your Gameboy glory days, may actually backfire when it comes time to select your moving truck. Moving trucks come in all shapes and sizes, with larger trucks obviously coming at a much higher renting price. The “I’m sure I can squeeze it in” defense holds up about as well as Shaggy’s “It wasn’t me,” so don’t choose the rental counter as your time to suddenly get cheap.The rental truck company will provide you with an estimated cost of renting each size truck, which is also dependent on the total number of miles you need to drive it. In addition to this figure, they will also tell you approximately how much you can expect to fit in each size truck. Using U-Haul as a case study, you can rent a 10′ moving truck, a 14′ truck, a 17′ foot truck, a 24′ foot truck and a 26′ truck. Each of these models is advertised to fit an apartment, 1-2 bedrooms, 2-3 bedrooms, 3-4 bedrooms and 4 bedrooms, respectively. It is better to have more room than less room unless you’re so strapped for cash you wouldn’t mind a last minute yard sale. Bare in mind, the fine people at U-Haul haven’t actually seen your place, so if you had a wall removed to make way your surround sound entertainment center, there is no legal obligation that a “room” is defined by “any four connected walls.” Trying to cram more stuff into less space, like trying to fit into your high school football uniform (back before dumbbells turned to 12 ounce cans), may in serious injury or damage.

Cashing Out Your Security Deposit

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:29:54 +0000

Once you’ve finally got everything out of your place and onto the truck you might think the work is done for a little while, time to just sit back and enjoy a relaxing drive to your destination. Then, all of a sudden, two words blind side you like the business end of a billy club: “Security Deposit.” If you ever want to see that king’s ransom you paid to actually move into your apartment, just so they could trust you weren’t running a dog fighting ring in your living room or playing medicine ball dodge ball, you’re going to have to make sure the place is spick and span. Here are some tips you might not think about, because it’s not like your landlord is going to let it slide when he decides to stick it to you one last time.Tip 1: You’ve probably spent a lot of time around the refrigerator over the year. After all, a stringent commitment to the pizza and beer diet doesn’t usually go down smooth when it’s stale and warm. What you may not know is that most refrigerators in rental units actually roll out fairly easily and you’d be surprised to see the assortment of god-knows-what that usually collects back there. You might have to bust out the broom and dustpan, or even a heavy duty trash bag, but your inspector will look back there, so you should too.Tip 2: Change the light bulbs. Sure, you might have been able to pass off the lighting as brooding and mysterious to female guests over the past few months, but when you finally switch residences you will want to freshen those bad boys up. Charges could range anywhere from 5 to 20 a bulb if you don’t. You can probably find a 4 pack for around 5 at the store.Tip 3: When it comes to the cleaning of the main apartment, the meticulous dusting, vacuuming and wiping, you might find it best to hire a professional. Face it, some of you have lived like slobs for over a year and may have just lost your touch, others may have never had any cleaning talent to begin with. Not everyone is great at everything, if cleaning isn’t your bag, a 100 maid service might come out a lot cheaper than what your complex might charge you to have it re-cleaned themselves.

Initial Packing Tips

www.musclemanmoving.com — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:39:26 +0000

Before you bust out the weight belts and hit the heavy lifting, there is plenty of leg work even the women-folk can help with to get each room ready for moving day. Renting the truck can be expensive, no matter which company you choose, so you will want to make sure you get started as soon as you know you’re on the move. Despite what might have worked for your Intro to Literature exam on Seis de Mayo, waiting until the night before or morning of your big move to start preparing will cost you dearly. For those of you whose first time it is packing up the house or apartment, here are some helpful tips to make sure your place is ready:Tip 1: You can never have too many boxes. Try your local grocery store. They probably have more boxes than they know what to do with. It’s not like they are mailing in those bananas from Guatemala in little white envelopes. The last thing you want to do is come up few boxes short. Loose items in the back of a moving truck are the recipe for personal effects jambalaya, a bitter dish that takes a long time to digest and sort out.Tip 2: This may seem like common sense to some of you, but when packing the boxes make sure the heavier items are on the bottom. Think back to the pyramid of cheerleaders at the high school half time show. Wasn’t there a good reason Suzy Sweatstains didn’t scale the peak? Also, try not to put your 16 lbs. bowling ball side by side with your lady’s porcelain doll collection. If the space is a must, you can always use the endless supply of clothes in her closet as a buffer.Tip 3: Label your boxes. You’ve seen the scoreboard animation with 3 hats and the baseball where you have to track the ball and pick a hat at the end. This is a lot like that, except there are 30 different hats filled with 30 various contents and you have to track each one over the course of days, maybe weeks. Make it easy on yourself and just be complete and descriptive when writing down what you put in each box.