So I spoke to my mechanic, and his opinion was that if I was moving to Kansas or Nebraska, the Altima would do fine, it’s a tough little car, but asking it to haul a loaded trailer over the Rockies would be an act of automotive cruelty.
Furthermore, it occurs to me that while renting a truck or a pod or anything else is not a business expense, buying office furniture once I’m out in San Jose will be…as will shipping my art supplies and equipment. So at the end of the day it comes down to $2K+ that I don’t get to write off, vs $1K+ that I largely do. And that’s a good thing. (This year, that’ll be a VERY good thing…Ursula may find herself in entirely the wrong tax bracket after the book advance, and Uncle Sam is unlikely to care that I used it to pay off student loans, credit cards, cat bladders and get a divorce with, and am not exactly livin’ the life ‘o Riley. Half my advance is going straight to prepay taxes as it is…Kids, remember this–if you ever become successful as an artist, remember to allow for taxes.)
So to heck with it. I’m mailing everything I need, storing everything I don’t need, and hitting Ikea once I’m out there. And that’s a good enough plan for one year.
Having finally–finally!–figured out what I’m doing, I feel much more relaxed. Living Swedish pre-fab minimalist for a year is probably good for the soul or something. The thing I’ll miss most is my art–(not stuff I’ve done, but stuff I own.) I have waaaaay too much of it. A couple of standard-sized prints can be de-framed, tubed, and re-framed on the far side much more cheaply than they could be shipped, but most of it will have to stay here.
I’m taking most of the masks, though. Art is art, but I’d feel weird without the Barong staring at me. And while Ben is great for ninjas, if you’re trying to ward off evil spirits, you can’t beat the Barong.
