Movin', movin', movin'

An older friend on FBook recently bemoaned the time she moved from eastern California to a house in Nevada just north of Reno. She did this move in the 1980s when her kids were in grade school. They're all adults now and she's retired.

(No idea who this person is but she looks way too happy to be moving)

It got me reminiscing about my gypsy-footed life with my own Mom when I was a kid. Our mobility was something I detested and tried to hide because I couldn't offer a valid explanation for why we moved. The summer I turned nine, it was because Mom's spirit guides told her there was going to be an earthquake in Reno, so we had to leave post haste to avoid the impending disaster. That summer in 1974, when I laid eyes on Battle Mountain, Nevada for the first time, I burst into tears. It was the ugliest town I've ever seen, still is.

Then I passed the mythical age of 18 and wild, desperate years of couch surfing and moving in and out of undesirable rentals in the crap side of town became my New Normal. It never occurred to me that part of my incessant migrating had something to do with the fact I was penniless and that many of these hurried relocations had to do with jobs, the offer of jobs or even the hope of work. Often in my twenties, my father held the tempting carrot of "help with the rent" out before me and I lunged. The help never lasted and neither did the jobs.

Here's the best I can recollect,

With Mom (or my Dad):
Born: July 1965 Monterey, California

Moved into house in Carmel Valley, Calif. 1967

Mom divorced Dad, we moved to Sacramento 1969

Mom moved us to L.A. to stay with Aunt/Uncle while she was in a psychiatric facility 1971

Moved in with Dad/Step-mother 1972 in Carmel Valley

Moved with Mom to Reno early 1973

Lived in Reno near Virginia Lake

Moved with Mom and her friend to Boise, Idaho 1973

Moved back to Reno 1973

Lived in rental house in Sparks off Rock Blvd/G St in 1973(?)

Moved into condo near Gentry Wy in Reno, Nev. 1974 (?)

Moved to Battle Mtn., NV  fall 1974 and lived in trailer from 1974- spring 1979

Moved to Elko, NV in summer 1979 and lived in basement apt until late 1979

Moved into crappy trailer rental in Elko in Dec 1979

Moved into “low-income” apartment in Elko in spring 1980 and lived there from 1980-1983

Moved to Hollister, California  in July 1983 and lived there until Dec 1983

On my own:

Rented room from weird chick in Salinas, CA in Dec 1983

Lost job in Moss Landing in Feb 1984, moved with Mom back to Battle Mtn.

Moved from B.M. to Elko for community college April 1984-June 1985

Moved to Sacramento June 1985 (at Dad insistence)

Lived with Sacto roommates from June 1985-Oct 1985

Moved back to Battle Mtn and Mom Oct 1985

Moved to Elko Jan 1986 and lived in a studio apt off Ash St.

Left Elko Sept 1986, stayed with oldest brother in Ellensburg, WA for one month

Moved back to Sacramento in Nov 1986 (at Dad’s insistence) and rented room

Moved into different rental share off Marconi Ave, in Sacto, Dec 1986

Moved into studio apt in downtown Sacramento in Jan 1987

Lost crap job via Kelley Temps, moved back to Elko March 1987

Stayed with Elko friend for a couple months

Moved into rental trailer in Elko in May 1987-Aug 1988

Moved to Reno to go to college late August 1988

Lived in crap studio near Rancho San Rafael Park Aug 1988-June 1989

Moved into basement apt off Plumas St from June 1989-May 1991

Stayed with psycho hippie in north Reno from June 1991-Aug 1991

Moved into 1bdrm off Mt Rose St from Aug 1991-Jan 1992

Moved to Carson City for welding job Jan 1992-May 1992 (homeless)

Stayed with friend(s) in Sparks May 1992-July 1992

Moved into studio off Keystone/W 4th from July 1992-Jan 1994

Lived in rental share in Cold Springs from Jan 1994-Sept 1994

Moved into studio behind frat house near UNR Sept 1994-May 1995

Moved to Ridgecrest, CA for reporter job May 1995-July 1995

Moved to Lake Crowley, CA for new reporter job July 1995-Oct 1995

Took road trip to Santa Fe, NM Oct 1995 for job interview at newspaper

Moved back to Reno and into condo w/ friend Nov 1995-April 1996

Moved to USFS barracks April 1996-June 1996

Moved into engine crew barracks Frenchman Lake June 1996-Oct 1996

Stayed with friend in Battle Mtn Oct 1996

Moved into slum studio near Wells Ave in Reno Oct 1996-Jan 1997

Moved to friend’s in San Andreas, CA after New Year’s Flood Jan 1997

Moved to ranch outside Ely, NV for one month Mar 1997

Moved back to friend’s in California April 1997

Moved into converted garage in Reno May 1997-June 1998

Moved into studio apt off Bell St west of UNR June 1998-May 2001

Moved into house in “old” Reno May 2001-Dec 2001

Jan 2002 tried to move to L.A., didn’t work

Moved into rental off S. Wells in Reno in March 2002-Dec 2002

Went to England for a month in Jan 2003

Moved into shitty cluster apt east of UNR Feb 2003-April 2003

Moved to Colorado for US Forest Service job April 2003-Sept 2003

Went to Australia for 3 months

Stayed with friend in Sparks for one month fall 2003 while car was fixed

Moved into rental room in Seattle Nov 2003-Mar 2004

Moved into current apartment Mar 2004-Present, 9 years this month

Moving is one of the most stressful experiences in life, comparable to divorce, job loss or a cancer. I'm not proud or ashamed of these 60-plus moves. I did what I had to and I'm typical of the American population.