*20
/  THE POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU SAYS THAT ABOUT 3 PER 
/CENT OF THE NATION"S POPULATION MOVE FROM ONE STATE TO 
/ANOTHER EACH YEAR. MANY MORE PERSONS UNDOUBTEDLY MOVE 
/INTRASTATE; THE INSTITUTE OF LIFE INSURANCE ESTIMATES 
/THAT THIS YEAR 31,000,000 PEOPLE WILL PULL UP STAKES AND
/MOVE TO OTHER HOMES. IT IS DIFFICULT TO SEE WHY THIS IS
/SO. IF MOVING ONE"S HOUSEHOLD FROM ONE HOME TO ANOTHER IN
/THE SAME CITY, OR FROM ONE CITY TO ANOTHER, WERE AS SIM-
/PLE AS CHANGING A PAIR OF SHOES, THOSE FIGURES PERTAINING
/TO AMERICANS ON THE MOVE WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING. BUT
/MOVING, AND ESPECIALLY LONG-DISTANCE MOVING, IS AN
/INCREDIBLY COMPLEX, UNCOMFORTABLE, UNSETLLING, WEARISOME,
/EXPENSIVE AND DISTASTEFUL OPERATION.
/  HERE IN CITY A, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE OLD FRIENDS AND NEIGH-
/BORS, OLD HAUNTS -- FAMILIAR FACES, FAMILIAR SCHOOLS,
/FAIMILAR CHURCH, COMFORTABLE IF NOT PLUSH HOUSE -- AND
/FIRMLY FIXED HABITS. THERE IN CITY B, ARE NEIGHBORS OF
/YET UNDETERMINED HUMOURS, NEW SURROUNDINGS AND PERHAPS
/CUSTOMS; STRANGE SCHOOLS AND -- AT FIRST GLANCE -- GIMLET
/-EYED TEACHERS, A CHURCH WITH PERHAPS DIFFERENT HYMNBOOKS
/(VERY UNSETTLING) TO SAY NOTHING OF A WHOLLY STRANGE
/ORDER OF WORSHIP. AND HIGH ON THE LIST OF PAINFUL ADJUST-
/MENTS IS THE NECESSITY OF FORMING NEW HABITS, OF FINDING
/NEW RESTAURANTS, PERHAPS CHANGING ONE"S MODE OF
/TRANSPORTATION AND THEN THERE IS THE LITTLE MATTER OF
/THE NEW HOUSE.
/  THE MATTER OF THE NEW HOUSE APPEARS ON THE AGENDA EARLY
/IN ANY MOVING OPERATION. THE LADY OF THE (OLD) HOUSE SAYS
/THAT THE NEW HOUSE MUST BE LARGER, NEARER TO STORES,
/NEARER TO SCHOOLS, WITH A LARGE YARD, WITH FIREPLACES, A
/SUNNY KITCHEN, ETC., ETC. AND THE HEAD OF THE (OLD) HOUSE
/FINDS HIMSELF SADDLED NOT ONLY WITH THE TASK OF ADJUSTING
/HIMSELF TO NEW ASSOCIATES IN WHAT MAY BE A TOTALLY
/STRANGE PLACE BUT ALSO WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FINDING
/A NEW HOUSE ANSWERING THE FOREGOING DESCRIPTION. IF HE IS
/WISE, THE HEAD OF THE (OLD) HOUSE WILL SOMEHOW TURN THE
/IMPORTANT (AND TIME-CONSUMING) BUSINESS OF DISCOVERING A
/NEW HOUSE TO THE DISTAFF SIDE SO THAT IN THE EVENT
/MATTERS TURN OUT POORLY, HE, AND NOT SHE, CAN SAY, "WELL
/I DIDN"T THINK MUCH OF THE HOUSE IN THE FIRST PLACE, BUT
/I DIDN"T LIKE TO SAY SO."
/  BUT NO MATTER WHAT, THE NEW HOUSE WILL BE A PROBLEM.
/EVEN THE MOST CAREFUL INSPECTION OF A HOUSE DOES NOT
/PREPARE ONE FULLY FOR LIVING IN IT. INSPECTION BEFORE
/MOVING IN DOES NOT PREPARE ONE FOR THE DISCOVERY THAT THE
/MOVERS WITH THEIR VAN LOAD OF FURNITURE -- AND WHAT LOOKS
/MORE WORN AND FRAZZLED THAN WORN FURNITURE BEING CARTED
/ACROSS A PAVEMENT, FROM TRUCK TO HOUSE, IN THE COLD LIGHT
/OF DAY? -- AND A SMALL ARMY OF PAINTERS HAVE ARRIVED AT
/THE NEW HOUSE AT THE SAME TIME. INSPECTION BEFORE MOVING
/DOES NOT PREPARE ONE FOR THE DISCOVERY THAT THE PREVIOUS
/OCCUPANTS HAVE DECAMPED WITH ALL BUT THREE WINDOW SHADES,
/LEAVING THE NEW RESIDENTS AND ALL THEIR DUSTY FURNITURE
/AND THEIR UNDISGUISED MISERY FULLY EXPOSED TO CURIOUS
/EYES.
/  INSPECTION DOES NOT DISCLOSE THAT, ALTHOUGH ONE MAY
/COME FROM A PLACE WHERE TRASH, ASHES, AND GARBAGE WERE
/PICKED UP TWICE A WEEK, HERE AT THE NEW HOUSE TRASH IS
/PICKED UP EVERY TWO WEEKS ON ONE DAY, ASHES ON ANOTHER
/DAY, AND GARBAGE ON STILL ANOTHER. OR THAT THE PAPER
/BOY"S AIM AT THE NEW HOUSE IS WORSE THAN A CERTAIN LAD"S
/AIM AT THE OLD. OR THAT THE NEW HOUSE"S WINDOWS RATTLE
/ALARMINGLY EVEN IN A LIGHT BREEZE. OR THAT THERE ARE
/FEWER SHELVES IN THE KITCHEN THAN ONE HAD SUPPOSED. OR
/THAT ONE OF THE GARAGE DOORS -- A HEAVY, HEAVY DOOR --
/IS ABOUT TO FALL OFF.
/  BUT THERE IS THE NEW HOUSE -- AND IT"S LARGER YARD,
/JUST AS THE LADY OF THE (OLD) HOUSE WANTED IT. WITH MORE
/GRASS TO CUT. A NICE, BU HEDGE TO TRIM. LOTS OF TREES TO
/SHED THEIR LEAVES IN SEASON. AND A LOT OF NEIGHBORS, WHO,
/AS YET, DO NOT APPEAR TO BE THE TYPE EAGER TO SHARE ANY
/OF THEIR BELONGINGS WITH NEWCOMERS WHO HAVE NO SHADES ON
/THEIR WINDOWS AND APPEAR TO BE, FOR ALL THE WORLD, A
/BUNCH OF GYPSIES WITH A HEAP OF BROKEN-DOWN OR AT LEAST
/BADLY-BENT FURNITURE. THE NEW HOUSE WILL BE ALL RIGHT
/SOME DAY, BUT WHEN THE MOVERS HAVE GONE AND THE DOOR IS
/CLOSED (STICKILY), THE OLD HOUSE LOOKS PRETTY GOOD,
/WHEREVER IT WAS.