I've been reading Bruce's moving tales with interest. Local moves allow so much more flexibility!
When I moved from Santa Monica to San Diego County many years ago, I had really lousy movers. My furniture was going into storage, as I'd be staying with a friend for a few months. I'd carefully set aside the things I'd take with me in the car and told the movers not to pack anything from my bedroom closet. I arrived at my friend's house, unpacked my car, only to learn that the idiot movers had, of course, packed what I'd told them NOT to and I now had only the tennis shoes I was wearing. All my business shoes had gone to storage. Fortunately, this was a Sunday and I was able to go to the local shopping mall and purchase a pair of shoes suitable for the office. I learned that if you don't want them to pack something, then don't even let them see it.
