My stuff finally arrived in NYC just after 9am today, 22 days (i.e. more than 3 weeks!) after it was picked up by Bekins. That’s only slightly less time than it took to ship 5 crates from Britain to San Francisco by boat! A few inconsequential items were physically damaged, and some of the boxes were badly water-damaged — my stereo will need to dry out thoroughly before I try using it. Most of the boxes looked like they’d been bashed around quite a bit; the fact that most of my possessions seem to have survived intact is entirely due to my girlfriend Jessica, who did an amazing job of organizing my packing when I was walking around cluelessly scratching my head, helping me pack, and dealing with the movers in California after I’d already set off. Thanks Jess!