Editor's note: Barry Courter has a 25-year-old son who is a college graduate and a 20-year-old daughter who is a sophomore in college.

Q: Dad, is it always so difficult to get utilities like water, power and Internet hooked up when you move?

A: It is an unwritten law that at least one of them will be difficult and will require that you spend at least five hours on the phone trying to work it out. It doesn't happen with all of them all the time. In fact, sometimes it's very easy, but you never can predict which will be the easy one and which will be difficult. In a related matter, pay your bills on time. Getting a reconnect can be expensive, and you usually don't realize your power or water have been turned off until after business hours on a Friday night.