Day 64: Tired

Sadi was really successful at avoiding naptime, until he passed out.

Day 63: Snow day

Ron and Junet had some bonding time thanks to the snowy weather outside.

Day 62: Portrait

Not a super flattering shot, but it's not bad considering it was taken by a 3-year-old. :)

Day 61: Pensive

Sadi looking pensive.

Day 60: Change to believe in

[Photo credit: CBC News]

Tonight was Obama's first State of the Union. Tonight was also the first State of the Union I've watched in at least a decade, and the first one I really paid significant attention to. ("Dubya" bothered me so much as a speaker that I couldn't watch/listen to him.)

I especially liked...
- coherent sentences (a very nice change)
- a sense of humor (and humility)
- good doses of common sense/reality
- actual plans for the future (based mostly in reality, too, as a bonus!)

We'll see what 2010 brings politically, economically, and personally.

Day 59: Adjusting

Ruby misses the outdoors. :( So far he's been pretty good about not trying to get out, but he'd obviously like to.

Still, that's what happens when you refuse to come inside for 2 weeks (and then lose the ability for another week) and lose 1/2 your body weight.

Plus, I think being an indoor-only kitty in London will be a lot safer for him.

He's keeping himself busy by napping, eating, and flirting with the girl kitties.

Day 58: Playtime!

Sadi and Junet woke up super early this morning, much to my dismay. (As they were also very loud/exuberant in their early-morning playing).

Junet likes to hand you things (like those blocks) and then get stuff handed back to him.







Sadi likes to organize things and put things together (like the many puzzles we've got lying around).

Day 57: New arrivals!

This is Sadi, enjoying his first meal in his new home.

He speaks very little English, but is picking it up at lightning speed, and is overall, a pretty cool kid. Bit shy, but that's not such a bad thing.

Day 56: All set

I setup the boys' room today so that it's ready for them when they get home tomorrow.

Sadi's bed now has a full set of sheets (rather than just a top sheet), real blankets (that pink/white throw on the crib in the left was on there originally), and the crib has waterproof pad, sheets, and bumper rail setup.

As a final touch, all the toys/books that were semi-artfully (semi-chaotically) strewn all over the bed have been put away so that the bed can be used.

Day 55: Errands

Bought a box spring today to use with the bed rail for Sadi, the older boy (3 1/2) my parents are adopting.

The IKEA bed frame won't fit a box spring.

Fortunately, parents report that Sadi is a good sleeper and is unlikely to roll out of bed even without a rail.

Would've been nice to know this before
1) purchasing the box spring
2) lugging the box spring around town/up stairs
3) wrestling with the bed rail to put it together

Day 54: More lessons

Ace is finally figuring out this weird "wrestle" game.

He doesn't really understand how/why we jump on each other, but likes the growling/tail wagging bit.

Day 53: Important Lessons

Reaghan is teaching Ace the art of staring out the window and barking loudly/aggressively at things that go by.

(Tail wagging optional.)

Day 52: Sad Computer

My computer committed suicide and refused to boot.

After many hours of angst and watching install progress bars, we've successfully got Windows XP back up and running (made a brief attempt to upgrade to Windows 7 that failed) AND we have Mac OS X running - with internet!

So, success in the end.

Day 51: All it takes

...is a bone. Ace and Reaghan both got one, but Reaghan likes hers pretty well chewed, so she's graciously (cough) given hers to Ace to start for her before she'll steal it back. Ace doesn't seem to mind, though, probably in part because he's a huge chicken.

Not much else to report today. I met up with an old friend for dinner, which was really nice. We may hang out again before I leave, as a bonus. It's nice to catch up with cool people. Other than that, we're just relaxing around here, enjoying the quiet before the kiddies arrive.

Day 50: Lazy, rainy day

Pain meds have been my friend today, as my bad knee (ACL reconstruction) has been aching and unhappy today, likely due to the rain.

I spent most of the day relaxing at the computer or on the couch, which was nice, but I'd meant to work on unpacking/repacking. Oh well, at least I have over 2 weeks left to procrastinate. ;-)

Day 49: Here we go!

I booked my flight today for London!

I chose a round-trip flight because I will be heading back to the States either:
- to fetch Ace and Ruby and bring them to London
- to visit family
- to hang my head in defeat after not finding a job and overstaying my welcome (let's hope it isn't this one)

I'm still a bit amazed that in 19 days my life will "permanently" be based in another country on another continent, and will likely be far more different than I can imagine at the moment. I'm trying to keep a very open mind about the whole thing, and not planning too much about what my life could/should be like when I'm there. I'll find out in about 3 weeks, I guess!

Day 48: Bon voyage!

These are a couple of my parents' bags, and the top of their new (used) stroller.

They left this afternoon en route to Ethiopia to fetch their adopted kids (Sadi, 4, and Junet, coming 2). They'll be back in a little over a week, while I watch the house/animals.

I'm looking forward to meeting my new brothers! My dad's already acquired quite the brood (including 3 adopted kids), but these guys will be a whole new adventure.

Day 47: Truck done!

I now have a new (Maryland) license plate for my truck, as well as non-expired registration!

This means both my cars are actually legal for the road now. ;) My truck would've been fine weeks ago except apparently no one in NC knows how to reset the computer monitoring system when it's insisting you still need to drive more to reset it (after 700+ miles, when it should reset in 50-100). So that was a bit expensive/annoying.

At least it's done now, though. Once I get this on the truck, get the truck all cleaned up, and get my title back from MD, I'll post it for sale, and hope that it sells quickly. My parents have said they'll help me sell it if need be, but it'd be really nice to have that taken care of before I leave.

Day 46: The heavens are telling...

...the glory of God.

That's from Haydn's The Creation, which is one of the pieces that was rehearsed at my mom's weekly choir rehearsal that I attended tonight.

The other piece was in Hebrew, and was one of the Psalms, but I don't remember which. ;)

It was quite fun singing in a group again, though, so I'll need to see what sort of community choirs are active in London.

Day 45: A thousand miles...

This was my attempt at a shot of the highway on the way south. Obviously I need to move the camera further towards the windshield, and get the rest of that yellow sticker off the windshield. ;-)

All told, I drove about 700 miles in the last 36 hours, and at least 1,500 in the last week.

These last 300 miles were extra painful because Ruby hates being in his crate, so he spent the 4 1/2 hour drive crying the whole time. He also had a bit of an upset tummy (likely thanks to starvation + sudden food again) so we had to stop at a rest stop and clean him/his crate up a bit, which was loads of fun. We all made it alive, though, which is the important part.

Day 44: Guess who's back?

I drove back down to North Carolina today to get some things done (teeth cleaning for my dog, renewal for my car, few other errands), and who shows up the minute we pull into the driveway? Ruby!

He's obviously lost a few pounds, and gained some extra hair, but he seems to be doing well despite almost 3 weeks with no food/water. He was very indignant about not being able to get inside, but was quite happy to have attention and regular meals back on the agenda.

I also spent an enjoyable evening with friends, watching tv and hanging out. Much preferable to hanging out in my empty house, even with my pets there for company.

Day 43: Lead me not into temptation...

I almost bought one of these today. While out running errands, I stopped in at the Apple Store to compare 13" vs 15" Macbook Pros (15" FTW, by the way).

I even priced it out and investigated payment options, but decided to wait, in the end. I still have a mortgage payment to deal with (until tenants decide to rent my house....soon, please!), airfare to pay for, and a job to find, so I should wait until at least the house is rented before I go buying toys. I would like one before I head over to England, though, so people of NC, if you could decide to rent my house in the next 3 1/2ish weeks, that would be great. K? Thanks.

[Turns out it was a good choice, I think, as I found ones cheaper online - used, of course - and there's always the possibility of sales post-Macworld. Still, le sigh. Sexy computer shall have to wait.]

Day 42: Yes?

This is my bed at my parents' house. (Well, the guest bed/room).

This is Lior, one of the two kitties here. She seems to think that my bed is her bed.

She did condescend to let me pet her a bit, which is a hit-or-miss thing. She likes to be petted, but then she freaks out about it as well and goes running away, so it doesn't really work.

Her sister, Orli, looks almost exactly like her except she's thin with a fat tail rather than fat with a thin tail, and I think their faces are opposite (Orli's left eye is black.) Orli's far more social, but no less neurotic.

Day 41: Snow!

This picture turned out really weird thanks to the screen and the angle and whatnot.

At any rate, we got snow! "Real" snow (like, 3in) rather than NC's version of a blizzard (<= 1in).

It looks pretty until you have to shovel it and get around in it, but at least MD actually knows how to do those things pretty well.

Day 40: New Faces

I was planning on taking a photo of the "rig" (truck loaded up with stuff pulling the car loaded up with stuff) I drove 300+ miles from NC to MD today, but I was so rushed getting out the door (the only way to cancel one's cable internet is to return the cable modem in person by 6pm, apparently) that I didn't have a chance. Then I was in a rush to unload things once I got here so that I could return the equipment that I forgot again.

So I present instead: cute doggie.

This is Reaghan (note the H), otherwise known as PigDog. She's a 10yo German Shepherd mix, and is super sweet and lovable unless you're a small(er) dog in which case you're lunch. Her hobbies include going for walks, eating, attacking little dogs, eating, terrorizing the kitties, and eating.

Day 39: Mission Accomplished!

I have been waiting for these signatures for about 8 months.

This is the official endorsement from the NC USDA vet saying that Ace and Ruby (if he ever shows up) are authorized to travel to England within the next 4 months.

And man, when they sign it, they sign it. I don't know if it's visible, but each form has not one, but two raised seals stamped onto it. (Ruby's form actually got a bit torn from the seal).

Other things accomplished today: wasted time at the orthodontist (going back tomorrow, but really, 35 minutes after my appointment time, I expect to at least have seen the doctor, if not be done already - since I usually spend 5 minutes or less with him), dropped off my trailer to get sold (soon, I hope), went to the bank, returned library books, cleaned the house some more (still need to do a once-over when the furniture's gone), and packed up most of my stuff.

Holy cow, busy day.

Day 38: Could it be?

This is my masterpiece for the evening. I cleaned out all of my kitchen stuff (except a bit of food/dishes to use until I head out), and now have it packed up for the charity.

I think....dare I say it?...that this means that my packing is pretty much officially done. I still have a few things that I'll pack up on Tuesday before I leave, but everything else is packed, I believe.


Next up, run about a million errands tomorrow (and possibly do battle with the state of NC over a driver's license I won't use in England), and clean some more...thankfully not much left to clean, either, mainly just the floors a bit, the windows, and I need to repair some holes in the walls from screws/nails. (That'll be the easy part, the tough part will be making the repaired holes not completely obvious, especially the few at eye level right as you walk in the front door.)

Day 37: More progress

This is my living room as of 11:10pm. It may look like (and, to an extent, is) a chaotic mess, but really, this is awesome.

This represents almost the entirety of stuff left to deal with. I still have the kitchen stuff (which will go in one of those large blue bins), and some more stuff (that pile in the middle) to pack up for the charity, but other than that, it's just the DVDs on the coffee table and the books in the nook above the fireplace. And that's it*. (I think. I hope.)

I tried to take the afternoon off and go see a movie (Avatar) with friends, but it turned out all the afternoon/early evening showings were sold out. We had a nice lunch, though, and hung out a bit, and have already purchased tickets to see it tomorrow. My to-do list is shrinking, little by little, and I'm still hopeful that perhaps I can get to the point where I have a bit of relaxation time before the charity comes on Tuesday to pick everything up and I head out to MD. (Though my friends were nice enough to offer their spare bedroom for Tuesday night if I decide I'm not up to making the drive in the dark, so yay for backup plans.)

*Other than the few things (toiletries, clothes, computer) that I'll need until I head out on Tuesday, of course, but those should be really easy to pack up.

Day 36: Starting off on a good note...

So I'm starting off 2010 with tons of packing and cleaning. After 1 1/2 days of pretty much constant going, the upstairs is almost done (what's left is basically what I'll need for the next 4 days until I head north), and the downstairs is about 50% done (still need to pack up the kitchen stuff, clean/repair a bit, and pack up books/movies/etc).

While packing, I found my awesome pea coat that I bought (for < $25!) a couple of weeks ago and promptly fell in love with. I thought I'd lost it somewhere this week during all my errand-running, but there it was, where I'd looked before and somehow not noticed it. ;-)

Glad to see it back, though. It will be awesome in England...warm but not bulky (unlike my other coat, which is an outback duster type thing and definitely keeps me dry, but weighs about 20lbs.).

More packing tomorrow, oh joy. The light at the end of the tunnel is visible, at least.