Far too long

It’s been ages since I’ve posted, but this should be interpreted as a good sign. The new job is going extremely well, and unpacking for the second time since moving to NC is….. well, unpacking…. again. It invariably takes more time and energy than expected and dang, I’ve got a lot of stuff.

The original move went well, though the drive took longer than expected. The 25± foot truck and car carrier combination was slow on hills, topping out at 50mph on inclines and a complete bear during refueling, especially if you had to back up or turn around for any reason. It was also the height of the ‘08 fuel prices, and diesel was at $5+/gallon at the time .

The house rental I found in my 3 day search of the Raleigh-Durham area was overly large for what we needed and that combined with finances and preferences prompted a second move. I really like the new house (also a rental) despite a sloping front yard and lack of garden. Being 30 years older,  the insulation is at least twice as good and the usable kitchen counter and storage space is a vastly improved. Unfortunately, there are still boxes of books that have not been unpacked, mostly due to a lack of book case space, brought about by a lack of available walls.

Having lived in apartments during all my time in Phoenix, I’d forgotten the time and energy involved in yard maintenance. It’s a particular drain on time when the 6-8 oak trees decide it’s time to drop their foliage. At the moment there are more leaves to rake and some halls to deck with the holiday season is rapidly approaching. So I must depart from the keyboard, but with hopes of returning on a more regular basis. Please feel free to pester (on a regular basis) if and when I fail to so.

So busy it isn’t funny-

In the next few weeks I’m likely to be much less regular with notes and updates here. I’ve found that there is so very much to get done and an every shrinking amount of time in which to accomplish everything. I thought the planning and preparation for S. Africa were was hectic, but this is likely to become so much worse.

If all were to go quickly and easily, by the end of October I would be moving out of the current apartment to a new location and job elsewhere in the states. However, I’m beginning to have doubts that all of that- job search, apartment search, packing and moving can be accomplished in only a month. I might yet surprise myself, but it’s more likely that I’ll manage to pack and move into a smaller place (+storage) here in the Phoenix area, while the job search continues then actually move to wherever the job takes me later this year or early in the new year.

The nearer the potential move comes the more chores and tasks that seem to pile up and gain in urgency. There are a lots of things happening with Food Geeking, and I am trying to get it back on track so that it begins to have a regular, reliable schedule. In addition, the feed for it must go live soon, and much recording must be done.

Packing of books has begun, and I hope to have the majority of them packed by the end of next week and move on to paperwork, non-seasonal clothing and SCA gear. Next week is also the week to start the local apartment search, and the job search must be kicked into high gear. It will be a very exhausting and busy month, but I hope to keep on top of the many tasks and commitments I’ve made and keep everything in motion.

Wish me luck,

Photos promised-

I’ve promised photos from my stay here in S. Africa, but so far most everything I’ve seen is… well…. rather suburban. This past weekend I went to the local mall- Greenfields and visited a bookstore, purchased the British version of HP and the Deathly Hallows, caught Transformers and ate at an Italian restaurant for lunch/dinner. There one of the few local McDonald’s perhaps a 1/16 of a mile away. While it doesn’t look exactly like the downtown of a typical small to mid-sized American city it really is not much different either.

Worst case, I’ll be getting some pictures of the front garden once we get a warm day, and I’m likely to wander up Van Riebeeck Ave. one (warmer) day soon and take some photos of the local area. I do promise that photos will be forthcoming, I just won’t guarantee anything more fierce, ferocious or furry than some of the birds that inhabit the area.

London achieved-

It’s late Sunday afternoon, and I’m on layover in London, at Heathrow’s terminal 1. Nothing exciting to report beyond a comfortable flight, in an aisle seat with with no other passengers in my row.

Not much to report and otherwise all is good. I should be in S. Africa very early on Monday morning, local time and should be back online regularly starting on Tuesday, but will be at 5 hours ahead of those on the east coast.

Itinerary is set-

Just yesterday and email arrived providing 3 flight options. Each offered different advantages, yet none of them were perfect. It would have wonderful if I could have pulled out the best qualities of each, but that is not the way of the world.

I will be leaving Phoenix on Saturday the 28th of July, with a stopover in London before arriving in S. Africa on July 30th. My return to the states will begin on August 28th, once again stopping in London and reaching Atlanta on the afternoon of Wednesday August 29th.

Then the fun begins- I’ll be in Atlanta most likely until Monday September 3rd- I have yet to purchase the ticket for the return flight, but hope to do that before the weekend is out. This will put me in Atlanta for Dragon*Con. The membership was purchased today, and I have a lead on a hotel room while I’m there, hopefully more details will be forthcoming.

As with all things- the devil is in the details, and I have yet to attend to so very many details.