Boxes, boxes, boxes
They're everywhere. Boxes with stuff to keep in them, boxes with stuff to give to charity, boxes with stuff to throw out. How can one person have so much stuff?!
It's weird, because i'm only going away for 2 years - but I need to get rid of so much. I seem to have developed a strange emotional attachment to random bits of furniture and refuse to pass them one though. They'll be snuck into people's houses...only for me to return and claim them as my own again when I come back!
My friend Piers moved to New Zealand a couple of months back and I helped him sort through all their stuff...at the time I thought he was mad, to be honest, at the amount of stuff he was keeping. But now...now I TOTALLY understand! It's insane how many things people are capable of hiding away in cupboards, attics and under beds. Surely if you haven't seen the stuff in years, you're not going to miss it if you throw it away? Oh no...you'll miss it, can't quite bring yourself to throw it away!
I've been quite good and got rid of quite a bit, but there's still *so* much that will be livining in little, white, plastic crates in my mum's garage. I'll probably never open the crates again...but it's all safe and tucked away. Bonkers mad.
I've also developed the "moving country, do you want it?" phrase. If anyone comes into my house and so much as looks at an item of furniture, picture, small bit of fluff on the floor I'll leap in and whisper quietly to them "Do you like it? Do you want it...? It's free...take it..." Some people are now afraid to come round to my house. I'm very tempted to box up some random items and send them to New Zealand...you know who you are...;o)
Ten years of my life being squeezed into little boxes. Ten years of my life being pruned back. Ten years of my life causing my a lot of bloody agro right now!
The cats have been for their first Pet Passport vet visit. Both now jabbed against Rabies - I swear Shortstop dribbled a bit and looked a tad mad that night. They both go back for blood tests in about 2 weeks to check the vaccine has worked. Turns out Rupert may have a bit of a dodgy ticker - irregular heartbeat and slightly slower than normal. They're going to monitor it and if it's still going "flip flop" next time they may do an ECG and see what's going on. Decisions will need to be made in regards to him flying on a jet plane...
Flights, accomodation and large jeep are booked for 22nd September when I disappear off to Nova Scotia for a week to check the place out. I also plan to camp out in the college registry office and not leave until they give me an answer. If they say no then I will chain myself to the desk and sing a rousing campfire song, involving bears and moose. Worse case scenario is that I get dragged away by a Mountie...ding dong...;o)
I was tempted to include a picture of my sitting room in this post - but it's rubbish. Imagine many boxes (as previously mentioned), my bike, a pot plant, many suitcases, a table full of copper coins, empty shelves, Albert the in-destructable standing in the corner mocking me and for some weird reason a duvet in the corner. That's my sitting room.
When i'm finished with this University maddness I'm going to buy a lovely, lovely house and I shall live in it forever. I shall never move and I will fill the attic with all my stuff. I will have shelves upon shelves of books and comfy chairs. I will have a dog called Harrison and I will admire my degree certificate that will be framed upon the wall...
This post is dedicated to the person who always says the right thing and reminds me often why I'm doing this. The person knows who they are and I miss the hugs that go with the advice. :o)
It's all about the time...
Everything is my life now feels like it's dictated by time.
I got my official letter from Vancouver, which set my mind into a bit of a buzz as to when I should go over to Canada and check everything out. Randomly decided that it would be best to go *immediately*...
Quickly decided against that decision as I need to move house in the next 3 weeks - not a small job either seeing as I need to dispose of all my furniture before then. Not just move it! After much changing of my mind, a frantic call to the Canadian embassy (quite how frantic it was in reality I'm not too sure...I was listening to a recorded voice...still paced about the car park like a nutter though!) and near misses on expedia... I've decided to stick with the original plan and head over at the end of September. I'll have all the necessary certificates by then and the study visa should only take about 10 days to process (at least that's what auto-Canadian lady told me). Nova Scotia should have responded by then too - so I'll be able to make a sensible choice between the two. If Nova Scotia haven't responded by then...I think I'll just strike them off the list regardless!
Annoyingly things are going well at work at the moment and it's taking quite a large chunk of my time and brain power up. Very strange place to work though - one minute you're bottom of the heap and the boss couldn't care less...next day you're golden and the best thing ever...weird.
I would like to mention at this point that I have successfully begun my Squash fightback. After being nearly thrown out of the "league" with a disastrous showing leaving me 7 games to 3 down, I've clawed my way back to now be 8 games to 5...still down...but not over yet! First to 10 and I aim to get damn close. Hurts like hell afterwards...tend to be chucking the odd ibrupofen now my throat at the half-time break - but...bah!
There was one scary moment when my opponent, who for certain reasons shall remain nameless, was directly in the way of my upcoming shot. A small voice in my head said "Show no mercy...". So I didn't. I got the point and said opponent picked himself off the floor and calmly said "Seriously...quite happy to just give you the point if it protects me!" In return I suggested that maybe he should move faster next time...;o)
Rupert
About time I included this evil monster...
The clock's ticking
Wow, loads has happened over the last few days.
The survey is being done on the house on Thursday 4th August. If it goes all ok I've got a feeling I could be moving out at the end of August. Good news is that I've found somewhere to rent short-term. Going to be living in a converted stable (nice!) until I need to head over the pond. Started creating the list of things to sell from the house and another list of things which I will need to store (i.e. dot around kind people's houses and collect again in a few years time!!)
This evening I got the official letter from Vancouver (ok, Kamloops!) - Thompson Rivers University saying I've been accepted into the pre-vet programme. This has prompted me to chase Nova Scotia and ask for a decision as soon as they can. Now plan to visit both places, probabbly during the week 13th August. I need to make my decision fairly quickly due to needing to get an application in for a student visa.
Working on the cat situation...good news is that I've found out there's no quarantine going or coming from Canada. There's no way I'll take them out in Januaray, but if things go well then I may consider taking them for the next semester. All too early to tell at the moment, but I really can't consider leaving them for good...
Starting to look into all the day to day things - like bank accounts, money transfer and loads of stuff! Trying to do one thing at a time and not get too stressed by it all. First things first - choose the Uni, confirm the Uni, move house...breathe...start to organise a trans-atalantic move. No worries...
