Bitter's last day of work is Friday. She booked another flight tonight. She'll drive back to Edmonton via Banff and Jasper starting Sunday and then fly home next Thursday. It's a little sooner than we expected, but hey, you go when the flights are cheapest.
Sometimes family makes it hard. Sometimes they can't just be happy that you're coming home. Sometimes they don't believe you can make your own decisions. Sometimes it's not just because "you'll always be their child".
Next week will be a long week. But she'll be able to drive through the Rockies again. It's been a long time since we've that. And it will be nice to see her family before we go. Really.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friendship
It's too bad that some friendships start when you're about to leave a place. It could also be the leaving that makes them possible.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Got a ticket on an aeroplane
The plane tickets have been bought. We go to Toronto on May 21st. Now we need to get an acceptable cat carrier. I think accommodating Ebow will be the hardest part of the move.
I'm a rock star, Baby!
I am a rock star. Don't let anyone tell you differently. The first of the farewell parties was this weekend. Bitter invited some friends from work over for food and drinks. One brought Rock Band; one brought his new 42" LCD TV. With the size of our condo it was like have a movie screen in our living room.
Rock Band is awesome, but I have one complaint: the drums. There seems to be no way to successfully play them without the annoying whack of wood on plastic. Even the music doesn't mask it.
Anyway, most people seemed to have a good time. And performances were generally good. They would have been better had a certain Jaded drummer not consistently brought the scores down. Kudos to everyone who sang. And extra marks for the one who sang Paranoid without, I would guess, knowing any of the words. Fortunately, in Rock Band that's not a handicap.
What I find interesting about Rock Band or Guitar Hero, though, is that when I pay attention to the music I do worse. Maybe the timing of the onscreen notes and the music don't quite sync. The best way to do it would be to turn off the music so I can concentrate. Of course, that way I wouldn't hear the screams from my adoring fans.
Rock Band is awesome, but I have one complaint: the drums. There seems to be no way to successfully play them without the annoying whack of wood on plastic. Even the music doesn't mask it.
Anyway, most people seemed to have a good time. And performances were generally good. They would have been better had a certain Jaded drummer not consistently brought the scores down. Kudos to everyone who sang. And extra marks for the one who sang Paranoid without, I would guess, knowing any of the words. Fortunately, in Rock Band that's not a handicap.
What I find interesting about Rock Band or Guitar Hero, though, is that when I pay attention to the music I do worse. Maybe the timing of the onscreen notes and the music don't quite sync. The best way to do it would be to turn off the music so I can concentrate. Of course, that way I wouldn't hear the screams from my adoring fans.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Vultures... I mean realtors
We had our condo on the market for almost a month. In the "hot" Vancouver market we thought it would sell for sure. It didn't, but that's okay; we arranged the swap, which allows us to keep our place - which we love. As soon as we delisted, realtors started mailing and calling (how did they get our number?). They all start with, "I see you've recently been trying to sell your house." One even said she had several people interested. Where were they when it was on the market? Is there a whole subsector of realtors that wait for places to be delisted? I don't get it. I do get the calls and letters, though.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Anyway, onward...
We received the first draft of the house swap agreement, so it's time to start this. We leave in a about a month for a trip that will last just over a year. First we go to Toronto where I will work until April next year. Then I will take a leave for three months and we will travel - we might stick to the plan and see Europe, or maybe we'll change our minds and go to South America. At the end, we will return to Vancouver.
We have arranged to swap our condo in the West End with someone who has a condo downtown Toronto, so next year we can return home. We will travel, avec chat, somewhere between May 17-24 and I will start in our Toronto office on the 26th - same job, different office. Cube space has been somewhat limited lately, so with any luck they will have a place for me to sit.
The last couple of months have been stressful sorting out the details - changing cities, leave, trying to sell, trying to buy, trying to find renters, finding a swap. It seems like it's all coming together, though, and we're at the stage of making sure we see our friends before we go and visiting our favourite places (i.e. restaurants).
So, a new city to explore, and two jaded and bitter Westenders unleashed upon the world.
We have arranged to swap our condo in the West End with someone who has a condo downtown Toronto, so next year we can return home. We will travel, avec chat, somewhere between May 17-24 and I will start in our Toronto office on the 26th - same job, different office. Cube space has been somewhat limited lately, so with any luck they will have a place for me to sit.
The last couple of months have been stressful sorting out the details - changing cities, leave, trying to sell, trying to buy, trying to find renters, finding a swap. It seems like it's all coming together, though, and we're at the stage of making sure we see our friends before we go and visiting our favourite places (i.e. restaurants).
So, a new city to explore, and two jaded and bitter Westenders unleashed upon the world.
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