It's the end of March (!) and time for an update on the to-do list:
1. Sell my (seemingly magic pudding-esque) stuff: About half the stuff has either gone or is promised to people. Of the things left I'll be taking only a few to my parents' place. Everything else is going to the Salvos or on the street.
2. Either give away or store those things I can't/won't sell: See above.
3. Get the car repaired and sell it: It got repaired and, with the very kind help of a mate, will hopefully be sold in the next week. Phew!
4. Contact my service providers (phone, internet, bank, etc) and other companies I'm associated with and either cancel my membership or ask their advice on what to do: This is on my list for tomorrow afternoon.
5. Find out if the working visa has been approved: Done. Approved. Hooray!
6. Move out from Glebe into my parents' place in the southern highlands for the last week in Australia: This is happening on Monday week, and dad's driving down with a large trailer to bring back a heap of stuff.
7. Race at the NSW Dragonboat State Championships: Less than a week to go until we're racing at Penrith. The team, despite missing a few experienced and strong paddlers, feels pretty good and we might even get two full mixed teams on the water. Unheard of!
8. Have a party (more of a want than a need): We did, last night, and it rocked. Big thanks to KT for organising it and to everyone who was there for making it so much fun. I have to say though, the conversation I had with my brother at 2am was one of the more bizarre experiences of recent times...An outpouring of genuine emotion that I'd never seen from him, and a demonstration of his willingness to bridge the distance within the family. Kudos to Matt for having the courage to accept his part and try to make amends. Hopefully, as with his wedding to Jos, this will be a permanent step in the right direction.
9. Review my French class notes and cram before the flight: Yeah, okay, so not everything is going according to plan. But I bought a revision book and plan to spend the 27 hours to Paris making good use of it.
10. Find a job in Paris: Not much luck, I'm afraid. But I'm optimistic and quite looking forward to trying something/s new.
Aside from all this I'm catching up with friends, working until next Friday, planning things to do and people to see while in Europe, and generally feeling more and more excited about the trip.
T-minus 12 days!
Mar 30, 2008
Mar 21, 2008
Easter
Chocolate eggs, a 4-day weekend - what more could we ask for? Oh wait, I know - how about good weather!? In typical Sydney fashion the 2 weeks of glorious sun and warmth disappeared instantly last night, leaving behind rain and wind. I mean, really - you could give us a little more warning than that, don't you think? I'd planned a paddle + picnic with friends today but it's not looking all that inviting right now. Still, it's not even 9am yet so I'll keep my fingers crossed for a change.
And while I'm waiting I can recap on the week that's been. I got the visa on Monday - hooray! It's ugly (as far as visas go - China, for example, was beautiful) but it was the last obstacle preventing me from making the trip so I'm feeling more than just a little relieved.
On Tuesday night I went to Elodie's house for dinner with some of her friends. Dinner was amazing - 5 courses, all hand-made, inlcuding Iles flotant for dessert. Mmmm. Her friends are great too, so it was a lovely night. The only down-side was breaking my Havianas and Marie's car running out of petrol in the middle of the city (coincidentally at the same time...ooo, spooky) on the way home.
On Wednesday night I played Wii at John's house. Holy shirt - talk about exhausting! I'm going to convince the Frenchy to buy one and claim the health benefits above the gaming experience. It'll totally work. Anyway, we ate pizza, played Wii until late, and managed to avoid being eaten by Mr Tibbs, John's 'cat' (inverted commas because it's really a not-so-small lion in disguise).
And yesterday I got the car back from the repairers. It looks amazing and will hopefully help the potential sale this weekend.
Speaking of which, the sale is going well. Most items have a buyer or taker and I'll be getting rid of a few things this weekend. I can't wait for the house to look a little more empty - at the moment it's still like it always was (i.e. crammed with stuff) - as I think having less in the house will make me feel like I'm closer to being able to leave.
Okay, enough from me. Time for breakfast.
And while I'm waiting I can recap on the week that's been. I got the visa on Monday - hooray! It's ugly (as far as visas go - China, for example, was beautiful) but it was the last obstacle preventing me from making the trip so I'm feeling more than just a little relieved.
On Tuesday night I went to Elodie's house for dinner with some of her friends. Dinner was amazing - 5 courses, all hand-made, inlcuding Iles flotant for dessert. Mmmm. Her friends are great too, so it was a lovely night. The only down-side was breaking my Havianas and Marie's car running out of petrol in the middle of the city (coincidentally at the same time...ooo, spooky) on the way home.
On Wednesday night I played Wii at John's house. Holy shirt - talk about exhausting! I'm going to convince the Frenchy to buy one and claim the health benefits above the gaming experience. It'll totally work. Anyway, we ate pizza, played Wii until late, and managed to avoid being eaten by Mr Tibbs, John's 'cat' (inverted commas because it's really a not-so-small lion in disguise).
And yesterday I got the car back from the repairers. It looks amazing and will hopefully help the potential sale this weekend.
Speaking of which, the sale is going well. Most items have a buyer or taker and I'll be getting rid of a few things this weekend. I can't wait for the house to look a little more empty - at the moment it's still like it always was (i.e. crammed with stuff) - as I think having less in the house will make me feel like I'm closer to being able to leave.
Okay, enough from me. Time for breakfast.
Mar 17, 2008
Mar 16, 2008
Why?
I realised today - typically belatedly - that I haven't written about why I'm moving to Paris. Primarily, it's to live with B. We've been going out (in the modern, world-encompassing sense of the term) for almost 2 years and we recently made a decision that if we were going to stay together one of us needed to move. I'm at a point in my life where it's relatively easy to make a big move like this, hence the blog.
It's not that I don't like living where I am now. I do. A lot. I love Sydney, and I'm madly in love with its Harbour and my access to it. Plus I have a great bunch of friends, my family and I are getting along better and my lifestyle is pretty darned good. But B and I have something and I want to see where it goes. Also, the move gives me a chance to try new things work-wise and find something I can call a career, and that's a great thing.
This doesn't mean I intend to move permanently. I have every intention of coming back to Sydney at some stage. I just don't know when or how long that will be for, and for now I really want to see what adventures Paris has in store.
There are now less than 4 weeks to go. Oddly enough, despite the reduced time, I'm not as anxious as I was when this blog began, partly because we can cross a few things off the to-do list - visa submission (and hopefully approval - fingers crossed for tomorrow), car repairs (it's due for retrieval this week) and selling my stuff (about 2/3 of the CDs and furniture). Plus I'm having fun with life - bike rides, outrigging, concerts, movies, dinner and more exercise than before so the remaining time seems well-spent.
Anyway, the adventure is getting closer and I'm feeling better about it. Someone asked me how I was feeling today - I said 'Do you remember that Simpson's episode where someone asks Marge how she felt about Homer being an astronaut? She said "You know Homer, when I found out about this I went through a wide range of emotions. First I was nervous, then anxious, then wary, then apprehensive, then kinda sleepy, then worried, and then concerned. But now I realize that being a spaceman is something you have to do."'
That's how I feel. My feelings change throughout each day but overall I'm happy about the decision that's been made.
It's not that I don't like living where I am now. I do. A lot. I love Sydney, and I'm madly in love with its Harbour and my access to it. Plus I have a great bunch of friends, my family and I are getting along better and my lifestyle is pretty darned good. But B and I have something and I want to see where it goes. Also, the move gives me a chance to try new things work-wise and find something I can call a career, and that's a great thing.
This doesn't mean I intend to move permanently. I have every intention of coming back to Sydney at some stage. I just don't know when or how long that will be for, and for now I really want to see what adventures Paris has in store.
There are now less than 4 weeks to go. Oddly enough, despite the reduced time, I'm not as anxious as I was when this blog began, partly because we can cross a few things off the to-do list - visa submission (and hopefully approval - fingers crossed for tomorrow), car repairs (it's due for retrieval this week) and selling my stuff (about 2/3 of the CDs and furniture). Plus I'm having fun with life - bike rides, outrigging, concerts, movies, dinner and more exercise than before so the remaining time seems well-spent.
Anyway, the adventure is getting closer and I'm feeling better about it. Someone asked me how I was feeling today - I said 'Do you remember that Simpson's episode where someone asks Marge how she felt about Homer being an astronaut? She said "You know Homer, when I found out about this I went through a wide range of emotions. First I was nervous, then anxious, then wary, then apprehensive, then kinda sleepy, then worried, and then concerned. But now I realize that being a spaceman is something you have to do."'
That's how I feel. My feelings change throughout each day but overall I'm happy about the decision that's been made.
Mar 9, 2008
Bridge to Beach
Blues Point on Sydney Harbour - the start of the 2008 Bridge to Beach. We (KT and I) paddled from Rose Bay at 7am to Blues Point, then 11km to Manly Cove, then back to Rose Bay. All up - 29km. What an awesome morning!
My head is swimming from the swell (and also probably from the 29km and being up since 5am) but there's a smile planted firmly on my face.
But it has me thinking - the times I'm outrigging on the Harbour in this sort of weather are the only times that make me wonder why I'd ever leave Sydney. I mean, look at it - can you blame me?
...focus on the pain au chocolat, focus on the adventure, focus on her...
Mar 8, 2008
The weekend...
...started on Friday night with dinner on Oxford Street with John & his mates for his birthday. Good food, good wine, good company - nice.
Saturday began early (5am - yawn) with Tsunami time trials. I maintained my position as the fastest paddler - a great way to see out the last trial before the move. As always, being up against Matty helped hugely. Thanks Feros!
The day's continued well - I've been ripping CDs to the portable hard drive, working my way through the list of things to sell, even managing to fit in some baking (a banana bread & butter pudding, which turned out quite well all things considered), and soon Claire will be here for a cup of tea and a taste-test of the pudding. The rest of the day will be spent ripping more CDs. I'm such a social butterfly!
Tomorrow is looking fantastic - a 5am start again but then a 25-30km paddle (on the OC1) including the Bridge to Beach. KT and I are starting at Rose Bay, heading over to Blues Point for registration, then paddling to Manly Cove and back to Rose Bay. Even better, the weather is supposed to be wonderful and I might even get the chance to take a few pics for the blog. it's been ages (last October in the Hawkesbury Classic) since I did a decent length stint on the OC, and I'm really quite excited about it.
After the paddle there's a going-away picnic for Anna & Steve in Glebe, which should be heaps of fun. It'll be a great way to end the weekend.
Saturday began early (5am - yawn) with Tsunami time trials. I maintained my position as the fastest paddler - a great way to see out the last trial before the move. As always, being up against Matty helped hugely. Thanks Feros!
The day's continued well - I've been ripping CDs to the portable hard drive, working my way through the list of things to sell, even managing to fit in some baking (a banana bread & butter pudding, which turned out quite well all things considered), and soon Claire will be here for a cup of tea and a taste-test of the pudding. The rest of the day will be spent ripping more CDs. I'm such a social butterfly!
Tomorrow is looking fantastic - a 5am start again but then a 25-30km paddle (on the OC1) including the Bridge to Beach. KT and I are starting at Rose Bay, heading over to Blues Point for registration, then paddling to Manly Cove and back to Rose Bay. Even better, the weather is supposed to be wonderful and I might even get the chance to take a few pics for the blog. it's been ages (last October in the Hawkesbury Classic) since I did a decent length stint on the OC, and I'm really quite excited about it.
After the paddle there's a going-away picnic for Anna & Steve in Glebe, which should be heaps of fun. It'll be a great way to end the weekend.
Mar 3, 2008
Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
Don't be drinking anything when you watch this. Not unless you have a towel handy.
Mar 2, 2008
To do
Here's what needs to happen before I go:
1. Sell my (seemingly magic pudding-esque) stuff
2. Either give away or store those things I can't/won't sell
3. Get the car repaired and sell it
4. Contact my service providers (phone, internet, bank, etc) and other companies I'm associated with and either cancel my membership or ask their advice on what to do
5. Find out if the working visa has been approved (in 2 weeks' time)
6. Move out from Glebe into my parents' place in the southern highlands for the last week in Australia
7. Race at the NSW Dragonboat State Championships
8. Have a party (more of a want than a need)
9. Review my French class notes and cram before the flight - mince!
10. Find a job in Paris
1 and 2 are underway thanks to several hours spent making an inventory of (what's the verb? Inventorying?) everything in my house. Only with the creation of the inventory did I become aware what a relentless hoarder I really am. Seriously - how did I accumulate so much crap?
3 depends on the timing of the repairs (necessary due to a small prang a few weeks ago) but should get done in time. I suppose I could ask my folks to do it for me. I mean, what have they done for me lately? (Yes, mum - I'm kidding.)
4 and 5 are just a question of time and a little effort. Time and effort spent doing non-work related things at work, of course.
6 and 7 are, unfortunately, on the same weekend. That's going to take some coordination...
8 is going to be great. Reggio's, friends, garlic, pizzas, truckloads of red wine - now I just need to find someone to organise it.
9 is...well...happening. Slowly.
10. Any takers? I promise not to steal all your Post-it notes at once.
I'm sure this was par for the course for thousands of people before me, and writing it down does make it appear more manageable, but overall it still feels daunting.
She's worth it, though.
1. Sell my (seemingly magic pudding-esque) stuff
2. Either give away or store those things I can't/won't sell
3. Get the car repaired and sell it
4. Contact my service providers (phone, internet, bank, etc) and other companies I'm associated with and either cancel my membership or ask their advice on what to do
5. Find out if the working visa has been approved (in 2 weeks' time)
6. Move out from Glebe into my parents' place in the southern highlands for the last week in Australia
7. Race at the NSW Dragonboat State Championships
8. Have a party (more of a want than a need)
9. Review my French class notes and cram before the flight - mince!
10. Find a job in Paris
1 and 2 are underway thanks to several hours spent making an inventory of (what's the verb? Inventorying?) everything in my house. Only with the creation of the inventory did I become aware what a relentless hoarder I really am. Seriously - how did I accumulate so much crap?
3 depends on the timing of the repairs (necessary due to a small prang a few weeks ago) but should get done in time. I suppose I could ask my folks to do it for me. I mean, what have they done for me lately? (Yes, mum - I'm kidding.)
4 and 5 are just a question of time and a little effort. Time and effort spent doing non-work related things at work, of course.
6 and 7 are, unfortunately, on the same weekend. That's going to take some coordination...
8 is going to be great. Reggio's, friends, garlic, pizzas, truckloads of red wine - now I just need to find someone to organise it.
9 is...well...happening. Slowly.
10. Any takers? I promise not to steal all your Post-it notes at once.
I'm sure this was par for the course for thousands of people before me, and writing it down does make it appear more manageable, but overall it still feels daunting.
She's worth it, though.
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