No Title

I have no title for this posting. I have been hesistant to post, as it seems putting my thoughts into words is...what is the word...taxing. The househunting is still in action (WILL IT EVER END?), I am still awaiting my official enrollment so I can get a student id and get some shit done, and my dog is still in quarantine. Alas, nothing has changed but it does seem that we have gotten a lot done. Go figure? Our days just fly past!

Speaking of good things. Cappy is out in one week exactly. This time next week we will be landing in Sydney and making our way out to the station. I talked to her care taker the other day and she says Cappy is fine but is ready to go. We sent some clothes to her so she could have our scent. Rachel said she shredded everything in some fit of rage in about 10 min. YIKES! I might have a Cujo on my hands. She said that as soon as Cappy smelled those clothes she got a "look" in her eye and proceeded to shred EVERYTHING. She said that a bunch of care takers gathered around to watch the show. Great...good thing Todd will be at home with her most of the day:)I don't even want to touch that with a ten foot poll.

I am off for now. I must go into town to get a tax number. Ahhh, taxes...

House Hunting

So today we took advantage of a beautiful Saturday in Brisbane to house hunt. Ahhh, house hunting. I hate it, but it is necessary. We are looking for a place near Paddington (think trendy wine bars and boutiques, much to my liking). However, we were not impressed with what fell in our price range. Either the kitchen was falling apart or the siding was. We had no luck. The 2 houses we liked (which also had a pool) were too far away from the shops and being that we have no car, is just not feasible. I REFUSE to buy a car right away. Brisbane is a very accessible city by foot and I intend to do that. The picture posted is a very typical example of what folks live in and one we looked at today.

On happier notes, I am officially enrolled in the School of Population Health. I even lucked out and got my own office. Go figure that, when the other offices are packed with nothing less than 10 doctoral students. I consider it my consolation prize for living through all this scholarship mess. My job will take a little longer to start as the university is slow in transmitting my enrollment to immigration and I need immigration to add a work permit before I can start. Soooo, just more red tape...but not too terrible. Hey I am from DC...I live for red tape!

Before I go, I know a lot of you need a Cappy update. She is fine and has taken over the quarantine station. She is demanding a peanut butter kong for ransom or else...

Houston, we have a tan

Yes, I have some color...albeit blotchy but still color! The sky has cleared and hopefully it will be a nice weekend. Fingers crossed!

Rainy Paradise

Ok, it has rained NON-STOP since we got here! Our friends tell us that this is the 9th straight week of rain they have had. Last night the island of Kauai had a dam breach and it took out homes + people. One man was found a mile out at sea (dead) and 6 people are missing (all in the same family). It is bad in Kauai and not much better here. Would you believe me if I told you that I have not applied sun cream once? Believe it, I tell no lie.

So since the beach is out, we have filled our time with naps and hiking. Yesterday we hiked to Makapu Point and we saw innumerable humpback whales. They pass through this one side of the island from Nov-March when they come to Hawaii to breed and take care of young. We saw whales spout, breach and slap the water with their fins. It was breathtaking and a highlight of my short life thus far.

Today we hiked to the top of Koko Head. We are convinced it is one of the highest points on Oahu. The only path is an old trolley/railroad line that once ferried passengers to the top. It is now defunct so we walked along the ties. The last 500 yards were so steep we literally climbed hand over fist with our weight kept LOW to the ground. It was the steepest climb I have ever done, not to mention the dirtiest! The view was second to none and it was so peaceful once we got to the top and stopped panting!

I am starting to see a little blue in the sky so I must race to the beach. Aloha everyone and we send big hugs and kisses!

ALOHA

Ok, maybe a day premature but I need some practice. We are wrapping up our stay in San Diego with Todd's family and newborn niece. Tomorrow I will be sipping something cold on a warm beach...ahhhhh. God I need a tan. My legs are pasty white, I look like an albino. Seriously...

I talked to Cappy's caretaker in Australia the other day and all I have to say is "not impressed." The FIRST word out of that b*&#$es mouth was "Good day, thanks for calling...Cappy is quite overweight and I am putting her on a diet, I can't feel her ribs." Finito, end, period, nothing else. Uh, nice to meet you; thanks for the update. I was PISSED. She is not a vet but has decided that she knows what is best for my dog weight wise. So I kindly said "Thanks for the update R, however my dog just came from a North American winter where she has been living outside on a farm. Her coat is uber thick and that might explain why you can't feel her ribs. Plus, I have just completed nothing short of 10 vet visits within the past year and not a single word about her weight was uttered to me. She is muscular and should have some fat reserve because she has been sleeping OUTSIDE in the fucking cold!" Then I said "g'day" and hung up. My girl has a nice waist, muscular legs, and A LOT of fur period! Of course there is nothing I can do at this point but bite my tongue and be nice to her because she has MY dog in HER care. Don't worry Cappy, mom will give you a peanut butter kong as soon as I see you...promise!

Cappy's first flight

Oh my girl did so well on her first plane flight from IAD to LAX. Only one problem, an overturned water dish. She was probably without water for a good 8 hours, which is a long time for her. Girl drank a liter in one sitting when we finally gave her water. I felt so sad for her.

We got to LAX on Sunday and she left Monday for Sydney. That gave us one day to find another way to attach a bigger and stronger water dish to her crate. Aaron, one of Todd's friends, bought a 3 gallon painter's bucket and attached it to the door with some plastic ties. I put a gallon of water in it and felt much better about her water situation. Even if it sloshed in transit, the sides would be high enough to negate major water loss. This simple task was truly an engineering feat...no lie.

So, it is Tues 5pm Pacific time, 23 hours from when the vet sealed her in her cage, and she has STILL not arrived in quarantine (they will not release her from the cage until she is there). I just called and she is still 1.5 hours from being delivered. That would put her over 24 hours in her crate. Poor girl, I feel heartbroken over doing this to her. I wish that I could explain that we are doing this so we can be together. I am just sick to my stomach at the prospect of being 30 days apart with her in quarantine. I would rather send Todd...seriously, it would hurt less.

I just hope that the 15 hour plane ride was not too terrible for her. I will have to pay big time in treats and swims when I see her April 7. I better start saving my money:)

So we are in LA until Wed when we head south to San Diego to visit Todd's family for 2 days. Then back to LA on Friday with an EARLY morning flight to Hawaii on Saturday morning. Things are down hill from here. Toughest part was getting to dog situated and that is now no longer under my control. I hope lying on a sunny beach will lessen the pain.

Coming and going

I think it is Wednesday morning. Rough week so far, I don't know what I am doing half the time. I have the canny knack of starting one thing, remembering something about another, getting up to take care of it, sidetracked along the way, and I end up doing something completely asinine. No wonder packing takes so long, look at me!

So, the stuff went into a cargo container on Monday. Due to arrive in Sydney on April 20 and in Brisbane about a week later. We surprised ourselves by actually having spare room in the shipping crate, but alas we left some stuff behind to mail to ourselves. Oh well...nobody said this endeavour would be easy or economical. We took a rest on Mardi Gras because Bacchus would be appalled to learn we were working. I need the god's on my side this year. So I ate King Cake and attended a Happy Hour in my honor at the Black Rooster. It was fun and I got some neat stuff.

Todd is away the rest of the week, so I am doing the last minute packing. It is always the small stuff that takes SOOOOOOOO LOOOONNNNNGGGG to pack. It is hard to find that small stuff a secure space. Oh, the Comcast guy is coming to take the modem so I will not be able to post until next week sometime. My lap top is so old that a wireless card was an expensive upgrade, so that is not an option either.

Anyhoo, I am out but I promise to update ASAP. This is going to be really interesting next week, but don't envy me quite yet:)