Once I was the King of Spain (now I eat humble pie)

Okay, okay, been a long time, yadda yadda yadda. After much heckling and prodding from Lisel and Christmas, I figured it was time to get caught back up again. Brace yourself for a long missive, as there's a fair bit of ground to cover.

Farm
The deal is done, and the farm is gone. The packing and winnowing process was exhausting (more so for Mom-n-ShammaLammaDingDong than for me), but we all put in long hours. Snaps to Cody-la for all his efforts in organizing our crap. Kudos for his attempts to rein in my mother who insisted on packing and storing everything collected over multiple generations. Sure, some stuff will be saleable, but we ended up with a lot more stuff than I'm going to be able to afford to house. That does *not* include all the books with which I shall soon be reunited (all bow down and worship the books! Ohmmmmm).

Okay, so as part of the whole packing process, it might have been wise to reschedule our self-hosted bon voyage party. Yes, we ended up throwing ourselves a going away party the evening before the movers arrived, which meant we had to pause in our last minute packing in order to prep for the party (not that we prepped too strenuously - it was also a good way to clean out the fridge!), and although we ran out of booze early, some of our guests stayed well into the night, singing their little hearts out. Sure, I went to bed early, because someone needed to get up and get things going the next day, but the singers were positioned right outside my window on the deck. And they were singing country! With bad (though authentic) German accents! And screwing up the words! Argh!!

We were able to haul our assorted carcasses out of bed around 5:30 a.m., and move the items we had stored in various outbuildings to one central location, to minimze the hassle for the movers. Best of all, in spite of the assorted family members we'd wrangled to help with the loading, the movers insisted we stay the heck out of the way, and proceeded to load (wait for it) 20,000 pounds of crap onto the semi.

Kelster had rented another van to take some of Mom's and ShammaLamma's stuff to her house, so we had that to look forward to after a full day of watching other people move stuff. Then, we had to turn around the next day and return the van to the Hat.

So, much, much work in a short period of time, and no real chance to get out and say goodbye to the old homestead, which in retrospect might have been a good thing, as it kept everyone from getting to maudlin (Gramma excepted, of course). It's weird not to have anywhere to go on the weekends, and I keep tripping over myself when I think about the farm, and my hometown, and all related matters. It's like the missing tooth your tongue keeps searching out. I know at some point, it'll seem natural and not a big deal. That point has not yet happened. Keep posted. I'll probably mention it a month or two after it happens...

Vacation
After the hectic few weeks of packing and moving, I took my annual excursion to the interior of BC, enjoying as always the company of my bestest friend Basia. We spent a goodly amount of time at the beach this year, where she rockhunted and I read. I also braved the frigid waters (gasping and shuddering the whole time), which I'd intended to do in previous years but had chickened out. We had an excellent time, purchased many books, and brought home many rocks. We did not, to the delight of the P. Papa, starve at any point, although our decision to stay an extra day caused him some concern on that front.

Next year, our gracious hosts are not likely to be in the accommodation business anymore, so we're considering taking our early summer break somewhere further west, perhaps Tofino. Basia is already doing the research, planning stops and stays, whilst I take my usual role in these matters: awaiting instruction on where and when to show up. ;)

Speaking of vacations, we've finally booked our fall holiday. We're venturing to Bawston for a week of chowder and sight seeing. We'll be detouring into Providence and Maine for at least part of the trip, as well as examining the sights in the Mass. area, including Salem. We're both looking forward to it. Again, Basia has done much research and has a lot of things she wants to see. I, on the other hand, want to see Harvard, Providence, and Cape Cod. My list jives nicely with hers, so we're looking forward to another great trip.

House hunting
Not much to add on this topic. The prices are outrageous in Cow Town, but needs must... right? I'll keep you posted when I begin the search in earnest. Or, you know, mention it a couple of months after I've moved in. Whatever. ;)

Books
I bought and read many light and fluffy books while on vacation this year (okay, I also bought The Romantic by Barbara Gowdy, which is neither). I picked up, though have only just dipped my toe into A Salty Piece of Land, by Jimmy Buffett (yes, Mr. Margarittaville). It's been amusing so far - I'll keep you posted. I've got a whole whack of books on my to-read shelf, and I continue to buy although I haven't made much headway on the stack.

Oh! But I did get a chance to read and ADORE Pearl's book: Madame Zee. I have lent it out (in one case, lost it and had to buy a new copy) and recommended it to everyone I can think of. I also went to Pearl's book reading, which was fabulous, and a great way to see familiar faces (not, unfortunately, Robert's, but you can't have everything). I can't wait to see what kinds of awards this one garners, because it is such a strong, well-written book. Fingers crossed there!

I owe Apple Pie Dave a call one of these days, as he's been reading some Bill Bryson and needed someone to chat with about it. One day, Dave. One day...

Work
Seems petty to bring this up here. Client from hell sucking all enjoyment of the job away. Project soon to be gone (fingers braided on that one). Things have been busy, but a lot of that has to do with taking a vacation out of synch with the rest of the company. Everyone wanted work done before they left for the July long weekend, and I was not getting it done because I was not here. C'est la vie. The funny thing about work is that there's always more of it... ;)

Movies
Those who know me know that I don't go out to movies (my attention span has become notoriously brief -- I need a commercial show, or a way to avoid a painful scene). But, I've recently watched a couple of goodies on television or movie channels that I want to recommend, in case you missed them yourself.

• The Station Agent: I'd heard amazing things about this one when it first came out, but it exceded my expectations. Only one cringe-worthy scene in there that bothered me, but an amazing cast and an excellent script more than make up for it. If you've seen it, let me know if it bothers you how they handled Joe's departure from the storyline. One minute he's there, helping his dad by running the "shop", then he's gone and when he comes back, there's not a word about his dad, his dad's health, the reason he left, how he could afford that car...nothing. That was the only off note for me in the whole thing.


• Touch of Pink: another *amazing* cast. Imagine having an imaginary friend named Cary Grant... as an adult. Wonderful Canadian actors liven up what might otherwise have been a fairly pedestrian 'coming out' story. Jimi Mistry is amazing, and cute as a damn bug.


• Dawn of the Dead: Yes, I know. I don't usually watch horror films, but this was good. Some wonderful moments of levity, in amongst the gratuitous gore of headshooting the twitchers. When there's no room in hell, the dead... go to the mall. If you've been there, you've probably seen them.


• Chronicles of Narnia: predictable in many ways, and annoying in a number of others. A decent movie, but one I'm glad I didn't pay big bucks to watch.


• Corpse Bride: weird and wonderful, in the way that all Tim Burton movies are. If you enjoy stop motion animation, check out the CBC's truly twisted animated series What it's Like Being Alone. I only caught a snippet this week, but I'm confuzzled and enchanted all at the same time.


• Wedding Date: Dermot Mulrouney as a lit major? Squee! Oh, and Debra Messing is wonderful as an unmarried neurotic New Yorker living with a gay man. No, wait...I think that's a different show...

Okay, I'm sure I've watched other movies in the last month, but these ones sprung to mind. I've also picked up a few hours of TV viewing - Stargate: Atlantis has recently caught my attention, as I've long been a big David Hewlett fan (anyone remember Pin?). I also caught part of an episode of a realty show called Kept, wherein Jerry Hall auditions herself a new boy-toy. I had to abandon the show after realizing that her future pets were out partying and two were foolish enough to bring home dates. Sheesh! How stoopid can you be??

Other stuff
Not much other stuff going on. Another birthday came and passed, inching me ever closer to the grave. I've been hermitting pretty steadily, so I don't have a lot of news on the social scene to report. ShammaLamma's working at what sounds to be an evil job; Kelster's new co-worker quit just before becoming useful and she was able to parlay that into a raise (she's in San Diego this week). ShammaLamma will also abe temporarily bunny sitting for Mickelous on his next vacay, and I think she's looking for a break away from the family fun (and the painting she's done for Kelster). Max the Wonder Dog is still feeling under the weather, although adjusting to city life much more effectively than we'd hoped (his barking days are apparently behind him). T the evil cat is... taking up space.

I'm recently hooked on the wonders of online music provider Pandora. If you haven't already - check it out. Where else can you find the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra played cheek-by-jowl with Sinatra, The Tragically Hip, Pink and Air Supply? Okay, that's just my station, but still - great way to enjoy custom music, while still hearing from bands you'll never hear on the radio.

Parting Thoughts
Seen on a t-shirt: Flirt harder - I'm a physicist!