What a difference a call makes
G'day all!
Just got a phone call from DH. Happy happy joy! He is in his hotel (a Hilton hotel, blah) and is jetlagged to all b*ggery. Apparently he didn't sleep much on the plane. His fight from LA to San Jose was cancelled after they had all boarded it - some engineers came along with a roll of duct tape (!!!) and poked and prodded at some stuff then said "Nope, can't fix it. This one is staying here." So it took an extra hour to get on another plane, one that was airworthy. Eek. Then he caught the light rail to Mountain View station, only it was about 5km from where he was meant to be staying and he ended up getting instructions on how to get there from the local Scientology temple.
Apart from the accents and the sheer number of Starbucks everywhere, he almost
feels at home - the street plants are Australian (blue gums, tea-trees and some others). He said there were a lot of car repair places, presumably for all those people who have to drive the 200m from one Starbucks to the next.
Despite dumping DH at the airport, I had a good day yesterday. Toook maaaany photos on the poor old camera but I can't download them. I drove up to Bendigo and bought stuff at the woollen mills there. My bad. I think I will have to sell some online if I can to help pay for it. I walked around the centre of Bendigo for 1.5 hours taking photos of the many wondrous old buildings there. OK, they are only a hundred to 150 years old, but they are old to us. Marvellous buildings, all elaborate and decorated and gargoyled, fueled by the gold rush two centuries ago. Houses too - I love the houses from 80 to 120 years ago. Our house is so plain and boring, being built post war and all in the austerity period.
Once I left Bendi, I just drove. Ended up going through a little town called Heathcote, then Kilmore (alas Silky Gardens, the rose nursery, was shut reopening next Wednesday. No url yet. Naughty people!), then another little place and onto the Hume Freeway. I hate the Hume. It is dull and boring. If you have cruise control you just point the car up the road and occasionally twitch the steering wheel. I don't have cruise control (nor does my car ;-). With an abrupt turn around, I drove back through to Wallan and took a turn that took me back towards the places I wanted to be (ie the easiest trip home). I drove about 400km all up yesterday. I seem to like driving like that - no particular plan, just looking at stuff stopping here and there to take piccies. I chased some storm clouds and managed to get a little rain on the car but not enough to do more than smudge the dirt around (we aren't allowed to wash cars here with tap water, not even with a bucket).
Then I came home to a pusy cat and spent 15 minutes opening up the stupid wound on the back of her head (looks better today, I may not have to fork out $100 at the vet's after all) and being grossed out by it (usually Nathan's job - both the wound fixing and the grossing). Money is an issue, which accounts for some guilt today. We have to pay out more than a thousand in bills by the end of the month, not including the mortage. I am going to do half on the credit card and half out of the account in hope that by the time the VISA is due, we will have some more dough (ie I have a job or Nathan has a more full time job). And I've just looked online and found that Nathan is now not earning enough to pay the mortgage. Crapitty crap crap crap. I'm feeling pretty flat at present, partly due to worrying about money, partly due to Nathan being away, partly due to uncertainty about our future and partly cos I seem to have a never-ending gut bug (though that could just be stress). The thought of moving overseas both terrifies me and intrigues me. I am very much attached to this land and am rather attached to the cats, even the pusy one. Would I cope with living in a place where they speak funny and get a real winter and drive on the wrong side of the road? Would I have decent social interaction? (there are an active guild and SnB in both likely locations.) Would I miss having a garden ( I love pottering and pulling up the odd weed or 10 and planning what to plant where)? Would I miss this place and the cats and my friends and family so badly it tore me up into little pieces?
Until I try, noone will know. It could be really fun and a growing experience. I'd certainly get a chance to experience all those yummy fleece types and yarns available in the US but not here. We may have about the same land mass but we only have a tickety-boo over 20 million people, which means a much smaller market. (Oddly, not many people want to live in a full on desert with very little water or food. Dunno why...) Anyway it is all moot unless we can get green cards.
Happy Valentine's Day to those who will. I was away for our last anniversary and this time DH is away for Valentine's Day. Sigh. The course of twue wuv never runs smooth....
Next post will be somewhat more colourful and upbeat than this - I have pics that I downloaded from the camera before it left.
anon!
Just got a phone call from DH. Happy happy joy! He is in his hotel (a Hilton hotel, blah) and is jetlagged to all b*ggery. Apparently he didn't sleep much on the plane. His fight from LA to San Jose was cancelled after they had all boarded it - some engineers came along with a roll of duct tape (!!!) and poked and prodded at some stuff then said "Nope, can't fix it. This one is staying here." So it took an extra hour to get on another plane, one that was airworthy. Eek. Then he caught the light rail to Mountain View station, only it was about 5km from where he was meant to be staying and he ended up getting instructions on how to get there from the local Scientology temple.
Apart from the accents and the sheer number of Starbucks everywhere, he almost
feels at home - the street plants are Australian (blue gums, tea-trees and some others). He said there were a lot of car repair places, presumably for all those people who have to drive the 200m from one Starbucks to the next.
Despite dumping DH at the airport, I had a good day yesterday. Toook maaaany photos on the poor old camera but I can't download them. I drove up to Bendigo and bought stuff at the woollen mills there. My bad. I think I will have to sell some online if I can to help pay for it. I walked around the centre of Bendigo for 1.5 hours taking photos of the many wondrous old buildings there. OK, they are only a hundred to 150 years old, but they are old to us. Marvellous buildings, all elaborate and decorated and gargoyled, fueled by the gold rush two centuries ago. Houses too - I love the houses from 80 to 120 years ago. Our house is so plain and boring, being built post war and all in the austerity period.
Once I left Bendi, I just drove. Ended up going through a little town called Heathcote, then Kilmore (alas Silky Gardens, the rose nursery, was shut reopening next Wednesday. No url yet. Naughty people!), then another little place and onto the Hume Freeway. I hate the Hume. It is dull and boring. If you have cruise control you just point the car up the road and occasionally twitch the steering wheel. I don't have cruise control (nor does my car ;-). With an abrupt turn around, I drove back through to Wallan and took a turn that took me back towards the places I wanted to be (ie the easiest trip home). I drove about 400km all up yesterday. I seem to like driving like that - no particular plan, just looking at stuff stopping here and there to take piccies. I chased some storm clouds and managed to get a little rain on the car but not enough to do more than smudge the dirt around (we aren't allowed to wash cars here with tap water, not even with a bucket).
Then I came home to a pusy cat and spent 15 minutes opening up the stupid wound on the back of her head (looks better today, I may not have to fork out $100 at the vet's after all) and being grossed out by it (usually Nathan's job - both the wound fixing and the grossing). Money is an issue, which accounts for some guilt today. We have to pay out more than a thousand in bills by the end of the month, not including the mortage. I am going to do half on the credit card and half out of the account in hope that by the time the VISA is due, we will have some more dough (ie I have a job or Nathan has a more full time job). And I've just looked online and found that Nathan is now not earning enough to pay the mortgage. Crapitty crap crap crap. I'm feeling pretty flat at present, partly due to worrying about money, partly due to Nathan being away, partly due to uncertainty about our future and partly cos I seem to have a never-ending gut bug (though that could just be stress). The thought of moving overseas both terrifies me and intrigues me. I am very much attached to this land and am rather attached to the cats, even the pusy one. Would I cope with living in a place where they speak funny and get a real winter and drive on the wrong side of the road? Would I have decent social interaction? (there are an active guild and SnB in both likely locations.) Would I miss having a garden ( I love pottering and pulling up the odd weed or 10 and planning what to plant where)? Would I miss this place and the cats and my friends and family so badly it tore me up into little pieces?
Until I try, noone will know. It could be really fun and a growing experience. I'd certainly get a chance to experience all those yummy fleece types and yarns available in the US but not here. We may have about the same land mass but we only have a tickety-boo over 20 million people, which means a much smaller market. (Oddly, not many people want to live in a full on desert with very little water or food. Dunno why...) Anyway it is all moot unless we can get green cards.
Happy Valentine's Day to those who will. I was away for our last anniversary and this time DH is away for Valentine's Day. Sigh. The course of twue wuv never runs smooth....
Next post will be somewhat more colourful and upbeat than this - I have pics that I downloaded from the camera before it left.
anon!
I really hope everything works out for you both. If I had more money right now, I would buy stuff from you so I could have pretty yarns and you could have your house.
ReplyDeleteCan't you take your cats with you? I'm pretty sure they just have to have some shots and a 15 day quarantine period to make sure they are safe to bring into the U.S. After an adjustment period they would adapt to a new country. You can bring them on the plane as a carry on, I think.
Filthy Lucre: bane of my life!!! Can't live without it!! Hope you both get gigantically renumerative jobs!!! Glad the cat situation is better too!!
ReplyDeleteoooooh Bendigo mill shopping! I am jealous!
ReplyDeleteWhere will you sell some online? Might have to see what you have to sell..
Money seems to be a problem all over. Its shocking how far money ISNT going at the moment with a lot of families...
Katt
the CDC doesn't have any restrictions on importing pet cats. they don't even require they have a rabies vaccine. i hope you are able to bring them with you if you do end up moving here. i can't imagine how i would feel if i had to leave pets behind.
ReplyDeleteHang in there, Lynne! I'll send you both lucky job finding thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYou came to Kilmore and you didn't drop in ?
ReplyDeleteMoving overseas is a big adventure - and let's face it, didn't I move to a place where they speak funny ?
The hardest part for me was leaving my Beagle behind - it's the only thing I really cried about. I didn't miss my family, just my dog! But even that pain softens, and I've had 3 more Beagles in the years since.
Money and I have never been constant companions & we JUST get by even now; God knows what the future holds. I live for today and the heck with tomorrow.I'm a bit of a gypsy & would have loved to have seen more of the world but illness has stopped me. Good luck in whatever happens and enjoy the ride :) Mind I couldn't go without our dogs either :)
ReplyDelete