More Changes Afoot

This is a warning: if there are links on the sidebar that you like to read and haven't bookmarked, please do so. I'll be cleaning up that area soon and I don't want anyone sad that they can't find a favourite blog anymore.

I got a job! It's not spectacular or glamourous, but it pays more than minimum wage and it's at the same place that the VIP works, so we drive in together. And as we are moving in a month, we will be even closer and hopefully saving money!

I am still begging for foreign coins. I've been buying some on eBay, but I always want more.

I've been knitting a Pi Shawl, and I am at row 67. I have been at row 67 three times now. I think somehow my start-of-round marker has gotten moved, so I'm all confused in the lace pattern. This is my first real attempt at lace, and except for the constantly being lost, I am quite enjoying it. I finished a pair of Sunday socks for the VIP, which he loves. I used a dark grey variegated Trekking, so it was fairly boring. I'm knitting a pair of socks for myself, out of some discontinued Trekking that I bought from someone on Ravelry.

I'ts still very hot here. Sunday we went to the shore though. By some miracle, it was hot and sunny every single place except right on the beach. It was cloudy and foggy, and even though the temperature was still warm, it was just the perfect beach day. I didn't have to worry about getting sunburned at all. We found lots of shells to drill and paint and put on the Christmas tree, and we saw two seagulls playing tug-of-war with a crab. The skinny seagull won, but the fat seagull went and got his own crab that turned out to be even bigger. We started the day by attending our new ward. It is barely big enough to be called a ward, but apparently they are getting quite a few new families in the next few weeks. They are very friendly, and I think we will really enjoy it. We brought my friend DG because she is moving to California in about three weeks and we will miss her. She and I are enough alike to enjoy each other's company, and enough different to always have something to talk about. Even the VIP enjoys being around her.

So who is coming to help load and/or unload the truck?

All The Best Freaks Were There

And still no photos, but this time I'm sure you won't mind too much, because I got a HUGE bruise last weekend. The VIP and I (along with our friend Stochastic) went down to the Fillmore on South Street to see a Fish concert. (And that's Fish with an "F"!) As the VIP had to go to the train station to pick up Sto, so I was left at the Irish Times to hold a table. If you're not a Freak (that would be a Fish fan) then you wouldn't have gotten the email telling where there pre-gig meet-up was. The VIP is, so he did, and we went.

I sat and waited for the guys to show up, and then we ordered dinner. The Irish Times actually does pretty good Irish bar food. The meet-up was scheduled for 6-8pm, because the concert started at 9. There were CDs and DVDs and t-shirts being sold. People were eating and drinking and swapping stories. Then I saw some activity at the front door, and I looked . . . . and beheld . . . . . Mr Derek "Fish" Dick himself. It took me a moment to recognise him because even though I watched the Kayleigh video a thousand times, that was over 20 years ago, and he's changed just a bit. However, he's still six foot eight inches tall.

The whole bar erupted in shouts of adulation, and he was escorted over to the corner booth where he held court. Sto got right in line, the VIP was a bit further back, and I was stuck baby-sitting our stuff. So I stood on a chair and took pictures. And then I fell off the chair and got the afore-mentioned HUGE bruise on my left thigh. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain, but I didn't. As soon as Sto came back, I went and joined the VIP in line. It came to be my turn, and I asked Fish to sign my t-shirt. It's the VIP's, and it's from the first year the Garden Party was held. He signed it, the VIP took our picture, and then we swapped places and then we left. All those years ago I never ever thought in a million years that I would meet Fish.

So now to the changes. We are moving. The VIP's contract job has turned permanent (yay!!) and I have been offered a post with the same company. I start on Monday. They have a small call center, seven seats. They are growing though. It will be nice not to have to drive nearly an hour, 35 miles each way, with gas at over $4 a gallon. I was in charge of finding us a new place to live, and I looked at about 20 places in 2 days. By the third day, I had narrowed it down to four places, and took the DD with me. The first we only looked at the outside of, because I had already seen it twice. The second place, I got lost trying to get to, so I figured that was a sign right there. The third place, we got to actually see our apartment, not just the model. It is scheduled to be renovated prior to our occupancy. The DD pronounced it good, and didn't even want to see the fourth place. The rent is about the same, but we are going up 20-25% in size, plus it's only 5 miles from work. And even less to the Trader Joe's. The DD gets a large bedroom, which includes a huge Harry Potter cupboard, plus her own bathroom. We also get a large bedroom and en-suite bathroom, plenty of closet space, and the living room is large enough to accommodate the VIP's huge piece of wall furniture and his many computers. I'm not sure yet where my sewing machine will go, but it is fairly small so I doubt it will be too big a problem. I'm excited about a new place, but not about the actual move itself. I swear, didn't I just move?