Home, despite olympic efforts in procrastination...

It took me all of 30 minutes to pack up my car for the drive north. I left my door in North Carolina at 8 am, stopped for vittles and to drop off books at the Chapel Hill public library, and was well on my way by 9am.

Cruising was pretty smooth through North Carolina and Virginia, but when I hit Maryland the interstate was under construction and had to go 20 mph most of the way. Good thing my iPod was fully charged and no one could hear me sing. Oh but could they ever see me convulsing behind the wheel. Who cares? I'm leaving the country!

Maryland doesn't take long to drive through. When I think of Maryland I think of softshell crabs, the Chesapeake Bay, and women's lacrosse. It's that kind of place.

After Maryland came Delaware, a state I know reasonably well since I went to college there. The state has made a name for itself as a corporate tax haven, breeding ground for chickens, and playground for chemical engineers. What the state lacks in charm it makes up for with its better living through chemistry-type developments. GORE-TEX, Teflon, Tyvek, Purdue Chicken. The university also produces its fair share of Rhodes Scholars.

True excitement came as I crossed the border into Pennsylvania around 3pm.

Must make the most of my time with family this week. We are all going to the mountains for some time away from it all. Blogging will resume on Monday.

Congratulations!

My officemates organized a going away cake for me. It was big and pink and had wedding rings on it. It also had the words "Congratulations Melissa and Robert!" written on it.

Robert is a coworker whose last day is Friday of this week. As far as I know he's not planning to marry me.

Officemates wanted to combine the joys of new jobs and marriage plans in a single cake. Efficient and hilarious.

Photo Entry

1 Day Left

Historically, my approach to major life changes has been to pretend like nothing is happening and then to do the laundry at the last possible minute. Leaving North Carolina will be no exception. In a little over 24 hours I'll be cruising up I-95 to scenic Bucks County, Pennsylvania with everything I own (and some stuff my parents own) in the trunk of my 1999 Volkswagen Passat. Nothing is ready. Nothing is clean.

These halcyon days are coming to a close. Imagine: at some point in the next year I will probably buy furniture.

I will not weep for these days until they are gone. That would be foolish. But I can't help but feel that, with every conversation I have with my tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a smidgen of my youthful exuberance is wasted away.

2 Days Left

With 2 days remaining before I begin my protracted move to London, perhaps there is something I should be doing with my precious time besides watching Pride and Prejudice and updating this ridiculous blog?

Nah.

I've recently been quoted on Blogher.org in an article on cohabitation, which came as a response to a Pew survey on marriage and parenthood. What doesn't come across in the article is my not so ambivalent intention to get married. More on that when I begin ProjectCivilWedding'08.blogspot.com. And no, we haven't set a date.

Pete and I will be traveling a collective total of approximately 16,000 miles in order to cohabitate. I'm so looking forward to the break from internet telephony and long-haul flights. Deciding who goes out for milk should be relatively easy.

Forest, Trees, etc.

Feeling work permit jitters today. I had to fax off copies of my degree certificate and proof of affiliation with a professional organization. Made me think, hmmm Border and Immigration Agency didn't stamp my application with a great big yes on first glance, and my charms will be useless against them if they decline me. Processing has slowed due to floods. Spent the afternoon trying to figure out how Border and Immigration Agency was feeling about my application and trying to drum up alternatives. Almost a total waste of energy. It was very difficult getting inside their heads, but after reading the agency website 5,594 times I decided this is probably pretty standard proof-seeking esp. in light of recent failed terrorist attacks. Not sure how much longer this will take, but 88% of cases are decided within 2 weeks.

So you can see I've been busy worrying, panicking, and worrying some more re: my lack of control in this situation. Fortunately I have developed a method which helps me to deal rationally with circumstances I find unpleasant: enter the Rite of Passage. By labeling these difficult phases 'Rite of Passage,' suddenly I have a tribe with members who have seen it all before and know it will get easier. Have some perspective, they say. You are not so special. Your stress is the same as everyone else's and no more important. Ahhh what a relief it is to be insignificant.