I'm supposed to leave in a week. I feel like a kid waiting for christmas. If I could wake up tomorrow and have that be the 16th, I'd be so relieved. I'd like to get this travelling thing over and done with. Twenty-four hours on a train isn't my idea of a laugh, but it was compellingly cheap.
That being said, I'm not packed at all. Not only have I not packed anything, I have heaps of laundry to do. And I need to know what to take. I haven't heard anything about company housing, other than that they have some. This is all terribly frustrating to me. I was really spoiled by the company management at the Pillow, who sent out a massive binder full of info on the company, the area, and all other useful facts. I've not encountered such a thing since.
The biggest conundrum of packing is deciding what I'll knit for the next roughly four months. Very, very hard to predict. I'm on a real knitting roll now, finishing off a couple of UFOs and whipping through a pair of jacquard socks. It's gratifying, but a mere drop in the bucket. I have loads of socks (literally, loads when it comes time to do the handwashing), and I want to tackle bigger projects. Do not interpret this as a desire to make anything for you. If I want to make you something, I probably already have. I have so many wonderful things hidden away in my stash that I don't know where to begin. This calls for copious list-making.
I had lunch with my beloved ex-boyfriend this past week. He's the only one of my friends that will go to the noodle shop with me. This time I remembered to order without the carrots, as to avoid disastrous allergic reactions. He just lost his job and is surprisingly blase about the whole thing. He's usually a very lucky fellow, and I'm sure that things will work out well for him. He's intelligent, articulate, well-liked, etc. Someone is bound to hire him. In the meantime, he's lazing around and wearing purple metallic nail polish. It was strangely attractive.
Other things that are going on... I got my hair cut. I made swedish meatballs with Lewis. I still haven't listened to that Richard Feynmann lecture series and suspect that I won't have time. I went to the post office to pick up passport applications and discovered that I can get one cheap and quick, since I've already had one. I think it's funny that they want to know what your plans are, as though people don't get passports on a whim, or to insure that they could take that spur of the moment flight to Paris if they wanted. I don't have any plans, but I want to be able to get up and go later. That doesn't fit into the tiny box on the form though.
I was supposed to go back to Iowa to see one of my friend's directorial efforts in the New Works Festival. I chickened out. Things are always a little heavy when I have to pack up my life and go away for months on end. And I have a lot of loose ends to tie up. And I just couldn't get excited about that four hour drive through monotonous farm country. I guess I'm not a very good friend.