23 May, 2011

One ... Two ... So Much To Do!

I know ... I know ... I am shamelessly overdue on this post. Apologies all around. It's been a very eventful time lately. Yes, even more than usual. I think rather than bore you with all the detailed tedium, I will just cap it all up for you: Sold my car last Friday. Sister and I made a madcap trip to Kentucky ... Friday night ... and back ... Saturday night ... during which we transported furniture and accessories from my grandfather's house. Spent the next several days trying to reset and replenish my sleep schedule. Finished ordering all my gear. Have received most of it. Packed my backpack to see if everything fits, and with my computer in my shoulder bag, I am good to go! (That's even considering the last of the gear that is to arrive.) Spent several days fretting about the fact that, despite an email confirmation, I had not yet been charged for my flight to Chiang Mai. (It finally went through yesterday, though. Yay!) Sent list of alternative therapists for my clients. Had my website updated with that information, also. (Thanks, Katy!) Took a CPR class to renew my certification. Started boxing up the remains of household "debris" in my camper, so I can prep her for storage/sale. Skyped with Mom and Dad. Made space (happily) in my schedule for last minute client appointments. And am making list after list to try to ensure that I get at least all the important stuff done before I leave for my trip in a week.
Whew! I got tired just recapping it all!

I also ordered a new house for little bunny Anisette. She is officially going to live with Sister, so I thought she should have a nicer habitat to make things easier on both of them. I ordered a Bunny Abode for her. I had already been given a second floor for one of these units a while back, so I only had to order the ground floor. (Thanks, again, Katy!) This should give Anisette LOTS of room to stretch out and run around, and, hopefully, to binky! (For those of you not in the know: Binkies are these spastic little hops that bunnies do when they are feeling especially happy. It's cute as buttons to witness!) We are still awaiting the arrival of the abode, but once it's set up, I'll try to take some photos and get them on here.

I did discover something annoying last week, too. When I called to cancel my car insurance after selling Marsha Mellow, I was told that the policy for my house had never been canceled. I'm not sure how this snafu happened. I thought I had taken care of it already, but apparently I was erroneous. So, now I am in the midst of a flurry of paperwork shuffling between my email account, and the email account of an insurance agent named Bob. Bob's got to perform some kind of sacrificial rituals in order to retroactivate the cancelation of the house policy to the date the house was sold, recreate the policy for the car, and then cancel it retroactively to the date it was sold. He's a Magic Man, that Bob. I hope he works quickly. I really do not want this hanging over me after I hit the road.

I have been emailing with the woman at The Village in Pohnpei. There is no promise of a job, but I feel good about already creating some buzz about my arrival and my desire to work while I'm there. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens when I get there.

I suppose that is the quick update for you all. Unfortunately, the quick update is all I have time for right now. Will try to touch base again before my flight on Memorial Day. Until then ... enjoy yourselves!

10 May, 2011

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

This morning I booked the travel arrangements for the first leg of my first big trip. I leave in three weeks. That's right: Three weeks. Ack! I will fly to San Francisco where I will have a long enough layover to head into the city for an hour or a few. Then I'm off to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a month. After taking the weekend to get situated in my new temporary digs at the Chaba House guest house, I will begin my two weeks of training in Thai massage (at the International Training Massage School) on Monday, 6 June. Weekends will be free for massage practice and exploration. After my training is completed, I will have almost two weeks at my disposal to explore the Thai culture. Exciting! On 30 June, I depart Chiang Mai, and arrive, on 1 July, in Pohnpei. There, I'll be reunited with my mom! Dad is going to be away in the Marshall Islands on a business trip the first week of July, so I will able to keep mom company while dad's away. Perfect execution of travel timing! (That sound you hear is me knocking on wood, by the way.)

It seems a rather sudden surge of momentum, this booking. I had been feeling very stagnant and at the mercy of the Fates while I was waiting around to sell my camper and my car. I kept getting messages from the Universe that things were progressing, even if at a slower pace than I would like. Then it hit me: I realized that if I really wanted to make my departure date ... the ideal departure date toward which I had been working this whole time ... I needed to get more proactive.

So, I asked Tom and Jim at the campground here if there was any possibility of storing Rosy here if she doesn't sell by the time I need to leave. At first, they told me that the storage lot was full. But, soon after, they mentioned that they could remove a recently vacated storage building which would make the perfect space for my little camper. Now, I'll be able to rest assured that Rosy will be in good hands (and under watchful eyes) if I need to keep her around while I'm away. And it's a bargain price, to boot. Coincidentally, Sister has agreed to help me sell her by being the contact person while I'm gone. Whew! That worked out nicely.

Then I decided to go ahead and post my car (Marsha Mellow) for sale. I had been waiting for Sister to get her new car, so I could have the old family car once mine sold. She's currently looking at cars, and may have found one. Plus, we agreed that we could get creative if we needed to share the one car for a little while. I've got two folks test driving tomorrow, and have had several people contacting me with interest. I feel really good about the prospect as Marsha is a little fuel efficient Toyota Yaris, and anything fuel efficient is in high demand these days.

Lastly, I took a look at my bank account. I already had enough money saved to get me to Thailand with housing, food, and course fees. My concern was the transportation from Chiang Mai to Pohnpei. After marinating on it for a day or two, I had the brilliant light bulb moment when I remembered that I still had money set aside for a video camera. It was enough to cover that plane ticket. I can always get a camera with the money I have from selling the car. Plus, that can be bought online at any time, so it wasn't imperative that I get it before I leave the US. Problem solved! Hooray!

So, there you have it. I am officially going to do this thing! It's exhilarating and terrifying ... amplified by 10 ... but, thankfully, I have so much to do, that I don't really have time to wallow in the fear part.

Okay, that's the update for now. It's late and I've got a million things to do. And I really just want to go to bed. Goodnight, everyone.