Once again, my world has sped up and time is slipping through my fingers. It always happens as a move approaches. I know it's coming, and I don't know why I don't plan better. I guess I need the urgency of impending deadlines. Of course, work has gotten busier over the last month, too. Once I finished with my Spanish lessons, I had to return to a more structured work environment, and it's really getting in the way of my life! So, no blogging. Although I really should be, because now that I am so busy, my mind swirls with the many things I must do, and I'm not sleeping well. I swear, I didn't dream for months while I was studying Spanish intensively, and now that I'm so busy with other things, I am having the freakiest dreams. I'd rather just not dream at all.
Why such disturbed sleeping, you ask?
Well, I still need to finish vaccinations for me and the girls. We're in various stages of getting vaccinated for awesome things like yellow fever. Then there is the planning. Visas. Shipping the car. Shipping our stuff. The million other little tiny logistics involved in packing and moving a family of four to another continent.
And the shopping. I think it is mostly the shopping that is disturbing me right now. There are the everyday things that need to be replaced while we're in a place where a) the cost of goods is reasonable and more importantly b) I easily can find what I'm looking for, because I know where to look for it. There are also the things that we'll need in this new place that we didn't have before or didn't need before (like, twin bedding for children who are no longer in cribs--the linens were included in our current furnished rental!). Then there are the things that we'd like to have that we might not be able to get there, silly things that you don't even think you'll miss until you can't get them any more, like good quality tin foil and chipotle peppers in adobo and those awesome force-flex trash bags that don't rip when you overstuff them. I have bought. . .very little. Honestly, I'm overwhelmed and don't feel like shopping. Spending piles of money stresses me out. But if I'm going to shop, it all must be done before the movers come, so that it is all ready to ship, which is also stressing me out. The obvious solution to this is to do nothing, like I have been, because of course that solves everything. :)
The movers come in something like 17 days. We still don't know where we are living, which is making it a bit hard to figure out what we need. We've heard that we'll want to buy necessary goods here and ship them. We've also heard that we are unlikely to have central heating, but should expect temperatures at times near freezing (what?!). Oh, and that we will probably need rugs, as most of the apartments have tile and/or wood floors, which just makes them seem colder. Which might make you think that I would a) be trying to speed up the housing situation so I have a clearer idea of what I need, or b) that I had done some shopping for rugs, but not really. I'm hoping to have the apartment arranged by the end of the week, which really doesn't give me much time, but. . .it just is what it is.
I finally broke down this weekend and did a flurry of on-line shopping. I bought three rugs and new sheets for the girls. I now will be biting my fingernails to see if they arrive on time. I hedged my bets and bought the rugs from three different retailers (and got free shipping on all three and heavy discounts on two of them. . .score!). I decided on (but did not yet purchase) a new television. I still need some computer accessories, a few child-friendly space heaters, a pair of black flats and a couple of down comforters, at the very least. The list of things I SHOULD get, but probably won't get around to, is substantially longer.
I'm not sure why, because it certainly doesn't move the ball forward, but I feel lighter just for having typed that. Maybe now I can sleep!
