2007-01-02 - 7:12 p.m.

...last wild meanderings before returning to office tomorrow...

I started today by stumbling down the stairs and sliding in another puddle of water...today's 40-mm rainstorm brought yet another NEW leak in our roof (!) while invigorating an old favorite leak in our kitchen. We think we hear another in the attic room behind our heads...I think I'm actually living in an upside-down colander.

So I spent today working at my computer (far superior to braving the downpour) while listening to another echoing refrain of DWOIP. sigh. This is getting a wee bit old.

DWOIP.

I spent the day filling out forms, answering emails, and setting up appointments. ugh. I have a choice for this evening: I can:

(a) continue reading articles for the special issue that I am supposed to be editing so that I can assign reviewers, because I am so freakin' late it is embarrassing...

(b) write my lecture for next monday.

(c) continue putting together my outline for the book chapter I'm supposed to be writing.

(d) drag my ass up the stairs and read a book.

...

Okay who voted for D??

DWOIP.

...

Anyway. Before I do any of these...K and I are experiencing further pains in immigration. We sent out our application at the end of November, only to have the whole thing returned to us on the Friday evening before New Year's. We made a mistake and misunderstood the fees that were required. (In fact, I STILL don't know where they came up with the fees that were required.) It turns out that we owe another $1100 in addition to the $550 that we've already paid. Becoming a permanent resident is expensive and time consuming. Because each time it takes the registered Canada post camels another $15 and another 12 days to get over the Canadian Rockies and down to Buffalo, NY. But who am I kidding? I guess that $15 is rather cheap for maintaining a postal camel.

DWOIP.

But we are stuck with another wonderful dilemma here. Canada will only accept our police records in English and French. The German police department will only release the paperwork in German. So, in addition to the costs for applications, applications approving us to apply, shipping, fingerprints, criminal approvals, and approvals to get criminal approvals in five different countries, we now also need to pay for an official translator, to translate a criminal record that says exactly NOTHING.

DWOIP.

DWOIP.

Now how much would you pay?? DON'T ANSWER! because by the time they actually open and look at our paperwork, we will have been in Canada long enough that we also have to get our CANADIAN criminal records, too! It's a bit cool that I have criminal records in so many countries. (well, and even cooler that they don't say anything.)

Anyway, K was not feeling all that cheerful when we left for the post office again today..but it was amazing to watch how both of us de-stressed during today's run. Quite honestly it was a bit of a lame run because (a) we didn't sleep very much last night, and (b) my knee was making itself known and I decided to walk rather than to test it. But even with a mere 10 minutes of running (and 30 of walking), I felt myself relax. Nice relaxation. Nice.

DWOIP.

On a related point, I'm really glad that K and I are doing this together. I remember sometime ago, someone telling me that she and her husband were both so busy that they always agreed to meet one evening per week to share a cocktail at a nearby bar, so that they could have quality time alone and away from the kids. I am not sure what will happen in our future, but once per week sounds very scarce to me! I've realized that I really love having this one hour per day together with K because we are away from all computers, phones, and radios, and we are only with each other. Part of the fun of the whole exercise is having a little isolated K-snack. That's wonderfully cool. I really hope that we can keep this up.

DWOIP.