More literature to peruse

Another Amazon purchase was pushed through the letterbox: Newcomer's Handbook for Los Angeles, by Joan Wai and Stacey Abarbanel. It has been described by others on amazon.com as a mere truncated 'Yellow Pages' for LA. Plus, a lot of the information in the book, like neighbourhood reviews, can be gleaned from websites, like the wikipedia for LA. However, for two people who have never lived in the US, any info is useful. For one, we hadn't considered the difficulty of getting insured in a earthquake-prone zone. Nor had we anticipated the complex system of telephone carriers; we're so used to grousing about BT's monopoly over here, but I suspect we'll miss the simplicity of the one-bill situation. We have yet to get stuck in to our previous purchases, but this is one we'll be dipping into a lot once we get over there.

Clear-out I

The first two bags have gone to the Oxfam clothes bin. We still have piles of clothes, books, and miscellaneous stuff to sort through and bag. We're not doing very well with getting our belongings down to a manageable amount yet.
On the flat front, the yellow walls, ceiling and wood work in the dining room has been obliterated.

The yellow and blue Ikea colour scheme of the 90s is finally gone. Phew! Three coats of white to the ceiling, three coats of 'Treacle Delight' (Mmmm... yum) to the walls, and two coats of allegedly 'Once' satin to the window frame, skirting boards, and door frames. The yellow doors are still there... But it was still good enough to entertain K&M for dinner.

Essential reading

The panic is subsiding. A parcel arrived this morning containing:

• Living and Working in America by Steve Mills, and
• Living and Working in America by David Hampshire.

Yes, they have the same title. A flip through just makes us feel a little calmer.

One of the things we'll miss

Weather reports of snow for Scotland, N. Ireland and NE England; yet BBC Weather says we're to expect a sunny morning. Look out the window and:

But it doesn't last:

Ahh... Edinburgh weather. You are a unique phenomenon!

It's sinking in

We're moving to America! We hope. D's been offered a postdoc in LA, and it's too good an opportunity to pass up. However, the logistics of moving all our worldly possessions, accumulated over ten years, is starting to scare us. That, and the worries about: getting visas, P getting a job, storing our precious junk, renting out our home, opening bank accounts in yet another country, making travel arrangements... The list is only starting to take shape. The fear of the unknown has set in, and we're quaking in our wellies. That sums up our situation for now. And so it begins... [dramatic music]