If you can keep your head....
"...If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."
-Rudyard Kipling, 'If'
I'm not going to prevaricate here. I am losing my head, and the sooner I can find someone else to blame it on, the better. Three weeks ago, before I had fully grasped the enormity of my situation, I would have insisted to one and all that I had things well under control. At the moment, I imagine I feel a lot like the orchestra on the Titanic must have felt: paralyzed with terror, yet fatalistically determined to get the job done, even as the deck chairs and passengers slide right by you off the end of the bow (or stern or whatever it's called.)
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining at all. Mr. Logical arrives home in just over a week, and you can't imagine how I'm looking forward to jettisoning all of my cares and concerns right on those broad shoulders. In the meantime, however, I'm handling most of the details stateside and he is handling things in Koreamostly by drinking soju and cc-ing me copies of incomprehensible documents from his company's HR department really efficiently. No, no, in reality, he has handled quite a bit more than I would have thought possible, given the time change and his location. I would say we are working well as a team, although I may still have some lingering resentment about being on my own while listening to the middle school honors orchestra playing the 'Lady Gaga Hit Medley." (Honesty compels me to admit that I'm the one who insisted on violin lessons 'way back when, so I really shouldn't complain.)
Tomorrow I'm taking the day off to enjoy a little light follow-up gum surgery in the morning, followed by a meeting with the relocation folks in the afternoon. Other exciting developments in our move include:
US House: rented. (thanks, Kathy)
Seoul apartment: being looked for by Mr. Logical and shown to me with the help of Picasa and Skype. Love technology.
Car #1: repaired and waiting to be sold
Car #2: waiting to be shipped
Household goods: some will be stored, some will be shipped on the slow boat (3 months to arrive), some will travel in air freight (2-3 weeks to arrive, very small container). Guess who gets to sort out what goes where?
children: alive. More than this, I am not committing to.
relatives: arriving shortly to celebrate Son #1s graduation from high school in just over a week. All of them have made international moves. I expect wine and funny stories and commiseration galore. Cannot wait.
dog: leaving in a week for Canada. Yes, the XL Air Freight Kennel did, indeed, arrive. He's been scratching his ears lately. If he gets an ear infection right before he flies, I will probably implode.
my students: curiously apathetic about curriculum and pending examinations, but (bizarrely) wanting to know if they can friend me on FaceBook after I've moved to Korea. Really?
microwave: finally repaired. Now we can live again.
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."
-Rudyard Kipling, 'If'
I'm not going to prevaricate here. I am losing my head, and the sooner I can find someone else to blame it on, the better. Three weeks ago, before I had fully grasped the enormity of my situation, I would have insisted to one and all that I had things well under control. At the moment, I imagine I feel a lot like the orchestra on the Titanic must have felt: paralyzed with terror, yet fatalistically determined to get the job done, even as the deck chairs and passengers slide right by you off the end of the bow (or stern or whatever it's called.)
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining at all. Mr. Logical arrives home in just over a week, and you can't imagine how I'm looking forward to jettisoning all of my cares and concerns right on those broad shoulders. In the meantime, however, I'm handling most of the details stateside and he is handling things in Korea
Tomorrow I'm taking the day off to enjoy a little light follow-up gum surgery in the morning, followed by a meeting with the relocation folks in the afternoon. Other exciting developments in our move include:
US House: rented. (thanks, Kathy)
Seoul apartment: being looked for by Mr. Logical and shown to me with the help of Picasa and Skype. Love technology.
Car #1: repaired and waiting to be sold
Car #2: waiting to be shipped
Household goods: some will be stored, some will be shipped on the slow boat (3 months to arrive), some will travel in air freight (2-3 weeks to arrive, very small container). Guess who gets to sort out what goes where?
children: alive. More than this, I am not committing to.
relatives: arriving shortly to celebrate Son #1s graduation from high school in just over a week. All of them have made international moves. I expect wine and funny stories and commiseration galore. Cannot wait.
dog: leaving in a week for Canada. Yes, the XL Air Freight Kennel did, indeed, arrive. He's been scratching his ears lately. If he gets an ear infection right before he flies, I will probably implode.
my students: curiously apathetic about curriculum and pending examinations, but (bizarrely) wanting to know if they can friend me on FaceBook after I've moved to Korea. Really?
microwave: finally repaired. Now we can live again.
Comments
Adore the phrase 'a little light follow up gum surgery' - it's genius.
Fingers crossed all works out well.
Trish - I've done the kitchen thing, too, and I'm not sure which experience I would say was harder.
The gum surgery *is* actually 'lighter'(I hope): I had a big nasty procedure 5 weeks ago which didn't quite turn out like he wanted, so I'm going back today for a 'revision' which is supposed to be quick and easy in comparison. Of course, they're all easy for the periodontist...