"Check...1...2...

...testing...testing...is this thing on?" I've been in rehearsal mode the last couple of days--trying out California to see how it sounds...and feels. So far, so good.

My brother is making this WAY too easy for us. Because they were expecting his mother-in-law to move in with them (temporarily) at the end of this month, they repainted one of their bedrooms (although I can't imagine it really needed it--it's a nice house). When I spoke to him yesterday, I told him we'd be checking the classifieds of his local paper before we leave here in an effort to line up a used car. He said, "No! Don't buy a car! I've got cars here for you." He's got a car and a truck that he's not even using. Then he made mention of a maid who cleans their house once a week. Maid service?! Good god, I might never leave!

We got our plane tickets today. As the boyfriend said, "There's no turning back now." Yesterday afternoon I made a list of our personal effects (because I'm obnoxiously organized that way). We took a good hard look at that list and thought about what we really care about keeping, and whether or not the rest is worth the cost of shipping (because Viking has a 1,000 pound minimum.) We decided it wasn't worth it (although I was drooling over the prospect of, for once, having someone else pack my stuff). So it's back to the original pack/ship plan: we'll sell as much as we can, give a bunch of stuff away and ship only the stuff that really matters to us. We can store our boxes in my brother's garage--he said they'll make space--AND they have two storage sheds next to the garage. So, storage problem solved.

Boyfriend's even selling his (custom) drum kit. Of course, that's just an excuse for him to get a new one. :) I suppose he's entitled--he's had this kit for four years. So he'll have his buddies at Allegra fix him up.

As for me, I went for a walk downtown at lunchtime today. As I took a stroll past the few boutiques that have even remotely cute clothes, it dawned on me that one of the first things I'm gonna do when we hit California is buy some clothes! Man, I've missed having any cute clothes. There's simply nowhere to shop here--at least not for my taste. And shopping online is too hard for me. I have to try stuff on, because the same size seems to vary so widely among different designers and manufacturers. Did you hear what I just said? "Designers." Yeah. This from the woman who's purchased the bulk of her wardrobe the last five years from a store whose front features a giant red K. Oh how quickly that quirky California snobbery sneaks back in...

(In case you're wondering which "Dummies" book that is in the photo, it's "Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies.")