The Final Countdown

The above song will forever remind me of Arrested Development. RIP. (Will they EVER broadcast the last few episodes?)

Anyway, we leave Feb. 1. It's official. We've got flights, and we've lined up a short-term let for a couple of weeks, which will hopefully be enough time to find more permanent accommodation.

I've gotten surprisingly comfortable hanging out in Kingston, enjoying such luxuries as the world's most comfortable bed, a dishwasher and laundry facilities. (And ceilings that don't leak and drop plaster on you! And a kitchen that doesn't need to be heated by opening the oven door and turning it to "broil"! And electricity that is reliable for more than a week at a time! And a private entrance! And no obnoxious nocturnal clog-dancing neighbour above!)

I'm also realizing that I'll miss the things in my environment that have always made a place home for me. We can't really bring any of the decor, knickknacks, photos, and, most tragically, BOOKS that I'm used to having around wherever I live. I hope it doesn't feel like we're just living out of suitcases for the next few years.

On the subject of suitcases, I have never been any good at packing, so you can imagine how much fun I'm having right now. How can I possibly choose which shoes to leave behind? And sweaters, jackets, scarves, bags ... too bulky to bring them all. I can probably only pack three or four books. Furthermore, cosmetic stuff weighs a fair bit, so I shall be forced to take only the bare minimum (though there IS a Benefit counter in Boots and Debenhams, so I'll be able to get my fix in Oxford).

To my dismay, I've discovered that the carry-on limit for our flight is one item, maximum weight only 13 pounds! What is WITH that? My laptop and backpack alone weigh 6 pounds. (And that's without the power supply, which will have to go in checked luggage.) So much for bringing a change of clothes, a few magazines and a bottle of water. We chose BA in part because they had significantly higher checked baggage allowance, but the seat sale has apparently denied us the 40 pound carry-on allowance of normal tickets. All I can say is that our checked bags had better arrive in a timely fashion, otherwise we're in a spot of trouble! I'll be stuffing my jacket pockets as much as possible, that's for sure. (I've never had a carry-on bag weighed before, but if they are going to have such a low allowance, I'd expect they might enforce it. Otherwise what is the point?)

On the upside, I'm looking forward to doing some travelling again. I hope I find a job that will both finance some trips and allow the necessary vacation time! I fear that will be a challenge. Oh, to be a student, with those handy thrice-yearly breaks. Well, okay, I won't miss all the grotty hostels we stayed at on a student budget. This time I hope to avoid catching the plague. (Or what was more likely a horrific all-over gnawing of flesh by whatever insects were in that "bed" in Budapest. Shudder.)

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I found a magazine from 1997, and a (tepid) review of a new INXS album, with Michael Hutchence still alive, gave me a brief, unexpected moment of sadness. There was also a review of a book on the Mississippi flood of 1927, which devastated parts of New Orleans. Here's a quote that may sound slightly familiar in light of the more recent disaster: "we watch Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover rise to power by manipulating publicity surrounding hapless black refugees-many of whom migrated north."