Move updates

I am really on a blogging roll tonight. I've been spending some time online with fun questions like:

• "How much freight can I personally schlep through the airport if I carry it?" - a lot, actually, and it doesn't count Caden's carseat.
  
• "If I put money in the bank, can I get it out?" - not really.
• "What's new on CNNfn?" - too much to get caught up on right now, but I love that stuff more than relocation details
• "What are other people blogging about?" - Fun stuff sometimes, a lot of politics (I picture Student Council runner-ups), and some interesting details
• "How about CNN?" - weather and bomb scares, same old.. back to my blog...

So here I am. We're in the home stretch with just two weeks from today until departure, but after working 12 hours today, I haven't got a lot of life in me for bank account research. Plus I have a status call with my boss at 10pm. (Remember that time difference nuance about the family interactions - same for work; started with a 6am meeting, ending with a 10pm-10:30). So anyhow, I'll share with you all (whoever that is - hi mom!), the latest in the move.

• Like I said, Valentine's Day is now the big departure date for all of us. We're leaving together now that the visa process is delaying my trip by at least a week. I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll get the visas in time, but we'll have to delay if not.
• Why do I hope not?
• I have a new house in Bangalore, in Whitefield, right by another Target expat with kids (including a grown up boy for Wade to play with). It sounds really nice, in a community called Palm Meadows. Candidly, I'm afraid of the rats I've heard they have really, but I'm bringing flash lights for the power outages, and they have a huge community sandbox and pool so Caden is happy from looking at the pictures. It looks pretty nice, has an extra bedroom (visitors please!), and sounds like a great community. It's partially furnished - big furniture but not linens, kitchenware or decorations. My boss negotiated it for us, and it's a huge relief to have it taken care of before we get there so we can pretty much just move in. It's actually available starting tomorrow, which just makes me want to go even more. NOW.
  
• Because we also sold our house here. Actually more quickly and with less work than expected and no cost concession. Go figure after all that talk about "the market." The closing is March 1st so mom, as attorney-in-fact will have to take care of it. I'm happy, but already starting to have a little remorse when Caden calls it "our old house."
• We're also unwinding all of our other commitments here. I can no longer watch TV (the satellite is canceled as of yesterday). We only have one car (can't remember how we used to do that for four years). The mail is starting to dwindle some (sorry mom for the volume of junk mail appearing there). And we have no food (mostly condiments and frozen veggies). And no wine. I might have to fix that. Two weeks is a long time...
• A week from Monday the movers come, and will take the air freight stuff (1,000 yet to be determined pounds of our most precious light-weight belongings) and the coffee maker. Then I will be crabby and outta here. How can one live without a coffee maker and make it to a 6am meeting? It's just not humane. That's why I will earn a 15% hardship premium next year I guess. I thought it was the rats, but I think I can live with those, given a cup of coffee in the morning, and a glass of wine at night. I'm a simple girl really.
  

Ok, I suppose time to get back at something else. Hope all is well with everyone. The adventure is about to begin. And I'll try to keep this updated then too... really.