16 posts tagged “moving”
I cannot believe I haven't written about this .... I guess I was just too damn upset to want to be still and write about it.
For those who have been tracking my "Move to Australia" saga ...you will know that we have had MAJOR problems with our moving company, Fleet World Wide Shipping, now forever known as Fleet World Wide Pirates ..
After waiting nine long months - we finally had a partial shipment of our goods delivered to Australia from England at the beginning of July. There was wild familial applause as it meant we could at long last actually sleep in beds, have a selection of clothing, and enjoy some of our nice things. Sadly, like everything else associated with this move - the ideal and the reality didn't quite coincide.
First off, we had been told that the majority of things had been sent, barring 'a few boxes of books". The reality? We received a lot of bits and pieces of things .... for instance; the head board and foot board for my bed arrived, with no side rails to put it together. My son's bed got the side rails, no head board or foot board. The china cabinet arrived, with no shelves or doors. This is only the tip o' the iceberg by way of examples.
Next, the amount of breakage was heart breaking. Our main television, which was only a year old arrived looking like this ... the outside pkg-ing was in pristine condition - but the t.v looked like it had been (imagine this) kicked in by some angry Pirate.
So here we sit, still minus much of our belongings ... and now being charged storage fees on the balance which remain un-shipped in England!! Lemme tell you my darlings, piracy is alive and well in the year 2007
I desperately wish I had a lawyer in the family - cuz it would give me unbelievable pleasure to sue the asses off the Pirates and end this once and for all.
On the upside - life is more comfortable - even with only part of our things being here and some of the things I desperately needed (personal documentation being right up there) has made its way here. I only wish I could feel more positive about things - but even writing this little bit about it has me in tears. It's been a hard ol' time these last months - and the party isn't over.
Because I don't already have enough shit going on -- my nemesis, Mercury is about to do HIS thing again. At 23:41 UT (Universal Time), just before midnight on June 15, 2007, Mercury, the cosmic asshole, turns retrograde in Cancer. He doesn't get his shit together again until about July 24th, give or take the long shadow he casts before and behind his arrival and departure (plus or minus a week or so either direction).
I once decided not to believe in Mercury Retro. This is very much akin to deciding not to believe in gravity - or deciding that people can breathe water. It doesn't work. I'm a Virgo/Leo cusp chick so Mercury sadly rules in my world - when He retros it's like the Cosmic Crown Prince pitching a six week long fit ... in my living room.
This retro is gonna hit harder than ever because we're at the tail end of negotiations with our moving company, FWW Pirates - who not only have failed for 9 months to get our belongings delivered - but are now also thinking they will charge us storage fees for the goods they have hijacked!
Arhhh matey, piracy is alive and well in the modern world!
In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and of course, transportation. When he retros in Cancer - he creates mental and emotional confusion, combined with memory lapses and other intellectual oopsie daisies.
Cancer is very emotional and sensitive, so during the next loooong six weeks, people are going to find it more difficult than usual to separate their thoughts from their feelings. Like little psychic sponges, we can expect to find ourselves absorbing the feelings and thoughts of people in our close environment. We will be taking things personally and all aspects of communication will be affected, especially in matters related to the family, business, travel, domestic relationships and real estate issues in general.
I have to tell you, our move to Australia has been Stressful with a capital S. It's put everything we have on the line and stretched all our resources to the max. We've been at breaking point for months - and its leaked into relationship, personal stability and security issues and everything else you can think of. Now we've got Merc Retro in Cancer not only fucking up transportation, negotiation and business communications -- but also interpersonal communication and relationships.
Fuck ....
I once decided not to believe in Mercury Retro. This is very much akin to deciding not to believe in gravity - or deciding that people can breathe water. It doesn't work. I'm a Virgo/Leo cusp chick so Mercury sadly rules in my world - when He retros it's like the Cosmic Crown Prince pitching a six week long fit ... in my living room.
This retro is gonna hit harder than ever because we're at the tail end of negotiations with our moving company, FWW Pirates - who not only have failed for 9 months to get our belongings delivered - but are now also thinking they will charge us storage fees for the goods they have hijacked!
Arhhh matey, piracy is alive and well in the modern world!
In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and of course, transportation. When he retros in Cancer - he creates mental and emotional confusion, combined with memory lapses and other intellectual oopsie daisies.
Cancer is very emotional and sensitive, so during the next loooong six weeks, people are going to find it more difficult than usual to separate their thoughts from their feelings. Like little psychic sponges, we can expect to find ourselves absorbing the feelings and thoughts of people in our close environment. We will be taking things personally and all aspects of communication will be affected, especially in matters related to the family, business, travel, domestic relationships and real estate issues in general.
I have to tell you, our move to Australia has been Stressful with a capital S. It's put everything we have on the line and stretched all our resources to the max. We've been at breaking point for months - and its leaked into relationship, personal stability and security issues and everything else you can think of. Now we've got Merc Retro in Cancer not only fucking up transportation, negotiation and business communications -- but also interpersonal communication and relationships.
Fuck ....
So this afternoon Middle Miss and myself went downtown to the Queen Street Mall looking for school shoes. This is akin to finding the Holy Grail as they must be a very specific type of shoe - black leather, lace-up, < 3 CM heel height. You would think in a place where all children must wear ugly footwear, that plenty of stores would keep a good supply. Not so.
Queen Street Mall is a shopper's paradise - all kinds of yummy stores, mini 'malls - designer boutiques, shoe stores galore. But we did not find "them" and my daughter is not gonna go to school until she has the 'right' shoes on her feet, on account the school policy makes a breech of footwear sound a lot like committing first degree murder. Our first visit to the school involved us overhearing a kid getting suspended for breech of some dress code rule or other.
I'm Canadian - we don't wear school uniforms - I'm not opposed to uniforms - in fact I think they are great for a few reasons - but I also think kids can and should be allowed to personalize them with other things - hair, jewelry, funky socks - whatevah. As Canadians, we don't tend to 'sweat the small stuff' - education is of a high quality but it takes place in a much more relaxed atmosphere. Aussie is promoted as the land of laid back - I'm not seeing much evidence of this when it comes to the education system or anything bureaucratic (not that this is an Aussie-only thing).
Now, Missy says she's not gonna flaunt school policy - no dying hair, no make up, no conspicuous jewelry blah blah -- good on her - but I have to tell you, I read/listen to all this 'RULES' shit and it makes MY ass twitch. It makes ME rebellious. If it was me, I'd probably wear whatever I wanted on my feet - damn the torpedoes - and I would be the girl sitting in the naughty chair in the detention room too. I realize I am not the person who has to go to a new school, in a new country.
I celebrate my daughter's common sense and her ability to think strategically - to work out how to get the best result for what she wants - which right now, is to go to school and not have a bunch of crap thrown at her for being 'different'. She's a smart chick. So.... because of my daughter's infinite good sense and desire to avoid trouble ... I will be heading back to the Queen Street Mall again tomorrow morning to find the Holy Grail of ugly shoes. Sheesh - can't they at least have a uniform shop like in the UK - where you can get all the trimmings in one handy location!?
Queen Street Mall is a shopper's paradise - all kinds of yummy stores, mini 'malls - designer boutiques, shoe stores galore. But we did not find "them" and my daughter is not gonna go to school until she has the 'right' shoes on her feet, on account the school policy makes a breech of footwear sound a lot like committing first degree murder. Our first visit to the school involved us overhearing a kid getting suspended for breech of some dress code rule or other.
I'm Canadian - we don't wear school uniforms - I'm not opposed to uniforms - in fact I think they are great for a few reasons - but I also think kids can and should be allowed to personalize them with other things - hair, jewelry, funky socks - whatevah. As Canadians, we don't tend to 'sweat the small stuff' - education is of a high quality but it takes place in a much more relaxed atmosphere. Aussie is promoted as the land of laid back - I'm not seeing much evidence of this when it comes to the education system or anything bureaucratic (not that this is an Aussie-only thing).
Now, Missy says she's not gonna flaunt school policy - no dying hair, no make up, no conspicuous jewelry blah blah -- good on her - but I have to tell you, I read/listen to all this 'RULES' shit and it makes MY ass twitch. It makes ME rebellious. If it was me, I'd probably wear whatever I wanted on my feet - damn the torpedoes - and I would be the girl sitting in the naughty chair in the detention room too. I realize I am not the person who has to go to a new school, in a new country.
I celebrate my daughter's common sense and her ability to think strategically - to work out how to get the best result for what she wants - which right now, is to go to school and not have a bunch of crap thrown at her for being 'different'. She's a smart chick. So.... because of my daughter's infinite good sense and desire to avoid trouble ... I will be heading back to the Queen Street Mall again tomorrow morning to find the Holy Grail of ugly shoes. Sheesh - can't they at least have a uniform shop like in the UK - where you can get all the trimmings in one handy location!?
I'm having a fantasy ... it's utterly sublime.
It all began when hubby messaged from work to tell me he'd been talking with the movers. Apparently our stuff is here, in Australia. It must have cleared Customs, and it did for sure go through quarantine cuz all my wicker baskets needed to be treated , along with two pairs of shoes. (Aussies don't want none dat UK/Canadian soil on der soil)
So, in spite of my well earned cynicism, I am getting turned on by the idea that I may, very soon, after eight loooong months of separation ... be reunited with ...
It all began when hubby messaged from work to tell me he'd been talking with the movers. Apparently our stuff is here, in Australia. It must have cleared Customs, and it did for sure go through quarantine cuz all my wicker baskets needed to be treated , along with two pairs of shoes. (Aussies don't want none dat UK/Canadian soil on der soil)
So, in spite of my well earned cynicism, I am getting turned on by the idea that I may, very soon, after eight loooong months of separation ... be reunited with ...
Yes, my bed.
I'm weak with anticipation. And that pic up there, that is really precisely what my bed looks like. So I don't know when it is coming, there's been no definitive date of delivery which is maddening. However, I'm a couple steps closer to my bed, and hopefully our reunion won't remain a fantasy much longer.
Ahhh I *HEART* my bed.
I'm weak with anticipation. And that pic up there, that is really precisely what my bed looks like. So I don't know when it is coming, there's been no definitive date of delivery which is maddening. However, I'm a couple steps closer to my bed, and hopefully our reunion won't remain a fantasy much longer.
Ahhh I *HEART* my bed.
It's so great to be the bearer of some good news fer a change! As I reported in an earlier post, the lad is back in school as of last Thursday and seems to be easing into the swing of it all - he is off to play soccer tomorrow, and wants to do it - has to be a good thing. Missy Moo has her school interview on Monday and should be into school early next week! YAY both kids sorted ... sorta.
PLUS - hubby produced a letter from Immigration when he got home from work this evening - the waiver has been approved and I can now get on with applying for my change of visa without leaving the country! Fanfriggin'tastic - there is at last, movement!!
Now PUHLEEZE gimme my sofa!
I had to laugh ... I was talking about my current decor - think Shabby Chic meets St Vincent D'Paul's charity shop meets the empty room. - It was suggested that I improve the Feng Shui of the place, this would allow me to make the best of 'difficult energy'.
Feck me, done done and DONE. It took about 2 minutes to completely Feng Shui my empty apartment. I feel so much better.
No I'm lying, now I'm back to being pissed off that Fleet World Wide Pirates STILL have not come close to producing all our worldly effects. Also sick of explaining this to people who have no imagination and cannot seem to project what it might be like to go from my incredibly beautiful 3 bedroom + awesome loft office, house, furnished with a collection of all my best things ... to the above apartment.
Maybe I am materialistic (I never thought I was) ... what I definitely am is home centered ... my house is my anchor, my sanctuary and my safety net. It's been 8 months without any of that.
*sigh* Enuff said.
PS/ one good thing I learned was anyone who Googles Fleet World Wide Shipping is gonna find my blog entries. I'm good with that.
No I'm lying, now I'm back to being pissed off that Fleet World Wide Pirates STILL have not come close to producing all our worldly effects. Also sick of explaining this to people who have no imagination and cannot seem to project what it might be like to go from my incredibly beautiful 3 bedroom + awesome loft office, house, furnished with a collection of all my best things ... to the above apartment.
Maybe I am materialistic (I never thought I was) ... what I definitely am is home centered ... my house is my anchor, my sanctuary and my safety net. It's been 8 months without any of that.
*sigh* Enuff said.
PS/ one good thing I learned was anyone who Googles Fleet World Wide Shipping is gonna find my blog entries. I'm good with that.
Freedom ... it's an interesting concept - and certainly one that has been pondered by far more brilliant minds than my own - are we free, or are we not? Where do we have choice, control - power? Where do we not?
I think about this a lot - where am I free? I can certainly appreciate the limitations of my freedom. There's a lot of things we don't get to choose; the family we are born into, our gender, the color of our skin, the economic circumstances we will grow and develop within. I don't get to choose that Fleet Worldwide Pirates hijacked all my worldly belongings, I don't get to control how long it takes for he Immigration Department to process my visa application. I don't get to control the rules that say I cannot work in Australia until the bureaucracy says I can.
So where is my freedom?
It occurs to me that freedom is not the state of having no adversity in my life - rather it is the awareness that I struggle, think, challenge myself to overcome adversity.
Get out of bed, get some fresh air - write the letters, jump the hoops. It's not moving fast ... it's definitely not easy - I guess that's why they call it adversity.
I think about this a lot - where am I free? I can certainly appreciate the limitations of my freedom. There's a lot of things we don't get to choose; the family we are born into, our gender, the color of our skin, the economic circumstances we will grow and develop within. I don't get to choose that Fleet Worldwide Pirates hijacked all my worldly belongings, I don't get to control how long it takes for he Immigration Department to process my visa application. I don't get to control the rules that say I cannot work in Australia until the bureaucracy says I can.
So where is my freedom?
It occurs to me that freedom is not the state of having no adversity in my life - rather it is the awareness that I struggle, think, challenge myself to overcome adversity.
Get out of bed, get some fresh air - write the letters, jump the hoops. It's not moving fast ... it's definitely not easy - I guess that's why they call it adversity.
I am quite pleased to announce, after five days with no fire - no stove, no oven - there will finally be a decent meal tonight.
I may be just that little bit closer to appreciating why my cave sisters were so darn stoked about fire.
The lyrics came from something Michael Stipe said to me. I rang
him and said, 'I cannot cope with this'. And he said, 'Pull the
shutters down and keep saying, 'I'm not here, this is not happening'. - Thom Yorke
I need add nothing to this.
I need add nothing to this.
We have a gas stove/oven in the midget kitchen.
We have no gas. Haven't since Friday morning.
No ability to cook - no microwave, no cash for takeaway.
Ironically, no one here in sunny Australia seems to think 'inconveniencing' tenants for four days - or rather, making it impossible for them to cook for four days -- is a problem. 'It'll get taken care of mate' -- yeah and Christams always comes too - but not today.
It's a fuckin' picnic here darlings ... literally.
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