not even close

I said to my Japanese teacher today that, what with getting plane tickets and having received my financial aid award letter, my last major hurdle is getting my visa. And that's...mostly true.

Don't get me wrong. I still spend the majority of my time worrying how long it will take, why isn't it here, why isn't it here, why isn't it here?! My contact at TUJ (who answers my many frequent, paranoid questions) seemed to imply it's simply a matter of course at this point. Being the person I am, though, I refuse to get ahead of myself. I refuse to accept anything as a done deal until the evidence is in my hot little hands.

In the mean time, looking around the apartment, I have to admit the biggest hurdle is probably the insurmountable heap of shit before me. Jarrett and I have lived in this apartment for longer than we have been married, and we're edging six years. That is, honestly, the longest I have continuously lived anywhere in my entire life. We haven't done too badly, what with this only being a one-bedroom, but there is a reason I affectionately refer to our cozy nest as The Shitpit.

There is a lot to do. There are at least three or four lots to do. And here's the rub: what with needing money for this big hullabaloo, we keep picking up extra shifts at work. Any time not spent shoveling popcorn, baking bagels, studying Japanese, sweeping floors or eating is predominantly spent sleeping. Craigslisting has sort of fell by the wayside. Now, with the quiet clicking into place of puzzle pieces, I am half tempted to simply sell the most valuable stuff first, beginning at the top of the list, and simply close the apartment door and walk away at the end of July.

If you know me, you know I'm kidding.

If I learned anything from my Mom, it was how to clean up after myself. Then again, my mom has a bit of a sneaky side. Let's just call it a sparkle in the eye of a woman who probably hasn't told me all of her really good stories yet! Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I probably won't.

But a girl can dream.