62 and counting

The days are running down faster than I expected.

We went to the cottage this past weekend for Thanksgiving. It was the last time that I'll likely see a number of my family members, including my brother. On the one hand, I was sad, but on the other it felt unreal in part because of how many days we still have in Canada and in part because of how ill I felt for unrelated reasons. It's a bit odd not knowing when I'll see my brother again. We've been apart more than we've been together during his lifetime, so it's normal for us in a way, but at least I've always known vaguely when we'd be face to face again.

My cousin is looking to visit us and I suggested she visit in January or February. I'd be thrilled if that actually came to fruition. We'll be living in our hotel for those months which makes it a little cramped, but it also means that I'll likely not be working and can show her around in proper tourist fashion.

Work has been all sorts of crazy lately. The store that I work for was sold and the new owners are relying on me to supply them with much of the information that they're going to need to run the store upon my departure. It's the absolute last thing I want to be doing during my last few months in Canada. I hate that this has been put on me during a time in my life when I'd really like to make work a secondary or tertiary concern. I've always put this job ahead of other aspects of my life and it makes me feel almost taken for granted that I'm going to continue to do so when the job and the future of the store has so little bearing on my future. *sigh* But I'm also not the sort of person who can do their job at a lesser level of satisfaction. It's like I've been trapped into this ordeal, without my consent and without any consideration toward my own quality of life.

So that's what's been making me crazy these last few months. Too much on my plate from a job that I won't hold in two months or be able to come back to upon our return to Canada.

Our accommodations are being booked today in London. After that, we'll have flights booked and all the other necessities. Our passports were renewed, complete with serial-killer-esque photo for me and a visa is in the works. The trip we're taking to Chazieux for Christmas has been planned and it appears we'll be taking an overnight ferry for part of the trip. I'm curious about this ferry business. I hated the overnight train we took from Paris to Florence. I can't imagine a ferry is any better.

Oh, and our yard sale was a huge success! I forgot to mention that people came in droves to buy our cast-offs, to the tune of nearly $900! It felt great to get rid of so much of our things, but it was also the coldest day of the month thus far.

One less thing to do. We must soldier on.