One Step Closer

There are times when being in a long-distance relationship absolutely sucks. You're in different timezones, so there's the trying to find times where you're both awake and have the time to talk to each other. There's the whole technically being in a relationship, yet still living the single life, minus being able to go out and scope the local talent with a view of bringing them home (one can still view, but not act! Unless you're not really committed to the relationship). There's the whole having a crappy day at work, and all you want is to go home and have a cuddle with your partner. Kinda difficult to do when they're on the other side of the planet. Or if you're unlucky with schedule timings, not even being able to talk to them for days on end.

Acci and I have been in a relationship since 2005. In 2006, we were going to meet for the first time at a big get-together of a number of people from the Museum of Hoaxes in Edinburgh. Two weeks before the trip, Acci's passport died. Cue frantic activity from Acci trying to get a new passport, only to result in losing all official forms of ID (except his driver's licence). Obviously, he never managed to get his passport re-issued before the Edinburgh excursion. So, Acci missed out on the trip, and we missed out on meeting each other at that time.

After the Edinburgh trip, Acci continued struggling with the State Department, trying to convince them that he was who he said he was, and to re-issue all his missing paperwork. This also involved at least one trip from where he was in Maryland all the way up to Vermont. All to no avail. The rest of 2006 passed by. So did 2007.

At the start of 2008, I decided that because Acci wasn't getting (or going) anywhere, I would go over to the US to meet him. That ended up being a very good thing. After having spent nearly three years talking to each other online, when we actually met in person, there wasn't any great deal of awkwardness between us. It was one of those times where everything just felt right. Despite the fact that I managed to catch a lurgy or two while I was there...

Right towards the end of my stay in the US, Acci's phone line died. Which, since he was still forced on a dial-up connection then, meant that he also lost his internet connection. And because he was in a heritage listed house, he couldn't just call someone out to get it fixed. It had to go through various city officials before he could get someone in to replace the wiring. Which meant that for five months after my trip to the US, we were reduced to exchanging emails once a day...

Just before there was to be a town meeting at which the decision for the rewiring for Acci's place was to be aired, Acci got a job offer over in Virginia, which he decided to take. Once he got himself setup in Virginia, he had a reliable broadband internet connection finally. However, again with the timezone thing, our schedules didn't always match up, so we're still having several days a week where we're not managing to talk to each other.

Eventually, at the end of October last year (jeez, it's been nearly a year already???) Acci proposed. Over MSN. And Acci renewed his efforts to get various bits of paper so he could at least come out to Australia to visit.

Finally, in March this year, Acci sent me a picture of a lovely bit of cardboard. His new Social Security card. Finally, someone decided that Acci was a real person, and should probably have that bit of cardboard once more.

Last night, I had the next bit of good news. The US government have finally decided to recognise that Acci is a citizen of their country. And has the paperwork to prove it. I'm so happy, because all that's left for Acci to get is his passport. And a plane ticket. And time off work. And for nothing to go wrong. And then he can be here!

Man...that was a bit longer than I thought it was going to be...oh well, I guess it makes up for lack of posting over the past few months...

Poetry of Spam

The following was found in my work email on Friday. Disguising the usual links for various drug sales, of course. But I thought that the opening line sounded so cheery, I just wanted to share it with you all. I have not made any changes to the text, so don't blame me for the poor spelling/grammar/lack of capitals & punctuation.

hoary hoary potto puddle!

lory sinewy juicy link.

puddle telly bane dance.
entail hoary khan enable.
winy amines schism today.
proem sadism tower comity.
parish whack drag.
brooch asthma.
smug laser jocose dago.
paid terse asthma potto!
link argue put.
vouch link sinewy footer!
virus filler pirn smug!
winy drag sweet sultry!
tother metope metope.
stable riven hoary planer.
egress patio pinto sleigh.
focal potto sultry.
juicy vouch.
filler stable pinto sleigh?
ennui idly dagger.
laser virus.
terse damme tower quid.
maths idly proem.
vouch hunch solar.
drat dance uptake.
sultry hern.
sweet alert planer sinewy?
hoary sadism.
diver uptake riven amines?
hoary maths metope yawl.
common alert.
haggle argue.
common sultry.
ennui potto drat entail.
puddle today egress.
lory ennui braky maths?
smug dagger today virus?
drat potto.
telly filler.
pant patio toss.
laser diver.
furore yawl scrap filler?
puddle proem.
filler potto.
shapen paid focal si?
lower asthma si.
tendon patio metope.
patio jocose laser.
lower metope lory juicy!
vouch pirn tendon regard.
trader boh dance dago?
common tother.
bane asthma filler scrap?
planer dagger sadism abbess!
breezy infer brooch footer!
tother stable common.
dalle si put drag!
proem lower yawl.
uptake ennui.
focal virile drat patio.
scrap ennui smug damme!
hunch hunch telly quid!
tother drag pant brooch?
sadism virus yawl hackee!
smug regard shapen.
pinto asthma sultry stable.
loss tower idly smug!
sweet terse planer drag!
sweet pirn diver metope!
hunch alert potto pant!
uptake dago focal link?
braky legal toss yawl.
filler amines diver filth.
yawl comity toss shapen!
sinewy riven.
pinto hern argue lemon!
pirn tower proem tendon?
asthma put argue maths?
si today robin footer?
metope tother dagger.
abbess egress infer puddle.
winy alert laser camera!
haggle telly robin.
lower hoary.
today sinewy telly infer!
sleigh mute pinto dance!
pant camera.
sultry pinto enable smug.
sultry whack.
dance solar proem.
breezy asthma.
dalle winy quid abbess.
robin quid alert mute!
boh alert mute alert.
footer potto.

Photo time!

Okay, so I've been a tad distracted with things...and most of these photos have been lurking for a while. They were taken at the park next to the town hall where we do tai chi on Sunday mornings these days. I'd arrived one Sunday waaaay too early considering I no longer do admin there. So I decided I'd wander round and take pictures of the odd...sculptures, I guess you can call them.











And the wall of the verandah of the building next to the Town Hall.


We're settling in at our new office, too. I've yet to take any photos of it, though. I have some photos of it, but that was before it had a paint job. And we've yet to get signage up, which is rather annoying. Currently, we have a piece of paper stuck on the door proclaiming that we're occupying that particular office. And still people walk straight past it...

And I've been waiting for six months (or thereabouts) for a parcel from the US...there had been various "issues" with getting the various postal departments to send the parcel from there to here. But finally, on Friday, it arrived. So I've acquired a few more dragons, tea, various American lollies and other bits and pieces. Best of all, one of the dragons was sporting a pretty bit of jewellry on a ribbon round it's neck, and solved two of my current jewellry desires in one go...


Now...for someone to get his passport and get out here!

It's a little bit funny...

Okay...this may start off as a bit of a rant, but I suppose I need to give some background stuff before I get to the point of my post...

As mentioned in a previous post, we're relocating offices, and it's definite, the other firm is not coming with us (Woohoo!). So, long story short (I hope), the principal of the other firm attempted to do a partial mail divert on our PO box - not only is it not possible to do this, it's also illegal. We didn't find out until Friday lunchtime, and having had two days running with no mail at our box. And after they had blatantly denied putting in any mail diverts on our box. Not just once, either. I'd asked them about it first thing in the morning, and my boss asked them again while I was out at lunch. Only to backpedal and retract their lie as my boss was heading out the door to sort it out with the post office. The post office was horrified, divert was cancelled, and all mail was sent back to our PO box.

I was furious with the other firm, for not only doing the divert in the first place and not telling us, but then lying about it when asked politely. Twice. I spent all of Friday afternoon unable to even walk past them without having to fight a very strong urge to whack them. Consequently I was not looking forward to coming into work first thing Monday. And here's where the fun part (to my mind) comes in.

I'm a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And due to my bad mood, I had selected my Walkman to shuffle just the Buffy soundtracks (I have both the Album and Radio Sunnydale, for those who know what I'm talking about). This morning, totally forgetting that I had done that, just switched my player on while on the train, and decided I'd stick with what was selected - which was the Radio Sunnydale album. I had to laugh at the syncronicity when as I was on the final approach to the office, the music for The Final Fight was playing. This reflected my mood rather well, as I really did feel as though I was having to brace myself for yet another battle at work. And it was also timed out very well, the music went quiet, just as the lift opened its doors on the ground floor, and the music built up on the journey to the second floor, where I got out into a darkened hallway. And then got to the final crescendo just as I unlocked the office. I doubt I could've planned it better!

I sat down at my desk, switched on my computer, and then noted that one of the phones in the office appeared to be off the hook, so went to rectify the matter. Then got the shock of my life as I rounded the corner, and discovered that the other firm had completed cleared out all their stuff over the weekend (they were supposed to clear out this coming weekend). I was literally jumping up and down with joy when I got over the shock. Oh, and the phone that was off the hook had actually been unplugged while they were moving their stuff out. And somehow, the plug has gone missing...who would take of with a phone plug? Honestly?

So, we've gained an extra week without the conflict of the other firm in the office, and in little over a week, we'll be making our own move. Eeeee!

Oh, and I think I need to start re-watching Buffy again...

What the...?

Three strange things observed today. Sadly, I'm now kicking myself that I didn't take photos of the first two, but I was preoccupied with getting to the train station to come home.

First - a new busker in the Hay Street Mall. Skinny, young guy. With an accordion. And what was he playing on his accordion? Zombie by the Cranberries. Rather fast, too. It was kinda mind-boggling.

Second - a very definite Furry. I only really noticed him out of the corner of my eye, and spotted he had the ears, and a very lovely, long fox's tail. What made me laugh was the two girls sitting on a bench who also spotted him and had pulled out their phones to take pictures. Of course, they were too late to get a good shot, so chased after him! Hope he escaped okay.

Third - Gets a TMI warning. An advert that's come up when I've logged into MSN. New feminine hygeine product (told you, TMI!). Tampons. With wings. Yes, that's right. Wings. On tampons. I'm still sitting here going "What the...?"

That is all

Time to don a tinfoil hat!

So, my last ramble has been used as the basis for a webcomic. Well, the bit about my ramble about never remembering my ideas.


Basic Instructions

Mr Meyer managed to put my thoughts a lot more succinctly (and entertainingly) than I did.

Try again

Wow, obviously my last post was so thrilling, no one (except Acci) was able to comment... ;-)

On the few occasions I've been asked to clarify what a blog is, I always stumble about a vague, online diary-type thing. And then wonder why I'm trying to run one myself. I've never been very good at keeping a diary. I envy my mum who manages to write pages of stuff in notebooks on a daily basis. But then again, she does have the leisure to lounge about for an hour or so doing said writing.

So, am I keeping a blog to record my thoughts for my own purposes of keeping track of my life? Am I doing it to let the few friends who know I have a blog know what I'm thinking? Have I just done it, because all the "cool kids" were doing it and I wanted to join in (much like Facebook, I have to add)?

I've just been through the various blogs that I've got bookmarked and have fed through an RSS feed. It's depressing to see all these blogs which haven't been updated in several months (or a couple which haven't been updated in a year or more), and having to remove a couple of bookmarks because the blogs have disappeared. Does this mean I'm not the only one who gets bored with writing about their life?

Actually, I think the reason why I don't blog more is because I don't feel as though I have anything worth saying. Or more often, I think of something, but I'm usually nowhere near a computer, or have a pen and paper handy to record the idea. Or just don't think of doing so. Which means that by the time I remember to record an idea, several months have passed since my last blog post. No more! I'm going to try to do better. Promise! Although, just be prepared to have more odd ramblings like this to read through.