The loop, the film, the attic and the airplane.

It has been quiet here this last week as we play the anxiety-filled waiting game for Quinn's visa. All of her documents are sent out, and we think she is a super-strong candidate, but it has not come quickly enough or with the expected 'confirmation emails', so she changed her ticket. Now I will be flying to London on Tuesday solo, followed by Quinn on the 21st. We hope that will be enough time for the consulate down the street (within walking distance) to give us some encouragement.

Can you imagine a game about waiting? Why has no-one filmed a romantic comedy with that title, about people getting married maybe? The anxiety from waiting is a unique breed and makes me want to clean things so as to insist upon my ability to control my world. My desires to clean and organize coordinate with Denis' hopes for the attic and the garage, so at least it's productive and not straightening rugs and re-folding t-shirts.

Although, since we are leaving separately, I have replaced that anxiety with packing fever, and have begun making lists of things that go into suitcases and backpacks. I have begun making appointments in Soton and London. I wake up with visions of the apartment hunt and first visit to the grocery and meeting the neighbors. I am trying to figure out what to do while I am there, what services I will volunteer to get myself into the community of churches in the diocese.
I have also been editing a lot for an online service. I just finished helping someone with his dissertation on Croatia and diaspora which has filled me full of rather useless information (until I go back to Dubrovnik!)

Mostly, though, we have been catching up on movies and getting Quinn's room 'packed up' in a serious, permanent way. Rather emotional, sometimes. Yesterday she made some insanely good pork and grilled corn-in-husk, and we had something like a part with Andrew (who's staying here now), Emily and her brother John and their mother. Fun times, good beer, great food and dessert and philosophical conversations. It was like an indie short film.

I hope everyone is dandy. Besides the passive stress of waiting, we are very dandy ourselves.

-Andy