next week????

wowee! i can't believe christmas is next week. where has the year went? how can we be so close? wha wha whaaaat?

well, i actually know where the year went. planning, organizing, working on getting here. and now we are here. what's next?

maybe i should just bullet point our updates, in no particular order:

-it's almost summer here! the weather is getting really nice. we had a couple days of rain, but today it is gorgeous and it is hot in the sun! must wear sunblock everyday here b/c of the lack of the ozone layer.

-mike is working really hard, and has been for the past week. he is racking up those hours at this media company downtown. he is such a hard worker. i am proud.

-mike got a new job! he starts at his #1 company on january 8th. he is excited. i am excited for him. he will have to work a lot, but it is right up his alley. and here's hoping that i will be working again soon too!

-our plans changed again. since mikey got his job, obviously, we won't be traveling right away. i think we are both slightly disappointed by this, BUT we came here to live, and we are making the best decisions we can based on what's in front of us. we just decided that since the economy is sucking balls right now, we need to jump at the chance at good job opportunities if they presented themselves. they have, and we jumped. so, we will get to travel, just not right at this moment.

-i am still (im)patiently waiting for the results of my exam. patience is a virtue that i apparently lack. so, i am so anxious about it. and i hate it when people say, "i am sure you passed." i am not so sure, so how can you be? mike says its b/c people have faith in me. that's nice, but i guess i don't have any faith in myself. of course, being the worry wart that i am, i can't help but mull over the exam day in and day out. good thing that the registrations officer said that he would email me my results as soon as he receives them, and then send out the formal letter. getting the results is my christmas wish. i am hoping it gets here before the holidays....

-i was invited to apply for a job at the welly hospital a couple days ago. it was for a 12 month medicines information pharmacist. this is all pending my results. i was allowed to lodge my application as "pending", so i did, and now i am back to the previous point....waiting for the results!

-i have been keeping myself quite busy during my permanent vacation. i have been reading in the sunshine, learning new crafty things, and cooking more. i have been trying to get out and walk around the city. i taught myself how to crochet. i am now knitting mikey the ugliest scarf known to man. it looks punky brewster inspired. i bought a kid's craft kit at the store, so you can imagine what hideously bright colors they include in the package!

-i am surprised how fast mail and packages arrive here from the states! i am glad that things are less than a week away if i really needed something from home. i got my mom sending us gummy bears and mac 'n cheese by the score! we have been so spoiled; we have received several packages from our families. they are piling up under the tree, and we are blowing away the competition with our roommates! not that christmas is about material things....

-last weekend mike and i went to the te papa to see the new colossal squid exhibit. it was so cool. yes, we did go to 2 of 3 lectures about the deep sea abyss and the weirdly spectacular creatures within it. we are such nerdlings, i know.

-yes, water does drain out of the sink or bathtub clockwise in the southern hemisphere. i tested it out when i was in auckland for my exam. the hotel we stayed at was nice, and it had a great tub complete with bubblebath. i made use of this. i thought it might calm my nerves the night before the big test. i did witness the clockwise drainage. but, you can't tell on the toilets here b/c most of them are the flood kind of flush, so the water just pours in, not like the ones at home!

-holy crap, electricity is expensive here. and i think we do a good job of conserving, but holy shit!

-i think i am getting chubbier. but i must admit that i have been lacking in the exercise department. mike swears i look the same. but i think i have gotten fatter. well, at least my clothes fit still.

-its hard to get into the christmas spirit when you are wearing capri pants and a short sleeve t-shirt, and it is warm outside. i am trying though. i did rip a christmas cd from my roommate alec.

anyhoo, on that note....happy holidays everyone! i miss you all. hope that your christmas is merry and bright. stay warm in the northern hemisphere! all my love.