Made my plane reservations!!!

I seem to have missed the detail that American, where I have my frequent flyer miles, doesn't fly into Gatwick, so I'm flying into Heathrow. SAT to JFK 30 January 2010, JFK to LHR 31 January 2010, arriving 1 February 2010. Ready to make my B&B reservations now, but waiting b/c I have much other business this week.

1. Biometrics appointment at noon tomorrow.
2. Dental surgery at 1:30 Tuesday.
3. Call courier on Wednesday - - prepare visa package to be mailed to them.

The expats forum recommended A Briggs, but per their web site they are experiencing delays with UK visas currently, so it may be back to the one in Dallas recommended by UK Pro. I emailed Linde over the weekend asking her to resend me the list - - I believe she sent out a list of courier agencies and I would like further choices - - but I am at the point of having trouble remembering what I saw where. Need to touch base with Sam at Icon re Natwest Bank and with Dana at Animal Land. Hey wait, I can email both of them. Think I will do that now.

Oh yeah, I got some passport pictures at Walgreens today b/c they are required for the visa. Also printed off and filled out the separate "Tier 2" visa section. Getting the package ready to be sent off to the courier may be rather a lot of work, but at least hopefully if I do something wrong we will catch it sooner rather than later and can correct it.

Good thing being a social worker has gotten me used to paperwork!!!!! :D

Visa applied for!!!

Got that done online today after a bit of confusion, and have an appointment on Monday to have my biometrics taken (fingerprints plus facial picture.) Then I can contact the courier to walk it through the embassy or consulate.

Unfortunately, I lost my glasses yesterday, went to the optician emergently, and they wouldn't refill my Rx b/c it was over a year old. Went next door to the optometrist emergently, brought the new Rx back to the optician, and my eyes are so bad they've having to send the Rx to a specialist optician in Dallas, so I won't have the glasses for 7-10 days. Meanwhile, I'm working with my Rx sunglasses,, as I can't find my spare pair of regular glasses either (though they were old and I don't think they would have worked that well - - but I took those on my interview trip - - so where are they??!!??) I CAN work with the Rx sunglasses, but it slows me down. I will be veeerrrryyyy glad when the new ones come in.

My work address

As one of several bits of info we've been emailed that we will probably need in applying for our visas this week, my exact work address is:

Civic Centre
Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent
TN23 1PL

How cool is this!!!!!

Visa time

We have our sponsorship numbers and can apply for our visas. UK Pro sent out more info tonight. They want us to use courier services to get our visas through faster. I had already talked to one service they had recommended earlier (yesterday?) and was a bit underwhelmed, but they posted lots more in the info they sent this evening. First we apply online for our visas, which involves gathering a lot of info - - I have it all but I don't know how long it will take. After we do that and pay the fee (EXPENSIVE - - over 200 pounds UK), we get an appointment at the local center to get biometrics. TG there is one in San Antonio and in reality you don't hafta wait for an appointment - - you can just walk in.

I'm hoping to get the visa applied for by the end of the weekend and go to the biometrics center next week before Turkey Day. If I do that, I can have my paperwork ready by December 1 to go to a courier or directly to the British consulate in Los Angeles (that's where apps from Texans go.)

Meanwhile, my cell phone died yesterday and that is hobbling communications. I HOPE to get a new one Friday, but of course it may take longer. Credo shipped it yesterday. Apparently no one can even leave messages on my cell at this point. I know NatWest has to call me soon - - I'm pretty sure there is a UK number on my phone where someone has tried to reach me but I don't know who it was. The NatWest app only went out Monday so I wouldn't think it would be them. Could have been Amanda from the moving company as she did email me that she couldn't reach me, but she is still working on quotes anyway. She can email me if she's ready to chat and we can set up a time.

So today I went to the pain management doc, went to Commando Babes, worked a full schedule and talked on the phone to a courier agency. Not bad. The expats forum is overwhelmingly in favor of using a courier, so I will do so. UK Pro says the council will probably reimburse me. I'm gonna hafta ask them if they are gonna reimburse expenses in addition to the retention bonus. I still hafta work hard to get enough money up front, but it would ease my mind if I knew I was gonna get more of it back. Ah well, one day at a time.

I feel great after working out, but it only lasts a couple hours. Rats. I need more endorphins. I did get some good news tonight about a long-term project, so that helped. Honestly, I would feel so much better if I didn't hafta work right now and could focus on moving tasks and LIFE tasks, but that's not gonna happen. Gotta put on my big girl panties and deal. I still usually can't get the lines on the new platform that I think I should be able to and I'm not sure why.

Loving this new Pet-Ease Paw-Gel for Toby!!! Also finally got a notepad and extra pens for my purse. I need to jot down a LOT of stuff.

Eventful day!!!

Woke up at 5 a.m. This is becoming a routine as I find I do not sleep well on Sunday nights knowing there is SO much to do on Monday mornings. Once I had a bit of caffeine in the system, I called the nice lady at NatWest bank in the UK (it was still morning there, 6 hours ahead), who told me what forms needed to be filled out and that they could NOT be done online as I needed to send in a notarized copy of my passport ID page. Printed the forms, filled them out, and took them to the UPS Store for copies and notarization. Then the post office to mail them (the automatic postage machine, which I've come to know so intimately, was on the fritz so I got to stand in line, but not too long.) Then to the grocery and while scanning my items I got a call from the nice pet mover lady, Dana. We chatted and I told her I would fax her the rabies certificate tomorrow - - which BTW I had picked up on the way to the UPS Store, as the vet had signed it in black ink after being told it HAD to be in blue ink, so they had to issue a new one, so I only had the correct one today anyway. When I got home, Dana had emailed me her phone numbers and it turned out I had put her number in my phone wrong - - I put the first number as a 5 and not an 8, simultaneously turning it into a non-toll-free number and making it impossible for me to reach her. URGGHH!!! I had suspected operator error on my part and that was readily confirmed. Came home, put away the groceries, and made a few more trips up and down the stairs as I am going to Best Buy tomorrow to return the laptop bag which is too small for my laptop (too bad, b/c Toby likes sleeping on it) and I now know they recycle electronics, and I am taking them the dead monitor that has been sitting in my office since about March. And had to take out trash and put some other stuff in my car and take some out. OK, then so far tomorrow I need to go back to the UPS Store and to Best Buy, and that's all I have scheduled SO FAR. Except for Jazzercise class tomorrow night. After the events of this morning, I was so verklempt that I was just lying on the bed watching TV when I got a text from my friend Johnnie, and was able to call her and have a lovely conversation before starting my shift. That was nice. Now I'm working but taking breaks to blog, check email and - - oh yeah, the HR lady sent my sponsorship number and UK Pro is supposed to be sending us info on what to do - - gotta apply for my visa. So checking email is a legit need, blogging not so much so - - but I knew today would be busy and it was, and I need to get my thoughts on paper so I can CONCENTRATE on work. Otherwise they just rattle around my head and distract me.

Did I mention I hate speech rec??? I'm voting for Susan's suggestion that all speech engines eat each other in the middle of the night. Oh well, I shan't be having to deal with it much longer.

Michael's still having problems with arm numbness that the Aggrenox blood thinner doesn't seem to be helping. He's seeing a neurologist Thursday.

Remember that old song, "R-O-C-K in the USA?" Mellencamp, long before Miley. In my head right now it's "Free Health Care in the UUUUUU-K!!" :)

Being over 50 in America is scary from the health point of view. It is to me, anyway.

First Things First: Nailing down hair care and caffeine!!!

Thought I'd post a picture of Toby as I'm starting to get the hang of posting pictures.

Snapfish wasn't working for me to post on the expats blog, so I opened an account at Picasa. Still have lots to learn, of course, but at least I could post this!!! I'd like to post more cat pix and a pic of myself for my expats profile. It'll happen.

Actually a lot has happened since I last wrote here, even though it doesn't feel like it. I've spoken with Amanda, who handles the excess baggage, and she is arranging for people in my area to come and give me a quote. I've made an appointment for Toby to get his final rabies update on Wednesday at 3. I've sent in the information for the lease car, ordered a mobile phone from UK Pro, and attempted to open a UK bank account (we'll see how that pans out. I may need a do-over.) Today I ordered the hair dryer and flat iron that I'll need for reasonable UK hair, and another converter-y thing to make sure the hair dryer will work. I figure if I have hair appliances and a coffeemaker I can get through the first few days at least. I'm hoping to go over toward the end of January to have some time to look at property before induction starts. The relo company hooked me up with some places to stay in Maidstone until KCC moves us to the Maidstone Hilton on 7 February. There's a B&B I like but will wait to reserve until I've nailed down my airline ticket.

Oh, and the techie thread on the expats forum turned me on to a neat way to preserve my desktop computer bookmarks, so when I fire up my laptop on the first wireless connection I find across the Pond, they should all be there. I'm excited about that. And I learned to post pictures too!!! Not bad for one day, especially considering everything ELSE I've already done today!!!

Relocating . . .

Email today from the relocation company including more info about how to bring about the move and locations of places to stay in and around Maidstone, Kent, if I can get in before 7 February, when KCC moves us to the Hilton in Maidstone. I'll email the relo company and let them know when to set up the movers here - - and then I guess I should hit the road b/c they'll be taking my bed, and Toby will be kenneled by then. Ideally, I'd like to have the movers here the 30th or 31st, catch a flight that night or the next morning to the East Coast, then fly on from there to the UK. I had thought about spending up to a week with fam and friends on the East Coast before crossing the Pond, but IDK at this point. That's starting to sound like not the best idea, and one night sounds like a good idea. The relo company is saying that the sooner I get to the UK the sooner they can get me sorted and we can make arrangements to get Toby over. It would be great if I could hook up my flat in the week before inductions start, which is what I was thinking of at one point. It's looking like maybe that is doable.

I'll have to confirm when the movers can be here before I can book my flight, which I've been antsy to do. Progress is being made though.

Excess baggage

The relo company told me they would move my household goods as excess baggage and I had been wondering about it ever since. I noticed recently that I was not taking as much time as I needed to THINK about things; I seem to do my best thinking in the car (and/or overnight) and had not driven since talking to them Thursday. So, tonight I got in the car and went to run a couple errands, and had the epiphany that I could google "excess baggage." I did and here's a link I found:

http://www.excess-international.com/removals_to_the_uk/removals_to_the_uk.php

Woo-hoo!!! So it looks like what I want will be available, which is packing on this end and unpacking on the other end!!! (I had packers for my move from Austin to San Antonio but not UNpackers, and as a result it took a looong time to feel set up in this apartment.)

Not to get too excited too soon, as I'll still hafta talk to the relo company and this may not be the partner they use, but I feel better about the process. Also spent some time looking into how I'm getting from the airport to Ashford - - looks like bus (coach) city. Long story short, high speed rail is faster, but doesn't provide for luggage, which buses do.

Oh, yippee. I'm feeling a sense of control right now. Will enjoy it while I do cuz it comes and goes at this point!!! :)