How many times must we say, this kind of inflation cannot kill us

Well.

We're here, we made it, we're not dead.

And in truth, we are better than not dead, we are settling in fairly nicely.

Today is Nolan's first day of school at his new pre-school (only one this time, so no need to distinguish between English school and Chinese school) and KB's second day at work.

We had about a week to unpack after we moved in on the 15th, and then we spent six days with my dad and stepmother up in Delaware for Christmas - got to see lots of family, which was good, and our visit was actually quite relaxing. They had all the Christmas accoutrements set up so Nolan got a proper holiday. We weren't around all the half-empty boxes so we didn't feel bad about not working on getting things unpacked, and we were able to vegetate a little bit. Dad and Ann (aka Grandma and Pappy) took Nolan for a ride on the "Christmas Train" to look at lights on the 23rd, so KB and I got to have a Date Night. Probably our last one for a while. Then we drove back down to VA and had another week to continue to get settled before KB started work.

And now, it seems, we are into The Swing of Things. There's still lots to do, of course, but now that Nolan has started school I feel like I have some of my own time back again (for another seven weeks, that is) to do what I want to do. We talked over the last month about how Daddy was on vacation from work and Nolan was on vacation from school, but as you might suspect, Mommy doesn't really get a vacation. Mommy does the same things she always does. Such is the way of our world right now.

The move itself was about as painless as these things can go, really, which was a pleasant surprise. The company we picked, while not the cheapest, was very professional and organized. Nothing was damaged or lost that we've been able to discover, and we've pretty much at least opened (if not fully unpacked) every box, so I think we're in the clear there.

Over the last several times we've moved, I've noticed that the process of moving causes your belongings to undergo a sort of churning, whereby items that you probably had forgotten you owned and don't really need somehow end up in the top part of a box of other, more important things. You open the box that says "Office" looking for your external hard drive and find instead random items the movers threw in to fill up the box.

For instance:

-One tape cassette of R.E.M.'s "Life's Rich Pageant" with no case or paper cover in evidence.

-One "Hollywood" snow globe with miniature actors, director and cameraman that used to sit on my desk at H.B.O.

-One can of Meltonian shoe polish in bright green, the exact shade of my Doc Martens, which have not been polished in years.

-One "Afro Chops" novelty wig given to KB for his 40th birthday last October.

-One mini Zen calligraphy board

-One wired-together human skull (this would be more disconcerting were it not for the fact that KB is a doctor)

-One rubber duck bath toy

-One canister of "Create Your Own Shakespearean Insults" word magnets

-One Polaroid close up attachment kit #583 for the Automatic 100 Polaroid Land Camera

Why are these things out on our kitchen counter right now? We don't know what to do with them. They belong somewhere, we're just not sure where that somewhere is right now. They are the odds and ends, the forgotten extras, the items you keep because you're sure that you will use them at some point, you just don't know when (or if) that time will roll around. Meanwhile, the items you really need to find, like the sugar bowl and the band-aids, continue to elude you.

Such is moving. Every time we do it, I'm certain that THIS time we've separated the wheat from the chaff and only kept what we really, truly need, and every time I'm surprised.

But we are here, we are safe, we are not men, we are Devo. I hope you all had a Happy New Year and a fabulous holiday season.

Further bulletins as events warrant.

Thanks for reading.