Marooned in cyberspace

Of all the potential anxiety-inducing aspects of this whole adventure, the worst has come to pass: I've been marooned in cyberspace. That is, I'm caught in a limbo between web hosts, and I have no real way of knowing whether or not I'm getting my e-mail as I should. There's a long, sad (and mainly technological) story behind it which I won't burden you with, but suffice to say it's one of those Catch-22 frustrations that are exacerbated by the very technology such problems were meant to be cured by. (See, I'm so upset I'm ending sentences with prepositions already.) So hear this, dear readers:

If you have send me an e-mail in the last 24 hours or so, chances are very good that I have not received it. If I have replied to you, then clearly this is not the case. If you are expecting a reply, or even some vague acknowledgement, but it hasn't come (or worse yet, you have received some sort of bounceback notice saying that the domain does not exist, or is unreachable, or some such hooey), then I ask you to kindly resend. Or better yet, send your most welcome missives to my Gmail account. Which, for those of you who don't know it (since I've almost exclusively been using my Komrad.com e-mail since about '98) is quite simply my first name (my common first name, not my full-on given name), a dot in between, and my surname, at Gmail dotcom. With no spaces anywhere.

I'm not sure why I waited until the last minute to change web hosts, except that perhaps I knew in the back of my mind that Murphy's law would prevail in cyberspace as it does in real life, and I didn't want to be sweating and fretting over niggling little geeky stuff while I was trying to do so many other (more important) things, like pack for my trip. I figured I'd take care of that particular piece of business while in between homes. (As I write I'm in temporarily Ottawa on business.) So now I'm paying for the postponement. I feel terribly cut off from the rest of civilization, and not just because this is Ottawa either. (Where the Internet connectivity goes all wonky if or when it rains, fer cryin' out loud. And it's rainy here.)

I'm so upset I think I need to lie down for a while. I had a big post all written up yesterday ready to go, but I got sidetracked with the e-mail issue. So I'll save it for later. Meantime, stay in touch... please.

A horrifying realization

Egad! It has just dawned on me that as I transition from Canada to the U.K. there will be more than mere jet lag to contend with. The time zone switch from PST to GMT may be the least of the adjustments I'll have to make. No, a far more serious cultural shift is about to occur, and it fills me with a certain dread. The realization is this:

In one fell swoop (i.e. one 7-hour transatlantic flight) I will be missing approximately 9 months' worth of Coronation Street.

I have become suddenly aware that I will not be able to follow the myriad plot twists, character development nuances and dramatic story arcs as they unfold. Instead, I'll be catapulted into the future. When I land I will be completely ignorant of what has happened to Tracy & Charlie (boo! hiss!), Steve & Ronnie, Frankie & Danny, the lot. I feel like I'm about to step into the Tardis and emerge with a whole gestation period's worth of my couch potato life gone -- vanished.

The farewells begin...

Had a fun, relaxed get-together at VFS yesterday. Met some of the other EBM program instructors that I hadn't previously met, and saw most -- in fact almost all -- my students, who are just starting a new term. It feels weird to be leaving at such an early juncture in the program's history, but then I guess there is no time that is inherently better than any other at which to leave (temporarily, I stress!). I keep reminding everyone, including myself, that this is merely a sabbatical, and that I will be back within a year.

The only real question mark at this stage is exactly when, since I'm not quite sure. It could be spring, it could be late summer. I'm hoping for the former and preparing for the latter.

So, I bid a fond (temporary!) farewell to my students and wish them well. Note to one and all: Stay in touch. No pressure, of course, but I expect to hear great things of you in the coming weeks/months/years.

Back to packing up now...

Partytime

"This is partytime... And it's better than a cold bath with someone you dislike..."

(With apologies to Pat Fish, a/k/a the Jazz Butcher.) Yes, with a mere 6 days (!!!) until departure we are having a hoedown chez Katmandeux. You are corially invited. If you didn't get you e-vite, come anyway. It probably means we simply didn't have your e-mail address. Or possibly because we don't like you. But that's okay, because I'm leaving anyhow so you can say what you like about me once I'm gone.

Oh, and there's more news on that front: apparently our lease is being extended 'til sometime in or around March of 2007, so we won't be moving house in the near future. Which takes a much-needed load off my mind, thank goodness. But it also means that half the reason for our party -- namely, a house-cooling (as opposed to a house-warming) -- is off. So, be forewarned: we will need to clean the place up after all, and not leave it in the abysmally trashed state we had intended. (Just kidding, Jane and Paul!) People -- like D., and Victor and Albert (who, after all, are more like people than some people I know) -- will still need to live there.

So, see you Friday evening. Just don't expect me to get too drunk and perform my usual party tricks, since I have mondo packing to do on Saturday. I'll need to be mobile and reasonably clear-headed for all that remains to be done.

News from home... and away

D. announced yesterday that she too is planning on going back to school, after I get back from the U.K. She's applying for her PhD at the European Graduate School, where her doctorate will be in Media & Communications. Talk about too cool for school: the faculty includes Catherine Breillat, Peter Greenaway, David Lynch, Volker Schlondorff, DJ Spooky and John Waters, among others. D. says that when she's done I will have to refer to her as Doctor Baby.

Fortunately for us most of the work can be done via distance ed., but she will need to go there for a few weeks in the summer. What a pity... having to go to Switzerland for a few weeks a year .

On a related note, D. also heard some great news from her agent the other day regarding one of her feature film scripts, involving a well-known production company. Stay tuned for updates on that one. Meanwhile the second draft of her novel is coming along quite nicely.

Great to see cousin John, literally, on the tube via the Web. Turns out he's coaching a unique rugby team for disabled students whose funding has dried up, and they need help. Check out the story, and send them some love and help. John's in New Zealand, by the way...

The countdown begins

Within the last few days I have received confirmation of my accommodation at the Harrow Hall of residence and of my visa status, both of which come as a huge weight off my mind. I am now free to worry about all sorts of other things. And lord knows there are plenty of those.

I've also discovered that I have probably over 10 pounds in coins and notes stashed away from my last trip(s) to the U.K., so that's a pleasant and thoroughly unexpected bonus. Sometimes being a pack rat really does pay.

In case you're wondering, this is where I'll be in just about three weeks from now, more or less. Conveniently located near the Northwick Park tube station... in case you were thinking of visiting.