Thursday 1 July 2010

Let the crazies begin!

Today is our official 3/6 month date. 3 months until we leave here; 6 months until retirement. So today Bob went to schedule our pack out dates. The people there were worse than usual at doing their job professionally. Bob called before he went to ask if he needed an appointment, and was told to just walk in. So of course the first thing they asked was if he had an appointment. Apparently it got worse from there, and by the time he had his dates he was so flustered he left his camera bag there. He came home, called to me through the window that he’d left his camera, and went away again. For the next hour and a half I was nearly sick to my stomach with worry.

He finally made it home again. He’d got his camera back with no trouble, but then went on to get our plane tickets. His leave starts Oct2, and the fiscal year starts Oct1. Since the budget hasn’t been passed for next year, they don’t have the airline contract yet, and therefore cannot buy plane tickets. We wanted to be there early on to give them the best chance of getting us seats together, but it was all for naught. They suggested we could try back as early as mid-August. Yeah. Maybe they will get the charter flights going again…

Other minor things going on: Monday morning Cedwryck was playing outside barefoot, and went to the forbidden area (empty house across the sidewalk). He stepped on glass (we suppose) and cut his foot. Riah strapped a bandaid on him and they were going to keep going, but I heard something and called the activity to a halt. After much washing, I thought the wound looked odd – it was swollen all around the puncture – and decided to take him to the ER. I felt a bit silly about it, but remembered my friend going to the ER for a tick. Well, they took a quick look and didn’t send us away, so we waited. And waited. My children are good ones, and used to sitting in church, but still, 7 little ones for 3+ hours gets tiring. They gave Cedwryck some injectable numbing stuff, and then poked around a bit. Didn’t find anything inside, but it bled out a bit and the swelling went down. We were out at 2pm, and famished, so headed to Taco Bell and decided not to hit the store afterwards.

It’s been hot. Well, for England. I wouldn’t run the A/C in the States at this temp, but there I would be able to open my bedroom window, and probably have a ceiling fan. Windows here swing inward to open, so I cannot open it without opening the curtain and letting in the 4am sunrise. We did rig a floor fan on an extension cord from the hall, and it almost helps.

Our minivan is for sale, as is my couch. I’ve called for a charity to come pick up a pile of stuff.

We are working on Bob’s VA application. He will be rated at a percentage disabled, based on all the medical history we can dig up. I’ve got 12 or 13 items on the list – now we have to get it into proper form to be reviewed by the VA doc in Germany.

Of course the children all decided to outgrow/lose/wear out all their socks/shoes/underwear this week. So I still need to do some shopping. Maybe this afternoon.

8 comments:

Ganeida said...

I've moved just twice in my life: interstate just after we married & when we moved to the island. The first tme wasn't too bad as we owned nothing. The 2nd time was awful. Notice we haven't moved again. I can't imagine inter~country, inter~continent ~ just ooooh. You're brave!

S.A.M. said...

Seeing as I work in an ER I can tell you that 3 hours wasn't much of a wait at all. We do 6 hours or more in my hospital without even seeing a doctor. Also at least your kid had an actual injury. We get mothers bringing in kids for paper cuts. I hope Ced's foot feels better now your stuff sells soon. :-)

Anonymous said...

So where does Bob have to report for that last three months or is it a vacation with pay, ha? jcr

MamaOlive said...

Ganeida, maybe just stupid. It doesn't get any easier.

SAM, 6 hours is too long! I'd rather call for a "same day" appointment than wait so long. The nurse kept apologizing for the wait, but as I told the children it meant we weren't in bad shape or they'd take us first.

JCR, 3 months paid vacation. :-) He gets 1 month for house-hunting, and has saved 2 months of vacation time.

The HoJo's said...

Inwards opening windows? that is unusual, is that a base thing?
I have moved house 17 times (gasp) not including living with my parents. Yeah it gets easier just no less stressful sadly.

Hope all goes well though and that you find a property to buy soon
xc

Wil said...

It does sound crazy.

Glad Cedwryck is okay. Reminds me of the time Granny fell on her brick walkway, and Norma took her to the Seminole ER. After an hour or so, Granny said, "We should just go to Wal-Mart and fix this up ourselves." And they did. :-)

Glad to hear Bob's camera is okay.

And that office sounds like any other government office to me. They have no idea what they're doing (and if they do have any idea, they have a poor way of showing it).

MamaOlive said...

HoJos, 17 times!?! That's just too much.
The windows probably are a "base thing" - the government gives contracts to the lowest bidders, and usually ends up with an overpriced, shoddy product. The new houses on base have windows that open outward. (They also have ceiling fans in the bedrooms!)

Thanks for stopping by, Wil. I guess 3 hours is a goal for many ERs. And they say it will get worse with the insurance reform.

kimba said...

Sliding windows are the norm over here. On new houses anyway. Older houses have louvres or sash.