Getting back to wayfaring

I think that now that things have calmed down, it's time to get back to some wayfaring. Not that 2009 was quiet by any means-- I may need to drop the "wannabe." There was lots of travel, mostly in England for work, but there were fun trips as well (even in England!):

• California (Los Angeles, Solvang, San Francisco, Benecia, Napa)
• Chicago
  
• Birmingham (Birmingham, Birmingham... again, again and again...)
• Brussels, Belgium
  
• Nottingham, England
  
• London (and London, and London...)
• Hartford, Connecticut
• New York City
  
• Edinburgh, Scotland
  
• York, England
  
• Italy (Pisa and Florence)
• The Lake District, England
• Amsterdam, Holland
  
• Paris, France
  
• Haworth, England
  
• California (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Benecia, Napa)

Travel has decidedly slowed down in 2010-- although we have had one trip to the US already (the wedding) but to the same locations as we always go to in CA. I'm pushing for two new countries (Greece, perhaps?) in this calendar year... and we're planning for Hawaii for Christmas with my family... new for MRN but not for me. Greece is new for me, but not for him. So that leaves one place that neither of us have gone to.

Any votes?

Blah-blah-blah

La-la-la.

I'm having a blah-day. A feeling unmotivated, too annoyed to care day. And the prospect of a three day weekend (not sure what the occasion is-- it's the wonderful thing about England; there are these "bank holidays" where you get a random Monday off for no apparent reason... I'm sure there is one, but no one has been able to tell me what they are for yet... unless it's around a real holiday like Easter or Christmas)... isn't even enough to cheer me up.

Is it possible that I just (still) need a vacation?

Coming down

With all the excitement and stress that comes with wedding planning, the weeks after are a huge let down. It was an amazing process and day-- and gosh, my amazing sister who executed the entire extravaganza. She gave me my dream wedding with all the talent, generosity of spirit and kindness that anyone could ever give. She has an amazingly unselfish heart, my sister, and I'm so blessed that have someone in my life that loves me that much. Unconditional love isn't just from parent to child! My sister taught me that.

In all, I have to admit that the post-wedding blues have gotten to me. Maybe in part it's because all the chaos that has been my life for the last few years (whirlwind romance, move to a new country, new job, engagement, wedding...) has finally come to a close and I'm a bit restless and in a "what's next" mood. I think a big part is that I have to now focus on the other stuff that's been easy to bury, like the fact that I'm super dissatisfied with my dead-end job, and am overwhelmed by the prospect of having to look for a new one. Not that I have to... but I've always been an over-achiever, and I am not happy with the fact that I am underutilized, unchallenged and my quickly rising career has gone backwards since taking the job in England.

With all the wedding hoopla, I also realized how very much I miss my family and friends... and that I'm lonely for them. It was the best thing in the world to have all the people that I love best in the world all in one place (minus my wonderful Kristina who had a good excuse-- 8 months pregnant!). I don't like that time zones make it impossible to talk to most people; that I can't go to lunch or shopping with my mom on a random weekday after work; that Kristina and I can't go for a walk down Michigan Avenue under the guise of returning stuff, but really because we want to go shopping (and so I can show her that you really CAN get great stuff on sale at Anthropologie); that I can't be a third wheel with Jen and Eddie on a Sunday afternoon to Costco... that I can't just sit in my sister's living room coloring with my beautiful nieces and stealing cuddles (and learning a heck of a lot from those little things who are WAY smarter than their old aunty). I adore my amazing husband... and now in the calm after the storm, I suppose we have to together figure out...

What next?

This is what I've been doing...

... in the last three months; hence the non-posting. :)

SIIIICK

i think the last time i posted i was sick too-- what's up with that?!? i'm seriously NOT a sick person, but this time, it's a doozy. i just returned from three glorious weeks in southern california. it was sunny, warm and... we were all sick. it started with a stomach bug, i'm guessing from the dodgy airplane food and then turned into the cold from h&*^3. nearly four weeks later and i'm still sick. this cold however (and hacking cough) has led to a few interesting experiences:

• pink eye: there's a first time for everything, and for me, it was pink eye. in both eyes. observation? no fun. not only did it involved sticking gooey ointment in my eyes, my pink and sore eyes were glued shut every morning due to the green goo (unrelated to the ointment) secreting from my eyes. yes-- secreting. it wasn't attractive, so there's no point in glossing over the finer details.
• the U.S. healthcare system: even in its currently lambasted state, and especially given that i'm no longer gainfully insured in the U.S. (yes, this is despite the fact that i work for an american insurance company-- don't get me started), i found my doctor's visit (due to aforementioned double conjunctivitis and cold) refreshingly easy AND, well, cheap. not only was i able to get a same-day appointment, it only cost me-- wait for it-- $22. and this to a regular, insurance-accepting doctor; not a clinic or urgent care facility. my mom's primary care physician. go figure. plus my prescription for said eye ointment and nasal spray only cost $30 at costco. nevermind that the nasal spray didn't do anything... whoever says healthcare isn't affordable clearly isn't looking hard enough.
• the UK healthcare system: so, despite my ease of access and surprisingly low out of pocket given no insurance experience, the reality is that i am still sick. so today i called the doctor here in the UK and, surprise-surprise, got a same day appointment. access problems? p-shaw. well, except that i actually saw the practice nurse, not the doctor. but they have more power here and can chastise you accordingly for not taking care of yourself but more aptly, they can prescribe drugs. so chastise me she did, but along with that came said drugs to [hopefully] knock out said cold. the visit cost me nothing (well, aside from the something like 40% in taxes i pay for national insurance), and the prescription cost 7 GBP-- about 12 USD.

the winner? certainly not me... but between the systems? i call draw. equal in waiting time (at least for a primary care physician... if you count the nurse) and about a wash in price (well, if you don't count my tax contributions). but let's see if the drugs actually cure the cold...