Well, we're part of the way there. Cambridge, Ontario, at the Public Library right at the moment. I spent yesterday in Toronto, visiting Byron and his new bride Sara. It was a nice visit, though too brief. And I have to say that the Toronto subway is extremely dull compared to the London Underground. But I guess that's only to be expected...

It looks as if we'll have to enter the country with tourist visas, since some paperwork we need for our visas has not yet arrived in our hands. A pain, since it'll mean leaving the coutry and hopping across to Japan once the paperwork finally gets to us. But oh well. A minor inconvenience.

Anyhow, I'd better go. More anon.

Take care
-J-

A quick entry, since life continues to be completely upside down and busy. Sorry I haven't been around to read anyone's blogs lately. We don't have a computer in the house any more, as it was boxed up and mailed several days ago.

Well, time has indeed flown lately. Today is Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday. We fly out on Tuesday. Very scary. There's still a mountain of work to do, all over the place. Packing, mailing, visiting, writing, buying... It's nuts. There's no time to relax (although we do have to occasionally, which has put us behind). Had a movie night last night with the older of my younger brothers. We watched a couple of great movies -- [i]The Castle of Cagliostro[/i] (an anime), and [i]Land Of Doom[/i], one of the worst-made (and hence hilarious) movies ever made.

So yeah. Life. Busy. So many things I'd love to be able to do between now and when we leave, and so little chance of that actually happening.  We get a teeny reprieve, in that we'll be a week in Ontario, so there are Canadian things we can take care of before we actually leave the country on October 8th. But still, many things will fall by the wayside. Most of them involve interaction (visiting, preparing gifts, donations...). But oh well. It'll work out.

Well, I've been away from my work too long, so I'd better be on my way. Hope you're all well. Not sure when I'll be checking in again. Probably not until Ontario at the least, and maybe Korea.

All the best.

-Justin-

P.S. If you have a moment, drop by and congratulate Byron on his recent wedding!

For the first time in over 8 years, I have short hair. My day today began with my 29 inch hair (as measured just before the Big Snip) being chopped right off. Traumatic. It's been such a long time since my last short-hair period... I think it's going to take a lot of getting used to...

Take care
-J-

Happy anniversary to us!

My wife and I, that is.

Yep, that's right, one year ago today we were married. It went so beautifully, everyone had a great time (including us), and I remember it very fondly. The honeymoon was wonderful too, and the weather decided to be fabulous despite every forecast saying it was supposed to pour with rain the whole time.

If any of you are interested, and missed them the first time I posted them, there are pictures from the ceremony and reception.

The speed with which this year has flown by is astounding. Zoom. Gone. It's another reason why I think we'll be staying at least a couple of years in Korea if we like it there. A year is nothing. It's kind of funny -- part of me is trying to get together with old friends, to see them before I go. But the more rational part of my mind is reminding that I regularly go a year or more without seeing most of them. The only difference here is that I'm a lot less likely to run into people out of the blue in Kunsan.

Anyhow, off to do some more packing and tidying and such, before my wife gets home.

Take care
-J-

Hi all

Sorry not to have written much lately, but the world slipped very quickly into high gear about a week and a half ago, and will not quiet down again until Crista and I have left the country.

While I was in Halifax, we were in constant contact with the recruiting agency brokering our contract with the school in Korea, clarifying the finer points of the contract, talking with the current Canadian teacher at the school, and generally trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible. Through all this, we were still under the impression that we would be leaving toward the end of October at the earliest. However, we soon discovered that, in fact, they wanted us yesterday.

So, as it turns out, our plane tickets are now booked for the 1st of October. Yes, that's right, a little over 2 weeks form now. We won't, in fact, be leaving the country until the 7th, since that was the first transpacific flight we could get. We'll be spending that first week or so of October in Ontario, with my in-laws (a concept which I find somewhat streessful, but whose actual stressfulness is likely to be overshadowed at the time by the fact that we're preparing to leave the country).

So.

That's the skinny of it. Needless to say, we're kind of frantic, and the house is a disaster. Some young people seem to be able to live with chipboard furniture and cardboard boxes, being able to pack up and leave a place in an afternoon. We're not like that. We have real furniture, lots of books and knicknacs and heirlooms and photo albums and..... basically, we have a [i]lot[/i] of stuff. And it all has to be dealt with.

We can each take two pieces of luggage.

Anyhow, I'd better go and do some work. I can't imagine how everything is going to get done between now and then, but I suppose it will...

Take care
-Justin-

Hi all

Well, I'm officially back home.

I'll expand upon that particular thought later.

Take care
-J-

Well, I'm about halfway through my trip. Some aspects have been quite pleasant, such as seeing an old friend of mine for the first time in several years. However, overall, this trip has been extremely difficult. I won't dwell on the details here, but suffice it to say that it has taken a lot more strength and perseverence than I anticipated.

This is the first time I've been in front of a computer since Thursday, which is highly unusual for me. In fact, I can't remember the last time I was offlline this long. Strange stuff.  But it hasn't really benn possible to use the computer here where I'm staying, and the only internet cafe I looked at has charging $9/hour...

I may be able to find access Friday night and over the weekend. We shall have to see. I can't check people's blogs right at the moment, but I will when I have a scrap of leisure.

All the best to all of you!

Take care
-J-

Well, I finally got my act in gear and made the plans to go to Halifax. Well actually, my wife made all the reservations for me, but... Anyhow, I leave in about 13 hours. Bus first, then ferry, then van line, and if all goes as it should, I'll be in Halifax 18 hours after I start, at sometime around noon on Friday.

Anyhow, as much as I'd like to write something more, I should really get to bed. The past week, it's taken me a couple of hours to fall asleep every night, but hopefully tonight will be better.

Take care
-J-

I haven't been feeling particularly communicative these past few days. Not exactly sure why. It's probably because things have started moving again with regard to Korea, and it's making me uneasy.

I met some interesting people  yesterday. They were doing laundry at the local laundromat, and their amazing vehicle was parked out front. We ogled it for several minutes, and then he came outside and opened the door so we could look inside. Very neat. I had seen their house in Fine Homebuilding a month or two back, but I didn't make the connection until later. They're in the middle of a many-months-long tour to visit all of the contributors to the vehicle.

Today, I received some ebay purchases: a couple of paintings and a cd. You can check out the paintings if you'd like. There's one of carps, and another of birds.

I'm hoping to leave for Halifax in the next few days. I just can't figure out why I've been procrastinating so much, considering that it's a trip I want to take... But I now have a must-return-by date to motivate me: Crista and I are going to celebrate our first wedding anniversary by essentially revisiting our honeymoon from the 11th to the 17th of September. We'll be camping at Green Gardens in Gros Morne national Park, followed by a couple of nights at the same cabin at Middle Brook Cottages.

Anyhow, that's it for now. Maybe tomorrow I'll be feeling a little more sociable

Take care
-Justin-

Well, I am very happy indeed to be able to report that my papers are now safely back in my possession!

It turns out that they were in fact at the jewelery store, despite the fact that I had called there and they had said they didn't know anything about any papers. But in all fairness, I talked to the man who owns the store who, despite being a skilled jeweler, is also 93, and subject to the various ailments which come with age. He did a great job on my ring though. His father started the business back in 1885, and retired and the venerable age of 101!

I'm going to spend a lot of time over the next few days typing songs into the computer, so that I have a backup in case I ever lose my papers for good. To all of you who sent me good wishes, thank you so much!

Take care
-Justin-