Ok lots of people seem to want to know what I'm bringing. I couldn't really answer before because I was still thinking about it and even now, I still have to sort my bags and I'm sure something will have to get left out.

We get 2 bags each at 50lbs a piece so that's 200 lbs of stuff. Except the bags have weight too, about 12 lbs a piece so really we get about 150 lbs. It costs $200 to bring an extra bag (up to 50lbs or 40 minus the bag weight) and it costs $60 to have a bag weigh more than 50 but less than 70 lbs. Logically then one just adds 20 lbs to each bag, and that is cheaper. It's just REALLY heavy and might rip your bag. SOO much to think about when packing.

So the contents. I told Ben he could have one bag of toys and books. That worked out to 38lbs in his 12 lb bag. He had to do 3 cuts: the first to purge toys he no longer wanted, a second cut to put some toys in storage and some that he wanted to bring - second cut resulted in 90 lbs of toys and books, so he did a third cut that brought him down to the required weight. I was surprised by some of his choices. I added some stuff back in because I felt bad, and i will just deal with the extra cost.

We're bringing about 3 weeks worth of clothes and footwear. You can buy stuff there or have it made - shoes are harder. But really there is hot season, rainy season (which is hot but also humid) and "winter" which is dry but gets down to 5 oC sometimes so requires sweaters and shell jackets. I think for the 2 of us, we have about 70 lbs of clothes/footwear.

Housewares: Loren never really said what the house would have. You can get stuff there but I figured I have it and generally the quality you can buy in BF is not that good. So I brought some kitchen stuff like goodknives, can openers, tupperware, lifters and cutlery. I debated on bringing pots and pans and may yet since much of their stuff is aluminum there. I'm bringing a few towels and sheets just to get us started as well as a couple pillows. It should also help Ben feel a bit like home. I also am bringing a therapy ball and some resistance bands - weights would be a little heavy! I am bringing some weapons to practice with (foam nunchuks and a bo)

Books, I'm bringing about 40 lbs of books to read - everything from religion to economics to management. I remember last time wishing I had brought more books with me. I hope to find a good online e-book seller so if anyone knows of one, I'd be grateful.

Toilettries and medication: again, can get a lot of stuff there but am bringing anti-malarials and some anti-biotics. A bunch of vitamins mostly because it can be hard to get vegetables. Sunscreen, bug itch and Off. The brand of facewash I like, shampoo and conditioners, moisturizer, some make up. Probiotics, omega 3s, calcium. I have no idea how much this might weigh. Will probably have to cut it back.

Stuff I'd like to bring but can't justify or might ask someone to bring when they come: a keyboard/digital piano, microwave -they may have them there, I don't know. My sparring gear and karate gi.

So I figure I am well over my alloted weight limit, I hope to keep the excess cost to under $300, we'll see how successful I am.

It's funny though. This is a puzzle that my brain likes but is tough to optimize. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and I know it is one of those things that keeps running in the back of my head that causes me to lose part of my brain use for the everyday stuff. So I get forgetful and more stressed.

Still lots of stuff left on the list to do: finish packing, finish visiting. medical claims and 2010 taxes, photo album. Not difficult just time consuming. Something I'm a little short of at the moment.

I spent this weekend enjoyably with several people I was never supposed to be friends with.

As a federal public servant my obvious masters are the political ones who would like it very much if we (civil servants) could stay very clinically detached from our stakeholders. But in Environment (and I'm sure this must happen in other areas too but I think it's very strong in areas like Environment) you meet people who are so passionate about their work, and not in an egotistical way, where it truly is about their love for the planet, the science and technology and innovation that can be used to save it, and their drive for integrity in their problem solving. It is hard not to fall in love with them, to feel a kindred sense of purpose, to be inspired at their dedication. I spent Sunday evening with people who are stakeholders in the program I am have been slaving away at for three years. I've spent a lot of time talking ideas, hearing their concerns, sharing stories with them, and feel painfully aware of the void I will have in my life as I wander out of the circle of influence. I'm not worried they will forget me, or that we will have nothing in common as I turn a corner (ha - that one is for you Karen)., more I worry that I will want to talk to them, want to share more of it with them, and they will be out of reach. (yes I know there is email etc, but I'm really a face to face kind of person - technology doesn't really cut it for me). They are as much my family as my real family are.

Saturday night was spent with a bunch of young men (yes Don, you can count as a young man for the purpose - I'm taking a bit of artistic license). Now don't get any ideas. Yes these are the same men who used to bruise me regularly when I saw them. I know I'm not making the image any better am I? :) I was out with my friends from karate, some of whom I haven't seen in awhile and I became painfully aware of how much I had missed seeing them (see previous paragraph comment about being a face to face person). I feel like God has been slowly weaning me off karate and my friends from there so it isn't so painful at the end. I'd spend hours talking to Fred about fighting at work, and he taught nearly ever class I was in for over a year. And Colton, hours on MSN talking about all sorts of stuff. These boys are half my age but closer friends than I've made in a long while. Plus Don, Alex, (and others from Bergeron who weren't present), will leave a big hole, that's hard to fill.

I've been deeply blessed moving here to Ottawa and meeting all these people who have inspired me in so many different ways and who I care about so much. It seems ironic to me that I am finally in a place where I've met people I don't want to leave behind - a first for me - I'm usually so busy looking forward, to what's next, that it never occurs to me that I could miss someone. Must be getting sentimental in my old age...

Wife-beater t-shirt and greasy cigar are apparently optional. lol

So I have a tenant- praise God!! And it's a really nice family. I hope this all works out. We've signed the lease for the year and they are clear that I could come back at the end of it and they'd have to move. We'll see what happens. The deal is even sweeter because they are going to use a lot of my furniture so really the only furniture I need to move is my piano to my sister's house and my bed. Now for the really great thing... in exchange for lowering the rent a little bit, they offered to let me store all my stuff in the basement instead of having to take it to storage. That's huge!! Overall I'm spending less money since the amount I lowered the rent by is less than the cost of the storage - but more importantly, it probably saves me several days. And as I look at the calendar and see how few days there are left (9 1/2 weeks... ominous film reference) a few days is worth quite a bit.

Anyway, the calendar is filling quite rapidly and I'm starting to feel a little frantic. We crashed this weekend since it was the first weekend in months we didn't have a commitment. Ben and I both slept in AND had naps. I think next weekend shall be the garage sale. I am home Wed Thu and Fri to some cleaning, purging, packing and yard work (getting people in to help).

We'll be in Toronto Aug 10 - 13, Guelph Aug 14 - 17, Collingwood Aug 18 - 20, Niagara Falls Aug 20 - 23 and back to Ottawa just before we go -so the last 2 weeks are completely spoken for. The rest is filling up pretty quickly too...

Just thought I'd summarize the important dates for people so they don't have to search through all my ravings and maunderings to find out when we leave.

Last day at work (official) - August 14 but I have taken the whole week before it as vacation and intend on using much of my sick leave as well. I will need it for my mental health and probably for other people's phyiscal health so I don't kill someone!

Visit to S.W. Ontario to say good bye - July 17 - 19; and (approximately) August 15 - 23, maybe earlier depending on if we go on the XCIV annual canoe trip or not on Aug 7 - 9.

Benny's plans: school finishes June 25, trampoline camp June 29 - July 10, Gramma's place in Toronto July 11 to 18. And of course spending as much time with his "buds" Josh, Alessandro, and Aidan.

And the ever important Departure date: Tuesday August 25th at 5PM from Ottawa Rail Station. We take an Air France bus to Montreal, fly to Paris at 11PM, have a 4 hour layover and transfer to Ouaga arriving around 9PM local time or 4PM EST. Not too bad - one of the shorter flights, about 25 hours door to door. Maybe with such a late flight, Ben will sleep on the way to Paris. I'm sure he'll be anxious/excited so we'll see. Last time he was awake for hours!!

Well, we have a date now. Tues August 25, 2009. The date was pushed a little later for 2 reasons: my grandfather turns 95 on August 25 so in all likelihood there will be a party for him on the 23rd, and Ben thought it would be good to be there for his cousin Grace's birthday on the 27th. I couldn't leave it that late or we'll have very few days to prepare for school which starts on Sept 8th.

Air France is insane as far as I can tell. I saw tickets for $1250 one day, the next day they were less, about $850 (this is per person, ONE way), the next day they were $1354 and its not like AirCanada or WestJet where it's a day that is less sold than another day. All days from June til early Sept are the same price. W.E. Anyway, got a good deal from TravelCuts along with flight and medical insurance (OHIP doesn't work over there!). $3850 all in for both of us round trip, unfortunately have to pay $250 per change per person and am not allowed to book return that far in advance so will definitely have to pay $500 to change from March to next summer (unless things go that badly and I want to come home in March!).

The last few weeks at work have been difficult. I have at least partially checked out already. My brain and my heart are not in my work and I am very disheartened by the continued lack of political will on both sides of the border. I think this move signals the potential for a complete change in career. I'm done with climate change. Time for something that people are actually doing something about! There's a lot to choose from. I think we will be finding a new direction very soon.

Three things down, 997 to go...

I'm starting to think about how to get organized - what do I take, leave, sell, donate, pitch. Since we'll probably be back eventually, it's hard to go about just pitching things but how to decide what to keep. It costs a fair bit to store things, but how much more to replace them? With Ben's stuff there is the issue around toys, he can only take so much but how much will he outgrow while we're away.

I just got rid of a mattress, the one from the spare room but now I don't have space for people to stay over. It's easier to get rid of things knowing that I have something different I want in that space eventually but still, there's a cost.

The first rip is the hardest.

Lisa will start posting here, soon.