Anticipating imminent departure from Christchurch, I experience something between wariness and exhilaration: increase in tension, energy, heightened appreciation for everyday moments, and dread of the inevitable unsettling voyage into an unknown future.

Which is to say, I haven't finished packing yet.

Too many other fun things to do. Like fuss over goodbyes, and bake brownies for everybody who's been nice to me, and accept invitations for "one last" this and that. Booking travel between now and home, juggling paperwork which has become online-work.

Plans at moment: two more nights in Christchurch. (Gee, that's coming up fast). One or two nights each in Wellington, Paraparaumu, Rotorua, Waitomo, and Auckland, for a total of one week. Then four nights in Brisbane and another stopover in Auckland, for almost another week. Then a few days each in LA and the San Francisco Bay Area, for a third week, before overnight-training it back to Portland.


I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of people on the way, and more at my brother Wiliam's wedding the 28th of August, my main reason for returning home at this time rather than waiting another month for my NZ work visa to expire. I also have a high school reunion, and my old friend Samantha's wedding, coming up on the 24th of September.

So I'm giving myself a little grace period before I resume fretting over what to do next.


Big thanks to everybody who chipped in to take the stress out of these last few weeks -- I'll be thinking of you while I soak up the Australian sunlight, and sending ink-paintings once I get back home to where my chop is. (That's the carved block for making the red-ink "signature" to finish a piece.)

There's still time to get in last requests for shopping here; otherwise, I'll just take lots of pictures.