/karen/

One day before we go away

Monday, 19 September, 2005

Tomorrow we fly to North America. It's been on the agenda for so long I keep forgetting that people don't know. Even Elsie and Guan, who are among my most regular readers, didn't know we were going away. Part of me doesn't really want to (I've already expressed my views on travel) and I feel like such an ungrateful wretch but the tickets are booked and accommodation has been arranged and thoughts like “It will be good to go away,” and “Isn't it wonderful that Ben will be able to see the country where you were born,” keep travelling through my head to calm me down.

I tried to get the essay done on Friday but it really wasn't happening. I tried to get the essay finished by the time I went out on Saturday night but that didn't quite work either (though I did get about halfway, I think). I went back to Blakehurst to have dinner with my lovely friends from school—including one I hadn't seen for a long time (it was one of those situations where you just lose touch by accident and then wonder whether she still likes you). It seems to almost be becoming a tradition to go to the Imperial Peking and maybe when we're old and grey we'll still be gathering there to eat Crispy Skin Chicken and San Choy Bow.

Afterwards, we went back to the birthday girl's home to watch her videos of Europe. It was actually quite fascinating and it inspired me to want to take our video camera overseas. I think it increases the feel of actually being there and seeing what it's like, though I suppose it's not really the same for her.

I came home at 1 am (after getting an SMS from Ben, saying, “Are you dead?”) and then got really stuck into the essay. The downside of having a study in our bedroom is that it was really disruptive for Ben and, at 4 a.m., he asked if I could move outside. I went to the lounge and kept at it and finally got the thing finished (synopsis and all) at about 6 in the morning.

I celebrated by catching the train to Burwood Westfield (no way was I going to drive!) to chop off my hair. The hairdresser's name was Cindy and she was quite chatty. She didn't blink twice when I asked her to braid my hair, tie it with rubber bands and then cut it so I could put it in a plastic bag. When she found out I was a student, she asked, “What do you study?” “Theology,”, I replied, but I must have been mumbling because she thought I said “Geology”. We set the record straight and then proceeded to have a very interesting conversation about Buddhism, religion, depression and the things that people do to find fulfillment which my brain really couldn't handle after having had no sleep the night before (and it made me wonder if I should have been more prepared for such a conversation since hairdressers generally like chatting and gospel opportunities usually crop up quite naturally when one is studying theology). Oh well.

She gave me the feathered thing on the ends of my hair which I wasn't entirely keen on but which is growing on me. It wasn't exactly the way I wanted but maybe I don't have the kind of hair that the girl in the photo had. Anyways, I was quite happy with it and it felt so weird to actually feel the ends of my hair brushing my neck and my chin. “My hair goes swish!,” I said happily to Ben when I came home but I keep forgetting it's not long any more and I go to flick it over my shoulder and wonder why it doesn't stay there. And it keeps getting in the way when I'm eating and I wonder how people with hair this length cope every day!

I spent the rest of the day watching television (and eating mooncake!) until I got sleepy and went to bed. Ben woke me up for church band practice which I didn't want to go to but he couldn't go either because he was so determined to finish his essay (despite being sick, etc.). When Nancy saw me at church, she actually screamed but, because I was wearing black, most people took a while to notice. I got nice compliments though.

We left church right as wash up began because I was tired but I still didn't go to bed—I knitted and watched more TV while Ben wrestled with Chrysostom, then started doing stuff to prepare for going away (like backing up my hard drive onto my Walkman except it took too long so I went to bed anyway). Today I was supposed to work for MM but I didn't end up going in and tried instead to work from home. I haven't gotten much done and have made absolutely no headway with this blogging article I'm supposed to be writing (it's the introduction that's stumping me) but anyway it's time for dinner and then Bible study and then I must finalise the packing and make sure that we don't go over the luggage limit.

At least Ben's finished with Chrysostom and that's one thing less on our minds!

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