whew!

Just finished first week training my replacement at work. Luckily for all of us, she is a known entity, having worked at the Senior Center in the past, and people like her already and she is darned smart too!  Its been challenging to spend time training her and still getting work done and my head is splitting by the middle part of the afternoon, but we are getting there.  When i throw in a day of work on the weekends to catch up, we are good to go. 

As much as i love the bots10ers web page and all the helpful posts from the bots9ers, if i brought everything someone has suggested i bring to Botswana I would need an entourage to carry it.  i am determined to be able to carry what i bring myself.  not even trying to deal with that challenge til i am officially off duty at work and have the house rented and the animals settled.  George Burns, Jr. is thriving with his insulin injections.  gaining weight and keeping his sugar  levels right where they are supposed to be. And dang, is he cute.  Scully went in to have her blood work done today to make sure as a 14 year old cat she has no underlying illnesses before she gets fostered out. Nevada, the dog is so darned cute with her underbite and one remaining tooth down there. She is being fostered to a home with 3 other mini dogs and she will be the matriarch and doggie queen. Marco and Princess are playing a cool hand and laying low because so far I plan for them to stay here with my neighbor and they don't want me to start thinking otherwise.

I am working on finding two more people to rent my home and figuring out the minimum I can manage with.  PEOPLE LISTEN TO ME CLOSELY: if you want to join the Peace Corps 1) do it in your 20s 2) dont have pets and stuff if you don't do number 1, and finally  3) do it when you retire and #2 still applies.  I am hoping that by the time i survive all these challenges I will find lack of water or toilet paper an easier challenge.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I turn 49. So I will spend my 50th birthday in Botswana, if all goes according to plan.  In a few weeks i go to my mother's celebration of her 50th year practicing law and then on to see a friend in san diego. my only "vacation" this year before nose to the grindstone to get ready to head to botsland.

I am typing this on my brand new HP notepad that my wonderful friends Robert and Wendy gifted me for my trip.Many thanks to them. I have had such an amazing response to my plans, with people sending or giving me money to help with my final costs. only a couple of people have looked at me like i am absolutely crazy, but even they had a look of envy/regret in their eyes (well, the one on the phone it was hard to tell, but maybe in her voice it was there)

My agency is having a goodbye party for me next week. I plan to cry through most of it. I discovered recently that if i smile real hard i can't cry. or i don't think i am crying. so all the photos will have me with a crazy grin on my face and tears streaming.  That is not a good look for me.  there is never a good time to leave, but my fears of what will happen to our clients and staff with the state of California's budget makes this a bittersweet move for me.

 I am having a party on March 4th to say goodbye with my friend co/worker Rick's band playing and my other co-worker Justin playing the drums. They are actually excellent musicians, it isn't like this is something they are randomly doing. they rock and we will rock.  A couple people even came to the party tonight (February 4), they were so excited. That is the problem with 1) sending out invites too early and 2) having March and February have the same darned days of the weeks. I hope they come to the real party in a month.

My lovely niece who just turned 11 responded "maybe" to the facebook invite about my party. already she is keeping her options open.  I am hoping my sister/her mom will drag her kicking and screaming to my party. Jeez kids with facebook accounts. what is that about?  I should remind her the party consists of desserts (well and music and adult beverages, but i think i will have her at "desserts")