The Beginning of the End

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Today is the first day of my last full week of work. I didn't think I would be this effected (or is it affected?...why do I always screw those two up?) by the change. Everyone has come up to my desk and expressed their sadness that I was leaving. I am going to miss a lot of these people. While some of them I could handle not seeing again, I have spent 8-10 hours a day with these people almost every day for 4 years! They have become my work family and it saddens me to think of all the daily rituals that I will no longer be a part of. Bagel day on Fridays, Pretzel day on Tuesday...running to Wawa when the coffee supply here stops satisfying. I know that change can be good and I feel funny that I am so nervous about it. Twice before in my life I have packed up all my goodies and moved to another country--New Zealand for 6 months when I was 18 and the US for what was initially to be 18 months at 23. I was terrified both of those times but now my decision doesn't just effect/affect (can someone help me with that) me. I know that D is hoping more than anything I will decide to move back to Philly after August, but I think after such a long absence I will just be so happy to be home that I won't want to leave again for a while. My friend Tara and her hubby invited me to come live with them in the UK for a few months...an idea that really has piqued my interest. I could do childcare or try my hand at supply teaching, make money in pounds and save up a wee bit. This could also be a great time and another adventure, but at the moment I really can't make any sort of plan like that. Also I have been away and homesick for so long I don't know how I would take picking up and moving again!

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Had a pretty good weekend--we saw Hot Fuzz on Friday night which I just loved. British comedy really does it for me and as I loved Shaun of the Dead I was hoping that this wouldn't disappoint. Saturday we went out to New Hope, PA which is a really cute little town with great shops and yummy restaurants. Having no car is good financially for us, but for things like travelling around the outskirts of the city it isn't that easy. We had to take a train for an hour out to West Trenton, NJ, our friends picked us up there and then drove us the rest of the way. Sunday we took the train once more to go out and see D's mom-mom for Mothers day. We went out to a Jewish deli for lunch and it was delicious. We got her 'Dreamgirls' for a present and she was SO excited about it. Hurray for giving good gifts.

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It was a change being on the train this weekend. Taking the train is something I don't do that much any more, but we took advantage, snuggled up in the seats and read books. I finished "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen and I can hands down say it was one of the best books I had read in a while. I was actually sad that it ended cause I just loved the narrator so much. This is not going to be a bookcrossing book cause I can't bare to part with it. I might lend, but am not leaving. Friday night at the movies I released another book. Despite me checking out the website with a near OCD frequency no one has yet journaled it. I have been corresponding with the woman who writes www.redredwhine.com as of late and we are new bookcrossing buddies. She actually has some of the books on my wish list and at least if I trade books with her I know someone will journal their travels! I actually ran out of my office this morning as someone had "released" a book across the street in the train station, but alas it was gone by the time I got down there. I keep hoping that one day these books will find their way into the hands of someone who finds the idea as novel as I do and will comment on finding it.