Moving Week (again)

So, for the 8th time since December 31st, 2002, we will be moving to another apartment. This is also the first time since 2003, that we are moving within less than a year from our previous move. This one wasn't our decision, though! At least we're staying in the same building, so the only thing we need to change in our address is that flat number. We have to get rid of some of our furniture because the new flat is furnished, which we don't mind because it saves us having to do that when/if we move back to the US (as long as we get to stay in this new apartment until then). We're pretty much looking forward to moving to the top floor: nice view, warmer (heat rises), no mold (hopefully), and more amenities in the kitchen (like a dishwasher). I'm going to miss our squirrels, though. This move is proving to be a bit of a financial strain. The deposit is equivalent to 6 weeks rent and the first month's rent amounts to a total of about £1928 (excluding the £300 we've already paid for estate agent fees). We weren't quite prepared for this expense, so we had to empty our savings account and will have to run on "fumes" until payday at the end of the month. Fortunately, our current landlady, perhaps to assuage any guilt that she is feeling, has told us she will come by on Friday with a cash payment of our deposit plus a refund of the remainder of the rent paid through March 7th. This should put us back on track.

Aside from that, K is getting back to working on her PhD and I'm starting to get a bit stressed about the paper I have to write for the Boston conference which is a little over a month away. A lot of work to do there and I'm getting a bit frustrated because I basically only have the weekends to work on it and that means I don't get much of a weekend. In the end, it will be worth it because it means I got my airfare to Boston paid for. It's hard to focus on that positive at the moment, though.

Anyway, I thought it'd be interesting to list the moves we've undergone during the past 7-8 years:

-December 29th-31st, 1999 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Los Angeles, CA
-December 31st, 2002 - Los Angeles, CA to Scottsdale, AZ
-July 7th, 2003 - Scottsdale, AZ to Aurora (Portland), OR
-August 30th, 2003 - Aurora, OR to Brussels, Belgium
-August 29th, 2004 - Brussels, Belgium to Norwich, UK
-August 24th, 2005 - Norwich, UK to Winchester, UK
-July 8th, 2006 - Winchester, UK to Flat 3 Kingsgate, Bournemouth, UK
-[Impending] February 23rd, 2007 - Flat 3 Kingsgate to Flat 16 Kingsgate

We're not on the run from the law. And we're not necessarily "rootless". We have roots, but like potted plants, they travel with us. I often wonder if our wanderlust is genetic. After all, I am descended from the Vikings and K is descended from the Oregon Trail Pioneers.

However, these past years of moving have ignited the desire to settle, which is what our current trajectory is all about. With any luck, our next-next move will be a step toward that goal. A step toward pulling our roots out of the pot and transplanting them into fertile soil somewhere. Not sure where we will end up, but it will not likely be English soil.