E-84. Conquering Sorrow Through Starch!

Still super-bummed about the move.  On the upside, we are expecting a delivery of a brand new super-fancy washer-dryer combo!  Sean schmoozed and chatted our way into a $300 discount AND no interest for a year, and of course the downside is we only have 84 days of laundry to enjoy. Boo.  

On the upside, we're having a big Easter dinner tomorrow which will usher in our Superfun Summer.  Megan already established the theme of Summer 2012: "Bonfires & Bellinis...Mix Irresponsibly" - so my self-indulgent moping has a firm time limit.  In the meantime, I'm sitting around the house in Sean's scroungiest jeans-and-cashmere combination and feeling sorry for myself.

And in preparation for tomorrow I've made the most beautiful potatoes ever.

 I am totally passing them off as 100% mine and the fantastic recipe is available here: Recipe for Jessica's 100% Totally Original Potatoes

E-85: In Which We Re-Evaluate the Value of a Good-For-Cuddling Dog

I haven't written this blog in ages because I was 1. sick and 2. lazy. 

Sean has to report to his new job in England on July 1, which means that there are 85 days left.

This is probably going to be the most difficult move we've done - not just because we love it here so much and the many emotional facets but also because of the overwhelming logistical issues.  I'll be getting into this more in the next days and weeks, but for starters the move is going to be staggeringly expensive and in addition to the big costs - airfare, housing, etc - there are also a jillion "small" costs.  For example...

Bow.
The dog.

There's a 6-month quarantine on dogs who haven't gone through the 8-month avoid-quarantine process.  She'll have to be re-chipped and have a battery of tests and vaccinations, usually around $800 when all is said and done. Shar-pei's were also just put on a no-fly list by most major carriers (basically everyone but Virgin) because she qualifies as a "snub-nosed breed."  This gives Virgin the power to charge a premium on these breeds.

The immigration paperwork is also staggering - Heathrow alone charges over $500 for customs duties.  But the airlines and the USDA also get a hefty slice.

Average total cost to bring a Sharpei into England: $2500.

Or I could fly her back to my family California...where she will probably be hit by a car since she really, really loves to escape her yard and my family lives on a busy street.  Alternately, she will be killed by my family's other Shar-peis who are vicious killers even though my family pretends that 1. killing other dogs is normal; 2. luring dogs into the yard to kill them is normal; and 3. mauling each other for fun is normal. 

Bow enjoys cuddling, sleeping, licking hobos and prancing fancy-free in the countryside.