last days......

and am planning to pack the laptop and external monitor Sunday so will be silent finally, and be able to do the last work. Earlier this week some East Bay friends crossed the bay by BaRT and invited me to a chilly outdoor lunch. I didn't mind at all... even got to see some noisy parrots one last time before leaving. Last night a few friends of my sister invited me with a close friend to dine at Zarzuela, a great spanish restaurant just a few blocks from where I live with my sister. I had dined there previously as a birthday-dinner over a year ago and really loved it... this time was just as great and in addition was treated with a solo rendition in spanish a birthday tribute to a diner. The restaurant was packed - as usual - and Spain-noisy (which I like) and when the singing began, the hush was complete as it continued for quite a few minutes. It was a special treat, feeling almost as if it were sung for me! In just a few more days I will be in Spain, so this really touched me, plus having these nice send-offs..... I wish the packing went as easy and quick.

I have been preparing for my departure for over a year, and started the serious packing over six months ago, trashing a lot of junk and boxing others. then came the decision to burn all of my images on CDs to external hard drives delayed me quite a bit. Two months ago when I was hit by a - what I like to call the facebook virus - they delayed me by another three weeks as I was busy night and day trying to fix that. Oh yea.... in case you are interested, I was hit then by up to 24 viruses after that facebook virus hit me... for that reason I stay off facebook a lot now.

These last few days have been a blur of packing and trashing. In just the last three days, I estimate I've dumped enough papers, plastics and other recyclable items to fill up the SF blue recycle bin four times over. I won't even mention take your time to describe the five huge garbage bags filled with trash. I've been so stressed packing and worrying - at one stage I couldn't find my passport and thought I had perhaps trashed it, recycled it, or plain boxed it inside one of 15 containers already taped closed!

I had one side of my sister's crowded filthy messy garage for meself and my boxes. That garage is much cleaner than it was when I first arrived over two years ago, and so is her flat too. I've worked my butt off all this time and now will devote some hard manual labor in my apartment very soon! Just hope my key works!! hahahahaa

Today delivered the bulk of my packed and closed boxes to a shipping company near the airport. Imagine myself and a friend who's been giving me a lot of her time to selflessly help me pack, driving on the freeway - she hates that and has never driven on a freeway before - following me with my boxes in her car and mine loaded down with even more, my fuel gauge very low and the low gas light lit. The drive from North Beach to this place is just about 11miles and I made it there in the rush hour with just a half gallon remaining in the tank. Now I can "relax" and try to clean, box the remaining few, and get ready to DEPART!!!!! Monday I'll take a few last boxes and plastic containers, then I'm through. Just to clean up and finish up on some last things... the laptop gets closed and packed Sunday so no more distractions... the next time will be in Rota somewhere probably in a cybercafe or a library!

Hasta pronto... la proxima sera desde Rota, España! ciao - it's been nice, interesting and a lot of work.