Dubai Life: Freeze Frame

I'm leaving Dubai in 3 days (!!!) and it still hasn't quite sunk in that I won't be living here anymore. There are at least a dozen things I should be doing right now but I've temporarily hit the pause button. Our daily life is exactly the same as it's always been, at least in Dubai.  Now that I have a job and things are falling into place (albeit a little differently than we planned), we're so much more relaxed and everything is a little better/easier/more enjoyable.

And with long-distance looming ahead of us, everything also seems a little more precious than it did last week/month/year.  I know I'll pay for my procrastination with a dizzying, nonstop task-list on the last day, but right now I don't care.  I'm still savoring every moment of togetherness and I want to keep these moments with Sven and Phoebe forever.

Even the yoga mat thief appreciates sunset magic.

Oh yeah, I haven't even packed.

Today: Drape Me in Blue

Today, John Moreland is filling up my melancholy heart.  These songs, this voice, and this heaviness talk directly to me.  I feel sad and full at the same time.

Phoebe: All About Steve

Lately, Phoebe has grown really attached to Steven.  Of course she's always loved him, but for the last week or two there's been a new urgency in her affection for him.  She used to refuse to go anywhere without me, even when Steve tried to bribe her.  But now she's all about Steve, all the time.

Waiting for Steve to come home from work

And while Steve is certainly fantastic (I'm crazy about him too), it's still a fairly abrupt change.  At first, I joked to Steve that maybe he's sick and we need to go to the clinic because dogs "know things" and her level of clinginess was unreal. (I haven't entirely abandoned this train of thought.)  But I think it's just a natural reaction to all crap I've been subjecting her to lately.  She's developed allergies in Dubai (we think) and the new rules are no fun.  And I think it may have clicked for her last week - Steve's still the same, but I'm a meanie now.

But it's okay.  I know this is normal and we'll go back and forth in closeness with her over time.  I also recognize that treating her allergies is absolutely mandatory.  So even though my heart is aching, she's still not allowed to eat those treats, she's taking all the pills, and she's getting that antibiotic bath.  Even if it means she likes me a little less.

However, I do admit the two of them together all the time is pretty cute.

Those tiny bottom teeth are my favorite

What it looks like when a 90lb dog passes out and snores on you.

Moving to Seattle: An Apartment in Ballard

In the wee hours of this morning, I signed the lease for an apartment in Seattle.  Yep, even though I'm still in Dubai.  Here's the story...

I accepted the job offer about a week and a half ago.

My start date is in early December, so this gives me 5 1/2 weeks to pack all my Dubai stuff, find an apartment in Seattle, fly from Dubai to Vegas and Reno to spend Thanksgiving with our 4 families, drive a Uhaul with Sven full of stuff from storage in Reno to the new apartment in Seattle, move in and unpack the basics, get a new drivers license, put Steve on a plane back to Dubai (cry), and then be ready to travel to Atlanta GA for my first week of work.

It's a lot to do in a relatively short period of time, so I knew I had to cut corners somewhere.  Finding an apartment online instead of in-person was a natural choice since it could be done early from Dubai and take off some pressure towards the end.

Sure, why not?  I already had a couple neighborhoods in mind from our previous time living in Seattle, and I'm an old pro at finding housing online anyway.  I knew if I did my research well and picked carefully, it would be fiiiiine.  And if the carpet isn't the same color as the photo, or the room looks smaller in person, or the counter tops look a little older than some other place across the street - meh.  That doesn't really bother me.

I do however, need to be within walking distance to a park for Phoebe, a gym for me, and public transit so that I actually use all them as often as possible.  One thing I keep re-learning about myself is convenience is key - when something is just right there I usually force myself to go regularly.

When the gym is within 4-5 blocks of home

When the gym is far

So I've spent a good portion of the last 10 days hunting for apartments.  After some hemming and hawing, I settled on a 1 bedroom in Ballard.  The apartment meets all of the criteria, and then some them.  Plus, the additional "pet rent" for PB is pretty modest.  I CAN have my cake and eat it too (minus the fact that Sven will still be in Dubai and I'll have a 40-90 minute commute).

Of course, I don't move in until the end of November.  But at least it's one more thing that's DONE!