Today I sent my payment and my passport to NZIS. Hopefully within a month I will receive my passport back with the blue stickers I've heard so much about. Then, the only thing keeping me from NZ will be myself. That is an exciting thought.

In other news...I am fostering another little Maltese dog. The first boy I've had. He's a great guy, very sweet and cuddly but he's aggressive to everyone else. He also has diabetes and HATES getting shots and isn't fond of his diabetic food. So, it has been a bit of a struggle and I feel that maybe he would be better off with a foster parent that doesn't work. It is fun having a little dog around though.

Just a quick update.

The next day, still excited and overwhelmed how much i need to do in order to prepare for liftoff. I really hope to be in NZ by the first week of May or earlier and the logistics involved are somewhat overwhelming (i find myself close to hyperventilating often).

What am I going to take with me? How am I going to take it? How on earth do I figure out how many cubic metres of possessions I own and wish to have shipped over. Not to mention where I will be once I get there...

So many things to figure out and I'm sure I will keep posting more and more of them on here. It is an exciting time. All of these things, in spite of how frightening they may be, still make me smile. In the end it will all be worthwhile. Especially once ms. lafavilla finds her way as well.

Hello,

It has happened! This morning, I received (after one more prod from my email stick) an email from NZIS telling me that I have been approved for residency. I need to send in one more document, and my fee and my passport they will put little stickers in the passport, send it back to me and that's the deal!

NOW I HAVE TO FIND A JOB!!!

I am a little bit excited today.

jon

Still no news from NZIS, I have decided that if I hear nothing before Monday noonish, I will give them a call. That is, indeed, the plan.

So, i've decided that this is, "the Winter that Fall met Spring" in New York. I feel like we've not had a true winter at all. We have had a some cold days, we've had a sprinkling of snow, but that's about it. Plenty of rain, and plenty of springlike days.

I am a little disappointed by this (not that there isn't still time). As this may be my final winter ever in the City I was looking forward to some blizzards. I have to do some research on google to find out if anyone has a SnowDance I can co-opt or whether I need to create my own.

and the beat goes on...

jdr

Hi All,

As I've still not heard back from NZIS, I decided I should write something to keep you all coming back for more whining.

I just went on a little sampling spree of enzed music. I found out that a hit from about a million years ago was by an artist from New Zealand. The song is Sway and it was on the American Pie OST album. It was quite popular in the US. The artist's name is Bic Runga. If a name like Bic Runga isn't enough to make you fall in love, then there is still the music. She has just released a new album, it hasn't made it to these shores yet, but I've heard it's quite good. I like what I have heard from her. A couple other bands I've been listening too are Fat Freddy's Drop and Scribe.

I have also been spending a LOT of time at move2nz.com, if you are interested in moving to New Zealand and have not yet visited that site, you are really missing out. People ask and answer many questions you may not have ever thought of, but you will certainly enjoy learning the answers to.

Beyond that, trying to sell all of my worldly possessions. Hoping to lighten the load before moving and trying to pad the bank account as much as possible. This is not a bank account you would want to use as a pillow, the cushioning is really more like a sheet over a rock, don't lay your head on that!

So, the wait continues. Still no word on my official status. I will restrain myself until Monday, if still no word I think I'll make a phone call to London and see if I can get anything concrete.

And that is about that...

jdr