if anyone is still paying attention...

i'm still here. sorry for the lack of posting. we've just finally had internet hooked up at home and i'm hoping that this means more regular posts. of course that all depends on my ability to get my act together. ha.

things are still a little unsettled here, as i'm still negotiating the finer points of obtaining a work permit. this should have been settled on the weekend, but, well, i've learned to expect the unexpected. a new to me friend kindly offered to run me into ontario and back to get the proper paperwork before he continued on to his own destination. i'd stay in michigan and take the train back the next day. sounded like a great and relatively easy plan. and it was. except, as john lennon said, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. turns out that the people at the border who process work permits work limited hours. our trip, sadly, did not fall within the designated hours. argh. so, now i'm headed on a whirlwind trip to toronto this week so i can finally start a job that has been patiently been waiting for me.

despite my frustration at the whole situation, the weekend had its merits:

• i traveled through four states and one province in twenty four hours. i got to see a lot of the mid-west -- much of it is beautiful, some not so much.
• i got to got to tim's. normally this wouldn't excite me, but these days anything canadian makes me inexplicably happy (like access to the CBC).
• i got to take the train. for someone used to the bus, this excited me beyond belief, even though both of my trains were delayed considerably and, because of the way the routes work, a three and a half hour car ride took closer to twelve hours.
• the man at the train station in detroit was one of the nicest people i've met. he tried to figure out a way to get me where i was going a little bit quicker. it just wasn't in the cards, though.
• steve earle and the new bruce springsteen album are excellent soundtracks for interstate driving.

the weekend trip was the most excitement i've had in ages. not working seriously cuts down on having a social life. i have, however, been doing a lot of knitting. i don't have any pictures yet, but will try and have them for next time. i've managed to get a start on my christmas knitting (i knew it made sense to have all of my yarn shipped).

for now i've got some reading to do on non-human primates. i'll be back soon with some FO pictures.