the camel's starting to look like a sway-back mule

i spent the weekend looking for "amenities" in our new area. area, because el Jefe's new office and my new office are 25 miles apart. chances are one of us will be commuting more. it makes some sense to relocate closer to my new office, as it is closer to the airport, and both of us will be travelling. but his new office is in a smaller town that has some charm. oh, and by "amenities", i was looking for libraries, pools, a parks and rec department, day care ... some basic quality of life issues for me.

and i looked for apartments that would take pets.

turns out our number 1 choice is assisted housing. we don't qualify by any means. everything else is about $300 a month more. we'll be paying 2/3 of our mortgage for a temporary place to live, in addition to our mortgage, until our house sells. el Jefe' is getting a raise, but not that much. the reality really stressed me out. it's only temporary. it's just money. change is good. hey gang, bring on the platitudes!

we broke the news to my parents on Sunday. we had them over for dinner, and the Punkin was the star of the show (no show required). Punkin took off his pants no less than three times before their arrival; i finally convinced him to put them back on by saying it was the only way i'd play with him. (is that a bribe or a threat?) i suggested we drop the bomb before dinner; although it could ruin everyone's appetite, it might ensure my parents weren't completely crocked and would remember the news. it was met with about thirty seconds of utter silence, followed by "then we'll move, too." of course it is more complicated than that, but that was how they expressed their choice and in reality, it has huge benefits in terms of travel and providing assistance to them. if only they can tolerate the move ... no less find a place to live (they're a bit more high maintenance than el Jefe' and me).

the rumor-mill was in full force, performing like a well-oiled machine. el Jefe's new boss made an announcement Friday afternoon, after 5 pm, and the congrats started flowing almost immediately. the kicker was my department manager and boss knew about el Jefe's promotion before i made it into work Monday morning (thank GOD i had warned them he was interviewing for the position!) the easy part is i will transfer. but there are a lot of unknowns. much like finding reasonable temporary housing.

i'm really not complaining (yet). trust me, you'll know. but the worries are adding up at an astonishing rate.