The time for hibernation is over! So begins the time for Getting Things Done!

So I’m having a little trouble with iTunes. Not the music part, but the TV shows. I’m like a crack addict waiting for my next fix…of Top Chef. That’s right. I moved to the other side of the world in order to free up some time to watch more American TV. Were you expecting something different?

I've been having some culture shock mixed with a mild confused depression cocktail, which has rendered me incapable of writing email or blog posting or going out much. Mostly, I've been watching a lot of movies and TV, getting massages (I've had 2 in the last 3 weeks...aaah) and doing a lot nesting (read: gadget buying), reading, cooking and menu planning. It’s a strange mix of fevered activity, in which I stay up till all hours of the night (like now), making strange dishes (pureed celeriac with orange-infused oil) and planning what Christopher is going to be eating for the next 9 weeks, alternated with 4 hours of Scrubs and capped off with reading every blog on the internet. Yes! I’ve read the whole internet, which leaves me with nothing to do now but write on it.

I also experimented with my sleep cycle and found that in an ideal world, I would stay up until 10 am and then sleep until 6:30 pm. I did that for 2 days and it pretty much kicked me out of hibernation mode. I’ve always known that if I want to be a part of the rest of the world, that sleep schedule isn’t going to get me very far, but I really wanted to give it a shot. And when else would I get the chance to conduct such a bold and daring experiment?! I’m like a scientist.

The apartment is great now. The first week was a nightmare of filth (the didn't have it cleaned before we moved in, as they promised), unreturned calls by the property manager, no hot water, no keys to the windows, etc. But all that's worked out now and the place is lovely. We're just waiting for the carpet cleaning to be done and then we should never have to talk to the managers again. This weekend we finished our household list by switching the hinges on the refrigerator (so it opens away from the wall, as it should), and added shelves to both closets. Now all our extraneous crap is neatly stored out of sight and I feel much better. Funny how tidiness can be so soothing. Now if I could just find a coat/tree/stand, everything would be perfect.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Cheat has been missing since last Monday. As you can guess, we are very very sad. He escaped from the apartment he’s crashing at and just never came back, which is weird. He either got lost, or hurt, or most likely STOLEN, because he's so great. He's microchipped and has tags, so you'd think someone would call if they found him. The microchip company has stories on their website describing reunions with pets taking place months or years later, so I haven't lost hope, but I'm pretty bummed out. They're supposed to join us in August, followed by 30 days in quarantine, but it may just be The Sneak now. Bummer. I'm going through cat-withdrawal. If anyone wants to organize a search party, or pretend that you did and tell me about it, I’d be grateful.

In other news, I've been doing a lot of cooking, and thinking a lot about what I want to do. Our cost of living is so low now, and Joe is making enough money that I can avoid work and we can still afford to save a bunch of money. But I feel pretty useless when I'm not working, and the housewife role doesn't really suit me. I like the cooking part, but the cleaning part I'm not so keen on. We bought a food dehydrator and we've been making all kinds of delicious flax crackers, which is more fun than it sounds. We also got a juicer and a super food processor with ninety billion attachments. I know! That's a lot of attachments! But there is pico de gallo to be made, and vegetables to be sliced, so we really had no choice. I returned the pizza oven, cuz let’s not get crazy.

Today was a big day. I took my first crack at being The Burrito Lady at Weta. I spent a couple days last week going to all the grocery stores and pricing ingredients for all the components, which mostly turned into a hunt for jalapenos. They have them here, because you see them in New Zealand recipes, and on Pizza Hut pizzas, but they're rare and difficult to find. Allen came over on Saturday for burrito testing, and pronounced them acceptable, so yesterday I bought everything and prepped as much as I could. I got up at 8:30 (which is as unto the middle of the night for me) and grilled chicken and assembled burritos for 3 hours. When I got to Weta, I barely had time to open the cooler/warmer before they were all snatched away. 40 burritos in 4 minutes, and I got a job offer. Next week I’m going to see how fast I can get rid of 80 burritos.

So that's the news! Sorry I've been so quiet on the blog. I've just not been feeling very wordy-y, and I really need to get out of the house to take some pictures. Also, I’m not so sure if anyone out there is reading. Is anyone there? Feel free to comment if you are! I’m not good at writing often, but I can always read. Also, if you could make me a funny movie of yourself, I’d be into watching that. Or send me your favorite TV show. Or just tell me TV stories. I’m really missing America’s Next Top Model.