State of the Texty: The Future's So Bright Edition

[textualdeviance]

First off: *points to icon*

It's officially official. We've both been cleared by our bosses! Now just nailing down exact dates. At the moment, the most likely is May 20-June 10. Or thereabouts. We'll definitely be hitting the London Expo (already have tickets) and also doing a Duran Duran concert that weekend at the O2 (also already have tickets.) Haven't seen them live since 1984. Figured since I'm (almost) 40-going-on-13 these days, may as well go all in for it. (Heck, I may even go haunt the red carpet zone at the BAFTA TV thingy going on then, too, if my lad's stuff gets any noms.)

The specific itinerary for the trip still being worked out, apart from that weekend. Thusfar, I know for sure we want to hit Brighton, Bath (and yes, Stonehenge), Cardiff, Dublin and Leeds. Plus a bunch of touristy crap in London. Depending on timing/routes, we'll prolly also hit Glasgow and Belfast (or at least thereabouts; I want to see Giant's Causeway.) We'll likely also make some stops based on birding/caching/gardens stuff, and I hope to find a way to hook up with at least some of my fandom peeps (if not at the Expo, then some other way.)

I've decided to bite the bullet and rent a car while we're there. Not while we're in London--gods, no--but for the rest of the tour, I think it'll ultimately be easier than figuring out trains, etc. (especially with my somewhat-limited mobility.) Slightly terrified of getting used to things being on the "wrong" side, but if I start out in a smaller town (Leeds or Brighton) and make sure I have an automatic, I should be OK after a day or so's practice. Just hope I don't smash things up while I'm learning!

I can't believe we're actually doing this, though. First--and probably only--time for something this big. I've never done a three-week vacation before, never crossed the Atlantic, never been on a plane for more than 6 hours, and the only foreign country I've spent more than an afternoon in is Canada. So. Yeah. Big deal for me. *wibble*

--

This massive adventure is being funded by the fact that my contract got extended, and now goes through the end of June. Frankly, I'm slightly annoyed at the prospect of working this job for four more months, but having something like this to look forward to is making the deadly boring days a little less so. And there's something more to look forward to as well: Even with the expense of the trip, we'll have a fair amount left over. Factoring in some more cash we expect at the end of the summer, and we can get the adoption stuff started as soon as we get back.

That's part of the reason for the trip, fwiw. Once we get a small human, I won't have the bandwidth to manage large-scale travel plus minding the bairn. So we're looking at at least 10 years (aka, when the kid's more self-sufficient) before we could do something like that again. Little trips, sure, but not the around-the-world stuff, unless we suddenly come into a ton of money and can hire a sherpa/nanny to help out. Last fling of my pre-parenthood life? May as well.

Still somewhat flummoxed as to how, specifically, to get started on that path, tho (an option that isn't state care, open or international is proving elusive), but I guess we'll figure it out.

--

Still working here and there on the novel, though the muses have wanted me to play with other stuff lately. I only have a few more chapters to go on the rough draft, though. I can see the end in sight, which is more than I can say for any of the other novels I've tried to finish over the years. It's not award-winning, Earth-shattering stuff, but I do think it's not half bad for a YA fantasy story.

Spose I'll have more time to muck around with it soon now that the first half of my show's new run is over and the next one isn't until late May (prolly when we'll be there, actually.) Or maybe I'll just write more porn and do more stupid vids. ;)

--

Saw a flock of robins pecking at the back lawn this morning. Spring isn't just a distant dream!

Comments

[van.livejournal.com]

Fuck yeah, how exciting! I can say, having driven from London to Blackpool, the car-on-the-wrong-side isn't too weird after a while, especially once you get on the motorway. It's the smaller turns in town that are harder to judge (and those god awful roundabouts). You'll do fine! Some of the nicest people I met in England were the rental car people!

So excited and happy you're going to get to go! Four more months of drudgery definitely is worth it for an awesome three week vacation!

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip! I think that's my biggest worry, really, but if I can get past the driving thing, I think I'll have a blast. :)

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Woohoo!!! Great news!!!

BTW, you could always try what we do when we're in those Other-Side-of-the-Road countries... choose one person to drive and one person to be in charge of saying "Left side!" at regular intervals. Sounds weird, but it actually works really well... then the person driving just has to concentrate on the driving aspect and the other person can concentrate on making sure the car is in the lane it's supposed to be (and positioned correctly within the lane... oddly enough, you get used to where you, personally, are supposed to be in a lane as the driver and it's easy to drift left).

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

Usually, when we're on complicated road trips, I drive and M navigates--it works out pretty well that way. I think he'll definitely have to do that for me this time, plus play spatial orientation cheerleader, too. ;)

[pottsfanatic.livejournal.com]

So happy you were able to work everything out. You're gonna love it!! Sounds like you've got quite the itinerary. Would be great if the Primeval Peeps are at Expo again. Timing is right for them to be there....*crossing fingers* for you.

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

I'm really, really hoping there are some Primeval folks there. I'd love to see Andrew, of course, but even if he's not there, I'll be happy to meet any of them. And with s5 starting on Watch right around that time, that'd be a perfect promo opportunity for them. (I may also see if they're doing any TV appearances then and go hang out at the studios!)

Also kinda hoping Mansfield's in another play then, too. Would love to see him on stage.

Damn shame I can't get you free and drag you along for at least some of this!

[pottsfanatic.livejournal.com]

I know....I would love to go....but unfortunately that's my stateside month and very hectic. I'll be up to my eyes with fundraisers around then. Research doesn't fund itself unfortunately. (If you saw BBT last night...that's me but without the whoring myself out bit. I'm more like Sheldon...I have to go....but I don't like it.xD) But I'll be wanting updates of where you go, who/what you see...etc. Do you have plans that if you find out there are Primeval peeps about all other itinerary is on hold? Or will you just cross that bridge if you come to it?

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

Do you have plans that if you find out there are Primeval peeps about all other itinerary is on hold? Or will you just cross that bridge if you come to it?

Well, at the moment, it's looking like our first week there is going to be 99% London-based (with daytrips to a few places within an hour or two.) Other than the Expo and a list of general places to go, it'll probably be pretty flexible, so any unforeseen Primevalian appearances can probably be managed.

The other two weeks, we'll just be driving around everywhere else (including Dublin--I'd LMAO if they went back into production around that time!)

Speaking of stalking people, though, I have to tell you the silly dream I had last night: While there for the Expo, I ran into Andrew and his crowd at a pub. He liked my shirt (the SV one) so much he invited me to join them. And I--nutbar--told him sure, but only if he let me buy the whole table a round. Ha!

[pottsfanatic.livejournal.com]

Love that dream. I have ones along the same lines. My favourite one was that I was picked to be an extra on the set for a day. My role was that I found a creature (ala Valerie) and they came after an anomaly opened up..anyway...it started out that I was an extra on set...then it was like it was really happening...then in the end there was a party(like the piss up). Talk about nutbar..lol.

[thefirstalicat.livejournal.com]

Good for you! A small word of advice, though: don't try to cram everything into your 3 weeks because if you do, you'll just be too frazzled and on-the-go every second to enjoy it. Chris and I went to the UK for 3 weeks (our longest vacation away from home ever too) in 1999, had a BritRail pass that took us to 8 locations in that time (leaving out the 5 obligatory days at my Auntie Avis's in Cornwall), and it was just this side of too much. 'Course we got to Wales, Aberdyvy, long a place I'd wanted to see, but didn't try for Scotland. And Ireland's an entirely different trip, don't even think about Belfast.

So the not-so-short advice? Write down all the places you want to visit, then winnow it down to the half-dozen or so you really can't miss, and organize from there.

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm a little worried about overdoing it, so I'm making sure to build rest days into our schedule. We've done the long road trip thing before (Seattle to Napa to Tahoe, and a circle through BC and Alberta) and I'm pretty familiar with what I can handle for each day. As long as I'm not walking a ton, I should be more or less OK.

I'm just happy we're going at all, though, so even if I miss a few things, I'll still enjoy it. :)

[glofigs.livejournal.com]

Have Fun on your travels! So Jealous! Good luck with the baby thing! I can see you as a Cool and great mom!

Sounds like your novel is coming along which is fantastic!!! pretty soon it will be in bookstores everywhere!

Sounds like life is pretty sweet for you at the moment. Lets hope it keeps up the awesome work!

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks. :)

[glofigs.livejournal.com]

You're Welcome. :)

[miss-swamp.livejournal.com]

So excited for you and your trip. Maybe I'll buy our tickets tomorrow.

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

I think we'll be booking ours sometime next week. Freaking out slightly!

[fredbassett]

If you can make it to Bath in the first part of the first week we might be able to meet up. I'm in Bristol and can easily make it to Bath.

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

That's a very good chance. I'm mucking around with our itinerary for that first week, and we're at least planning a day trip to Brighton, so other relatively nearby spots might well be possible then, too Would love to meet you! :)