So this is starting to feel more like a done deal with every passing day. Friday started the Visa fun. Based on what HR has told me, I don’t need to do a whole lot of weird legal stuff and waiting on lines, but I do need to provide them with a whole lot of information. It’s mostly professional-related info, but I’m required to put together a CV, something I haven’t done since I started working at Morningstar (almost 5 years ago).  I also need a copy of my diploma, something I haven’t seen since, well, since I graduated.

The next sign that this is a done deal was the announcement of my replacement(!). They are doing an internal re-organization type thing so it’s not like they had a whole hiring process. But my heart-felt congrats to Hong on joining my now former group!

The final piece is taking a visit over to London. Today I bought a plane ticket to spend January 20th until February 3rd in the UK. During that time, I’ll get acquainted with my soon-to-be new coworkers, wander the streets of London and see if I can adjust from grid-like Chicago to the mazes of the London streets. And finally, I’ll be checking out neighborhoods and “flats” (I won’t start talking like a Brit just yet) so I know about my living situation. When I get back, I may very well have a lease!

Anyways, a lot of movement going on. It’s all pretty cool and making this whole thing seem real and not some weird dream. And now the exciting things are happening. Hell, I get to go back to Europe when I was just there 3 months ago. Sweet!

Over the summer, Carolyn and I made a couple of trips to the Chicago Botanical Garden. The admission is free if you ride your bike there. The city has a 20 mile trail from the northwest side up to the garden and you can park at various places along the forest preserve that connects the city to the Botanical Garden. We usually rode 15 miles each way and had a lovely day riding through the woods and wandering the gardens once we got there.

Anyways, they had a little exhibit in the newly renovated central building which combined some replicas of various parts/buildings in Chicago with model trains. Since it’ll be my last chance before heading out of the country to see the place, we made a little trip up to check it out. We drove (it might be warm, but it’s not that warm), but here’re some pics of our time amongst the wooden city.

This would be Carolyn at the entrance! Hurray!

Carolyn standing next to the Baha’i Temple. We went there during our first date.

A train going by the Bean (kind of looks like an ass) and the Geary Bandshell

Wrigley Field

Buidlings of downtown Chicago

This blog will be a little slow going in the first couple of weeks, but here’s the latest information:

The last week has been pretty tough. I imagine all people, when they have been living in the same town for 5 years accumulate crap. Prior to living in Chicago, I’d pretty much moved every 10 months. Then, after a short stint in an apartment here, I actually renewed my first lease. Then, 2 years later, I bought a place! Now I have an enormous apartment that has been building up shit for 3 years, so the last week has been spent trying to clear out the shit to prep the place for selling. Hopefully, in the next day or two, the junk will be gone and then I can move forward with things.

In the meantime, my parents will be coming out next weekend to say hello and help out in any way they can. Alas, when they leave, they will be taking two of the sweetest cats in the world. While I plan on taking them with me to London, there is a 6 month waiting period before they can move to the UK. Soooo, while I have to move sometime soon (end of February is looking like the most likely time), they will be hanging out in CT and Michigan with my very nice parents who will definitely spoil them and treat them very well. All the same, it’s very sad that I only have one more week with my cats before a 6 month separation.

I’ll leave you with a happy note: I’m moving to London!!! 🙂

Alrighty, I’ve been waiting on this for a little bit before I could put anything out there, but now it’s been publicly announced so I can actually begin my adventure! I’ve accepted a position in the Morningstar UK office. I’ll be working there for the next 2 years as one of their network analyst (ok, it’s the same position as a network administrator, just a shiny British name). I’ll be writing more about this whole evolving process as it happens. For now, I’m in cleaning hell as I try to get my apartment cleaned so I can sell it.

Well, it wasn’t my first time in AZ, but it was the first time seeing what will be my parents new home. They’ll be retiring pretty soon and they’ve decided to spend their retirement in development outside of Tucson. It’s called Coyote Creek. They bought about 3 acres on the edge of the development and currently border state land, so their eastern view has a straight shot along the desert to a beautiful mountain. Below are a few pictures of our time there.

Here’s the Badanes family in front of the sign announcing their arrival in the area (it’s a little swanky there 🙂

This is the house in its present state. My mom was so excited to see the frame of the house up

This is their view outside the living room/kitchen and their bedroom

These are the lucky new home owners!

This is me sitting on the bulldozer they’re using to do various construction-y stuff 🙂

I’m in the process of some exciting things. Keep your eyes on this site as things become official and I can out and talk about everything and start sharing with the world a little more 🙂