August 13, 2003 - 9:43 a.m.

simon and i got the apartment. we sign the papers and start moving on friday.

jen has dubbed the apartment complex melrose place, but that's because she lives there, just around the corner from where we'll be stationed. our adjacent neighbor is an old acquaintance of simon's as well, so there may be some truth to her claim.

the new place is tiny, and - oh, did i mention this? - simon hasn't seen it yet. it's pretty cool and weird that he trusted me enough to pick the place and sign away our lives. i asked him what he would do if, once he saw the place, he found it too tiny. his reply was that he didn't care - "i could live anywhere for that price" or something to that effect.

he is right, you know. even though we're paying three weeks of double rent because of the overlap in leases, we'll be paying half the price we normally pay for the rest of the term. the bond on the current place is nearly enough to cover the bond + first month's rent on the new one. whoa. we'll be able to go to the movies and eat out without feeling really naughty about it.

i should be packing stuff up right now, but i'm home with all-over body aches and a quite annoying sinus headache. It's not bad enough to qualify as the flu, methinks, but it is bad enough to prevent me from being nice to customers at work and, more importantly, proactive and helpful. I worked most of the day yesterday (after taking the previous day off) and was almost useless in the help department. deciphering content on the computer screen was an effort.

freshly clean miko has decided to help me recuperate by sleeping as close to my head as possible and licking my face whenever i open my eyes. she is definitely making up for her previous vet bills.

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simon is no longer vegan. he's been thinking about it for awhile and wants to know if eating animal products will boost his energy levels. i suppose you could call this a trial period.

it's a little weird for me because i put so much effort into making vegan meals and having a mostly vegan household. i've gotten used to it, but it's always in the back of my mind that we need to cater to him when it comes to eating out, etc. now i'm the one with the more restrictive diet. he ate a thai curry with pork last night. no meat in the house yet, and not if i can help it.

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i drove to craigieburn on sunday and encountered an exceptional number of roundabouts. very tricky, indeed. i am getting progressively more comfortable with the car, but i still have a way to go. let's just hope the office parking lot isn't full when i start my new job, or i fear they might have a laugh at me.

simon says my next task is to drive in the CBD and learn how to make hook turns. maybe if i ignore him, he'll forget he said that.