Me? Youtube?

I just discovered that I'm on Youtube!
Seriously! I kid you not!

Go to www.youtube.com
Type 'Moore Philharmonic' in the search bar.
Watch the top video and pay close attention to the
trombone player to the far right.

Ok, so its dark and could almost be anybody, but
check it out at the 5:20 mark. (Don't skip ahead
or you'll miss the soloist.)

I know it isn't about me, but it took my mind off of moving for awhile.

BOTM and e-mail address

I received this picture in my e-mail today from Jean at the quilt guild. Thanks, Jean! For those of you who are not in the quilt guild, one of my jobs is to explain the Block of the Month. Sandy and I take turns. So here I am with our most recent block Lover's Knot.


In case you are wondering about the APO address given last week, the 962 part of the zip code means South Korea, and the 04 part signifies the base at Yongsan in Seoul.
I don't know how long my current e-mail address will be good for after August 18th, but the following e-mail address will always be good:
Chris.Damour@us.army.mil

I actually finished something

Today I finished the binding on the quilt featured in my last post. A friend helped me quilt it on her long arm machine. What a labor saver! Now I have no excuse not to finshed packing ( except that I am out of boxes) or at least deciding what goes to Korea and what goes in storage. I thought I had until the movers came on the 11th to decide but my husband called to tell me that they want to know early next week so they can plan what size truck to bring, etc. That gives me two or three days. Yikes!
On a good note, a friend of mine that loves my hot tub has offered to look after it when we are gone. We could just drain it, but if the renters (whom we don't have yet) try to fill it (which the rental agent says they will do) and don't do it properly, there will be air bubbles in the circulation system which will damage the pumps. Here is a picture of my hot tub, and the purse I made for my Mom.

Korean mail

Yesterday we got our vaccinations at the county health clinic. None of the DR. offices would do it. The clinic seemed to think the army should do it. Anyway, they did it for two of us for $341. That included two Dr. consults and 1 round of vaccines. My daughter's were free because she's under 18. Am I the only one that thinks its a high price? Because I am needle-phobic, I thought the injections would be the worst part. They weren't bad at all (see, tapping helps). The price and the soreness afterwards....well, I suppose it is cheaper than getting sick.
I finished the quilt top I promised a friend months ago. I have an appt to quilt it tomorrow.
After I bind it, it can go in the mail and THEN I can fully concentrate on moving issues. I think it turned out well. She made most of the blocks. I just put them together and added borders.

I just received word that we can get mail in Korea at the following address (after Aug 18th):
Chris Damour
PSC 303, Box 51
APO AP 96204
Apparently mail is delivered to the work address, not to the home address.

I have reservations...

I got an e-mail today that our plane reservations have been made for Saturday August 16th. Our plane leaves at 9am and we have to check in 3 hours early (why!!?) so we must be there at 6am. As if 14 hours of sitting on a plane weren't bad enough, we get to 'warm up' for it by sitting for three hours in the airport. I shouldn't complain. At least we don't have to walk to Korea.
At the right is a quilt from my black-and-white phase. It only lasted long enough for me to make one quilt. I want to enter it in the quilt show this fall. But I'll miss the show:( If you look carefully at the body of the quilt, each fabric appears three times. Can you find the three appearances for each of the 24 fabrics?

Things are looking up

A lot of positive remarks about Korea have been coming my way, and I appreciate them all. Also, I appreciate the people who have volunteered to give a temporary home to the following items: our fish and their accessories, half of my quilting books, some of the plants, some regular sewing machines, and the commercial sewing machine. Also, many thanks to those who offered to house my fabric collection. First I have to decide which fabrics to take.
We now know that the packers will be coming on the 11th, so if there is something someone would like to borrow for 2 years, they should speak up now.

The Perfect Analogy

In case you are wondering what it feels like to pack up everything you own, leave most of it behind, including your friends and family, and move halfway around the world to a strange place, try this anology.
Here (hopefully) is a picture of a wave, frozen in mid-crash. You can see the power in it even though it isn't moving. Strength, power, danger, overwhelming force. I feel like I'm standing at the bottom of the wave, about to be swept away: at any moment to be tumbled about, helpless, unable to breathe, and not knowing which way is up; submerged in the maelstrom with nothing to hold onto.

The Bad, The Good, and the Unexpected

Last night I read in a publication on the internet about army life in Seoul. There were good things, but what stuck in my mind were the mosquitoes, Yellow Dust (sand blowing from China), air pollution (discolors light-colored upholstered furniture), squat pots (don't ask), monsoon rains (and you gotta walk everywhere), shoving as accepted and expected behavior, changing exchange rates, price haggling, etc. I called my husband in a fit of tears and asked him if he'd mind terribly if I didn't go. I needed to hear something good about living in Seoul.
Well, today was Quilt Guild Day, my favorite day of each month. We show each other what we've worked on and discuss opportunities to do more. Don't forget the snacks!. Afterwards, eight of us went to lunch and had a great time talking. My fellow guild members are so supportive and well-wishing, I'll miss them A LOT! I hope they are reading this blog. I took pictures this morning in case (gasp!) I never see them again. By this time next month, we'll be facing a LONG plane ride. Oh, and after telling everyone how we couldn't take action because we didn't have official orders yet, I came home to find an e-mail that the orders came through last night. Well!

What I'll Miss

I have been thinking about what to take, what to put in storage and what to get rid of. But some of the things I care about the most can't be brought. I'll miss the azaleas that bloom in the spring. (Our neighbors say we have 2000 of them). I'll miss my hot tub. (Sure, I can get it in the overhead compartment. Just needs a push). I'll miss my quilting friends and the guild and the Quilt Show they are having in September. (More ribbons for everybody else) . I'll miss celebrating Chrismas with my childhood family. (Athought they are welcome to drop by Seoul any time). I'll miss my friends from Augusta (who came this weekend for one last visit but won't let me post their picture). I'll miss our church family. (who are also invited to drop in any time) There's so much and so many people. Perhaps I should think about what I can look forward to.

Getting Started

Although we found out at the beginning of June that we were moving to Korea (with the help of the Army) , we just received notice that August 18th is the day my husband must report for duty. Up until this time I have successfully procrastinated a feeling of panic. I guess some things can't be put off forever.
I do not know what all needs to be done before that date. Part of me does not want to know. I face having to decide for each object in my house what its fate will be: it goes to Korea, it goes in storage, it goes to Goodwill, it gets sold, it gets thrown out, etc. I think I deserve to panic. There are a lot of objects in my house. Some decisions will be easy, others very hard, because I cannot bear to throw anything away knowing that it will end up in a landfill. I feel I must find it a proper home or recycle it. But some things cannot be recycled. Any suggestions or other ways of viewing this issue are welcome.