Tick, tick, tick

The clock is winding down...in a little over a week, we'll be on the road to Celebration to become official full-time residents. Well, at least mostly full-time, since my husband will still be required to make occasional jaunts back to the "freezer." I have a sense of excitement mixed with a tinge of sadness; it's hard to leave a job when you've been there for 16 years. Worse yet, I enjoyed my job (at least most of the time). It's easy to make the break when you're miserable. It's much harder when you're not.

But I think this is a good time to make some changes in my life. My travel agency is doing quite well, considering that the only place I advertise it is on my Disney Cruise Line website, www.castawayclub.com. With the completion of my doctorate, I can finally do more with my counseling practice. I might even get a part-time job over at Disney World, which a lot of people seem to do for the benefits, or just for fun. I love animals (and I'm not afraid to shovel horse poop), so I can picture myself working in Fort Wilderness at the stables a day or two a week.

And of course, what better place to do all of that than Florida. Even if this whole social experiment totally fails and we go bankrupt, I'd rather be living in a refrigerator box in a warm, balmy climate than in the cold and snow.

I called today to arrange our cable installation, as Comcast was finally running a special. But wouldn't you know it, it expires before we will be ready for the installation. Sigh! Thank goodness I'm not much of a television addict, other than "The Simpsons" and just about anything politically incorrect on Comedy Central (i.e. "South Park," "Reno 911," and best of all, "Drawn Together").

We're heading to Celebration this weekend on our last ATA flight ever. Just when I thought that everything was going to be okay, they totally and utterly hosed us by eliminating ALL direct flights to Orlando. We'll be on one of the very last ones. Not so coincidentally, all of the other airline rates to Orlando have sky rocketed now that a big chunk of the competition is gone. Southwest added some direct flights, but getting their best internet fares is akin to walking a tightrope backwards while blindfolded and balancing an aquarium of electric eels on your head.

And if you manage to score a cheap fare on Southwest, be prepared to sit in the middle seat of the last row if you're not traveling with children. The pre-board line routinely is as long as A, B, and C put together, as parents liberally interpret the age range to mean anyone under 17. Many of them also seem to be traveling with their aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great cousins six times removed, judging by the caravan that accompanies them on for the pre-board.

Ah, for the good old days of assigned seating on Lame Duck Air! Oh well, at least this coincides with our semi-permanent move. Even if we have to return to Chicago for 10 days a month, it will be more tolerable than the nomadic existence we've been living for so long now.

As I'm scraping the ice off the car window tomorrow morning, I'll just keep repeating to myself my new mantra, "Ten more days, ten more days, ten more days."

You can email me at celebration@mailblocks.com

My website is www.celebrationinfo.com