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Moving sucks. It took us four days, but everything is finally OUT of our old apartment and INTO the new house. We’ve still got to put everything away, but at least we won’t be making anymore trips back and forth. Saturday Ma Snook arrived and helped us cart over several carloads of stuff. On Sunday morning the movers came and not only did they manage to relocate all the furniture without a scratch, they also miraculously got our big cast-iron bed upstairs and into the bedroom. (It was a seriously tight fit.) Sunday night we headed to IKEA for even more flat-packed Swedish goodness. We got two more bookcases, night tables, and some under-bed drawers. We’re all about the storage. Monday we brought home the last few bits of stuff and then paid some cleaners an outrageous amount to clean up the wreckage. Hopefully we’ll get most (if not all) our deposit back.

Anyway, the phone is finally hooked up here (same number, for those of you who know it) which means that I should be able to resume my normal weblogging schedule shortly. In other news, the Snook and I have been sticking to the diet and – according to the new scales I bought – I’ve lost about five pounds already. Kickass. And for those of you that are worried, the three (remaining) fishies made it here safe and sound. They were a little stressed at first, but they seem to be adapting.

As the connection is still up for another day, I couldn’t resist posting. Some random stuff:

• We signed the lease this morning! Since then I’ve made five trips between the apartment and the house, most with a gigantic heavy backpack full of crap strapped to me. Tomorrow (Saturday) brings the arrival of Ma Snook and her station wagon, which should help us with some of the bigger stuff. Then on Sunday the movers are coming to deal with the furniture. Busy busy weekend…
• Our new landlords left us a big beautiful orchid in a pot to welcome us to the house! How nice is that? We were also surprised to see that all the lovely terra cotta potted plants in the back courtyard were left for us. (We thought they belonged to the previous tenant.) We’ve got all kinds of herbs: parsley, basil, rosemary, lavender. There’s a big white magnolia tree in bloom in the corner. There are little pots of purple and yellow pansies. It’s gorgeous! Of course, we’ll probably have killed everything within a month, but for now we feel extremely grown-up to have a real garden.
• The diet is progressing well. The first two days I was having major cravings, but they seem to have subsided a little. Maybe I’m breaking the sugar addiction! I got some of the ketone testing strips Dr. Atkins recommends, and according to that I am definitely in ketosis (i.e. I’m burning stored fat instead of sugar). I haven’t been to the gym since I started, but I figure I’m going to get enough exercise with the move.
• I’ve already had two irate phone calls (from my Mom and sister), so let’s clear something up, shall we? I didn’t “put” the Snook on a diet. Yes, even I agree that he’s skinny. But he’s been complaining for awhile now that his pants have been getting tight, so he decided to be my partner in this. He’s not doing hardcore Atkins, though, so he’s not gonna keel over or anything. He’s just cutting back on the carbs and eating lots of fruits and veg. Don’t worry; I won’t let him starve.
• You know how serious I am about this plan? I talked the Snook out of buying champagne to christen our new house. I’m not drinking anything til our housewarming party in two weeks (which should coincide nicely with the end of the “induction” phase of the diet).
• Just to make it public, here are my health goals:
  • I will be a size 14. (Not that I really care how physically big that is; I just wanna be able to theoretically shop in any shop.)
  • I will run a ten-minute mile.
• Oh, and in case you didn’t notice, CouchCam has been shut down. The sign reads: “CouchCam is temporarily disabled while we move house. Back soon!”

Ugh. More packing to be done. Stay cool, everyone!

This is probably the last you’ll hear from me for a couple days. We sign the lease for our new place tomorrow and then begin the task of moving all our crap four blocks. We’re hoping to have the new phone connected on Monday, so look for me then. Have a great weekend!

Despite valiant efforts to save him… Admiral Ackbar died this morning. *sniffle* He was a good fish.

Misquoting French with Jann reminded me of Better Off Dead, one of John Cusack’s finest 80’s movies. One of my good friends in college, Erin Fair, did a wicked imitation of the paperboy. (“Two dollars!”) I was amused to find this drinking game based on the film: Better Off Drunk. Hee!

Day One of the “Low-Carb Diet” hasn’t been easy. I’ve been doing well at home, but the Snook is having trouble at the office. I think he’s losing it.

krisinsydney: have you had any lunch? what’ve you eaten today?
roddsnook: I had a chicken salad and water for lunch. Apart from that I’ve had a caffelatte, 1/2 glass of OJ and those couple of dried apples I snarfed this morning.
krisinsydney: wow! you’ve done well.
roddsnook: Yeah, but I’m still bloody hungry.
krisinsydney: hmmm. i had eggs and sausage (no carbs!) and i’m actually less hungry than usual.
roddsnook: HUNGRY! I’m looking at the potted-plant here with a less-than-innocent eye…
krisinsydney: Go get something!
roddsnook: no shops!
krisinsydney: You’re five minutes walk from the city, dammit.
roddsnook: Yeah, but I already took an hour for lunch
krisinsydney: Then drink a lot of water!
roddsnook: NEED SNACKY CAKE!

I’m going to have to start packing his lunch.

Bill pointed out that Joey Fatone (from N’Sync) will be joining the cast of RENT soon. I figured, given the pop star connection, that he’d be playing the role of Roger (the tragic HIV-positive sexy musician). Instead he’s playing Mark, the nebbishy asexual narrator. Hello, producers? Not the best way to satisfy the screaming girl crowds.

On a sadder pet-related note… Admiral Ackbar is sick! You remember him; he’s our black goldfish with the bulgy eyes. He’s been floating on his side for the past day or so. (No, he’s not dead!) He’ll occasionally swim around, but he keeps going in circles. I went to the pet store in a panic today and was informed that he’s probably got a swim bladder infection of some kind. So I bought antibiotics and aquarium salt and all this other stuff that we’re supposed to have been dosing them with every week (but in reality, haven’t). He’s all medicated now, but the patient’s chances don’t look good. The pet store lady also recommended we use a rubber band to attach halves of a wine cork to either side of him, thus forcing him to float upright. Seriously! Now I’m starting to feel sorry for the little guy. It’s like those people who sign DNR’s, not wanting any violent or invasive attempts to prolong their lives. Maybe he’d prefer to keep his dignity and not be shackled to a cork. Maybe he’d be happier if we just let him go. Can you believe I’m contemplating the ethics of goldfish euthanasia? God forbid I should ever get anything more complicated for a pet.

For the Aussies: If you managed to catch Life Support on SBS tonight, the gym used in the martial arts segment is my gym in Newtown! Man, is that a pathetic reason to get excited or what?

Are any of you on one of those low-carb diets? How’s that workin’ out for you? Historically I’ve been a scoffer of Dr. Atkins and his many imitators, but this article has made me rethink. It doesn’t argue that Atkins is necessarily right, but rather that the “low-fat” solution we’ve been indoctrinated with for the last 25 years isn’t scientifically proven either. The Snook and I are now seriously considering giving carbs the boot. We’re both moderately active (he walks a lot and I’ve been running more and more), and we eat a lot better here than we did in England (fresh veg, less takeout, etc.). But we don’t *feel* any healthier. I know my own weight loss has stalled. Perhaps this might be a viable alternative for us. My biggest concern is just what to eat. I mean, take away the pasta and potatoes and bread and what’s left? So again I ask, have you ever tried anything like this? What does a low-carb daily menu look like?