We've been packing for a couple of weeks now, and we're on schedule. And the real chaos begins tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I'm picking up a rental car, packing the cats into it, and driving them across the border to Vancouver, where they will be left in the capable hands of a pet moving service. The service will fly them to Ontario where we'll meet up with them on Friday. Ginkgo just looked up at me with big innocent eyes, knowing I would never do anything to betray her trust. Please don't tell them what's happening tomorrow if you see them beforehand.

I'll come back from Vancouver later in the day and resume packing. Wednesday the moving company comes in and packs up all the stuff we've left for them. Thursday, they come again and haul everything away in a (big) truck. Early Friday morning, we get on a plane. We should be in our new apartment by Friday evening.

Hopefully, this whole process will go smoothly. It's gone smoothly so far, so there's no reason for doubt. Naturally, you should expect increasingly spotty reception from thingo central over the next few weeks, as we're in transition. Fortunately, you loyal readers have come to expect spotty reception and infrequent updates, so the moving period should feel pretty comfortable. Now you know that my seeming negligence was all part of a larger plan to acclimate you to this new regime.

Here we go: new city, new home, new job, new life. Should be fun.

It's about 5am, and I'm pretty sure I was just woken up by a very mild earthquake. At least, it felt a bit like one -- everything seemed to be shaking all together. Now that I've expressed my guess, I'll go see what I can find online.

Okay, no, it looks as if I was hallucinating after all. Too much buttermilk panna cotta with vanilla roasted strawberries served on a phyllo tuile, I guess. Well, I'll just go back to sleep. Nothing to see here. Move along.

[update: 14 November at 20:17]: Chris was kind enough to direct me to a USGS site that clearly shows that I must be delusional. Uh, thanks Chris. As far as tracking earthquakes goes, I've always been a big fan of the visual display provided by the IRIS group at the University of Washington. Tufte would be pleased.

It is with some sadness and humility that I must retire the name of Mister Thingo. By the way, and I don't think I ever mentioned this before, the name Mister Thingo was partly inspired by an old Far Side cartoon in which a couple of seedy-looking guys are looming over a poor soul in a threatening manner. The lead guy says something like, "Still won't talk, eh? Well perhaps it's time we introduced you to a little device we like to call 'Mister Thingy'." I don't know if the connection ever occured to anyone out there.

Back to the retirement thing(o). The sadness and humility of Mister Thingo's demise are really but a small footnote to the tremendous elation and excitement with which I announce the dawn of a new era -- the era of Doctor Thingo! As of today, Hallowe'en 2002, I am officially Doctor Thingo, PhD. Doctor of Philosophy. If your philosophy is under the weather, give me a call and I'll come have a look. I celebrated both the completion of my degree and the holiday by walking around campus today dressed as a doctor (of medicine, not philosophy).

As with the unlikelihood of me and Nath becoming parents, I'm looking around waiting for someone to notice the obvious error that was made in awarding me my degree. Certainly they'll find me and take it back. I'm hoping I can sneak away before anyone notices and take up my new post as Professor Thingo.

Speaking of which, we're roughly three weeks away from our move across the country. Holy mother of god.