May 18, 2024

“The required health examinations have been completed and submitted by the panel clinic to the department. This person’s case will be processed or referred to the department’s migration medical services provider for further assessment.”

The preceding message is brought to you by the Australian government in regards to the “Wichita is Finally Getting Rid of Gina Searle” timeline. No, I don’t have a date. Well, I do have a date, but he’s in Melbourne. I don’t however have a departure date as of yet. Stay tuned, for that I suppose. Next step is getting Charles Xavier into the vet for his doggy checkup and vaccinations so he can be prepared to leave the states as well. Know how I know my husband loves me? He said I could bring all of my books and my geriatric chihuahua to another hemisphere. That’s not that impressive until you factor in that he’s gonna have to foot that bill because we have a bit (okay, a lot) of a wage discrepancy. He’s smart and I art. It happens.

I did the health exam bit on Monday. $495 USD appointment, and that’s not counting the plane ticket, expenses (my own and my host’s), and time lost at work. Yes, plane ticket. One has to be seen by a government approved panel doctor, and of course they were all conveniently located an 8 hour drive away (or much longer), so I opted to go to Minnesota as to do the proverbial two-birds-one-stone bit and visit my Ms. J (I suppose referencing the killing of birds in regards to going to see a vegetarian animal fosterer is a bit “off,” but eh. It works. I’m leaving it). I’d yet to visit her in any of the states she’d resided in while advancing her career because I just recently learned to travel alone. Anxiety and that whole single mom thing kinda hindered that.

*insert longwinded rant about American Airlines f’ing up my mini-vacation/business trip TWICE that I don’t feel like rambling about here*

But hey, it’s done and I got to spend time with one of my absolute favorite human beings in her home that she’s meticulously curated to midcentury perfection, I met her partner (I approve) and her cat (of course I approve), AND I got to pee at Prince’s house. Those things right there are worth the overpriced basic poke and prod that I spent hours upon hours in planes and airports for.