THIS ISSUE OF THE BASH COMPETITION IS FEATURING ‘MURPHY’
I have been looking forward to going to the Blogger’s Bash since I saw video and blog posts about how fun the last one was last year, and because so many of my wonderful British friends will be there.
When I formulate a plan to do something, I do it. I will move mountains and obstacles and arrange whatever it takes to see me through my mission. The only problem is, I can control my stuff, but I’m not in control of what fates are in store for the people I’m counting on to make my plan come to fruition. Also, when it comes to me and my best friend Zan, we’ve always had a third party meddle in our plans. In fact, this third party has been a part of our lives as long as we’ve been friends, and yet, we’ve always managed a way to dodge or work around “Murphy” and his motto: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
Zan and I laugh a lot, and even when there’s a matter we share between us that isn’t a laughing matter, we’ll instantly bring up “Murphy’s” name and blame circumstances on him, because his timing is the absolute worst. So here’s the thing, my plans to get to the Bash in the UK are on lockdown at the moment. Unlocking the plans will depend on whether Murphy sorts himself out before the day of the Bash, plus a day to let me get to the UK, and recover another from severe jetlag.
So here’s the scoop on my our (meaning mine and Zan’s predicament).
Zan is known as someone who is notorious for moving . . . a lot. She has bought, renovated, lived in, and sold many homes throughout her life. She emailed me in March while I was in Arizona to notify me that her house was once again on the market. She presumed the house would be sold and moved out of into a temporary rental while her and her husband built yet another house, but assured me, wherever she was at the time of the Bash, I’d be staying with her because I’m considered family and don’t require ‘guest’ attention or accommodation, a couch would be fine, and I could assist her in packing or unpacking, whatever the case would be at the time. But there have been several interjections by Murphy.
At first I was worried about going to the UK, leaving my husband alone for a week or so, but I had managed to arrange things on that front. Then Zan and I kept missing each other’s calls from Skype (time zone issues) and we finally got hold of one another and she updated me two weeks ago that the house issue was still dragging out with the lawyers of the buyers, and when it does confirm, she’ll have 28 days from that date to pack up, find a rental and move. Yes, the woman is an amazon warrior woman who gets shit done.
We kept stringently in touch of the updates so I could know when it was safe to book my trip and that I wouldn’t be landing in the UK on her actual moving date where I would also be relying on her to pick me up at Gatwick airport, a good hour and forty minute drive away from Kent each way, and the Bash date was growing closer as another week passed before the deal went through and the 28 days begin counting down.
A week ago, we spoke and the deal still wasn’t sealed but she told me to book my airfare anyway and we’ll deal with it when the time comes. Something nagged away at my subconscience and intuition, telling me to wait out the end of the week before booking and wait to confirm all was going to work out before I committed to an airline ticket I didn’t want to lose money on if I couldn’t go. Before last weekend approached Zan Skypes me again with her announcement ‘New Event Updates’, I knew full well that Murphy was making things difficult for both of us to connect.
At first Zan informed me that matters still weren’t sewn up with the house issue, but in the next breath, informed me that she’s coming to Toronto either this week or next. “Omg, what?????????” I threw my hands in the air and pretended to be tearing my hair out on camera as we talked on Skype.
Zan’s mom is ill, a suspected return of a cancer is quite possible. She lives here in Toronto, where Zan is originally from, and Zan’s sister is also ill, her sister being her only sibling and no other family to help their mother out, and considerably too much for her sister to take care of by herself. Of course with all the kerfuffle, we managed to laugh as Zan pointed out that Murphy was up to tricks again because she obviously didn’t have enough on her plate without having to fly back to Toronto in the midst of mayhem, which of course falls onto our plans of me coming there.
Zan said she will stay in Toronto for approximately 10 days to assess her mother’s situation and talk to doctors and when the house closes confirmed, will fly home to pack up her house in whatever time is left on the contract while her husband looks for a temporary home and if need be she’d hire packers to pack up her house, depending on the time frame left. So where does this leave me, besides the fact that I’ll get to spend time with my bestie while she’s here in Toronto?
So I said to her, if she comes and winds up having to stay till the end of May, we’ll fly to the UK together and I’ll still make the Bash. Now, we think that sounds good in theory and we’ve agreed that I shouldn’t book my fare until her life takes some more definite structure, and if things work out okay by mid to end of May, I’ll be purchasing a last minute flight to the UK. On the other hand, Zan isn’t certain if her mom could be living out her last days now, and may have to stay longer in Toronto and merely dash home to the UK for a few days to straighten out legalities and living arrangements and having to fly right back to Toronto again. So basically, Murphy has indeed interjected himself once again into our lives and plans, and as of this posting, I am unable to confirm that I am still coming to the Bash or not, depending on how all these chips fall.
If you found this post confusing, try being me and Zan, but then again, don’t even bother.
I know myself and many of my good friends who will be at the Bash are all waiting anxiously to spend some time and give each other some big hugs and I am doing my best to keep on top of the situation and am fully still willing to come to the UK, if Zan’s situation permits, up until within 3 days of the Bash if it should so work out that way and I can get a last minute deal for late booking as opposed to being robbed by an enormous price for same reason. So I just wanted to let my wonderful blogging friends here know the situation currently, because I know we’ve been anxiously waiting to meet, and if I can make it happen, I wanted you all to know what is entailed in order for me to do so.
Now that you’re all updated with as much as I know up to this point, I will certainly keep you all posted as Murphy the situation unfolds. As Zan says: “Pause, alert . . . watch this space.”
Oh, and I promised to give a shout out to Zan’s little grandies, Poppy and Barney, as they were visiting Zan when we last chatted and they were thrilled to show up in our Skype conversation wanting to know who their glamma was talking to and found it was cool to talk to their grandma’s best friend across the pond on a computer, and to be chatting with a ‘real’ author, lol. I told you two little cuties I’d mention your name in this blog post. 🙂 Now go to bed.
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