fanlain and I almost had to answer that philosophical question last night; we were starting to lose hope when it turned past 6 p.m. and no guests had arrived. But finally the two people who RSVP'ed held true to their word and arrived bearing ice cream and wine. We had a nice evening, mostly focused around Soba in both conversation and activities. They really liked the chicken (between brining and using the rotisserie, it ended up being super-moist!) and were surprised to learn that I, and not fanlain, had made it.

I guess the other side effect of holding a party, whether anyone comes or not, is that we got to clean the house. Our kitchen is finally uncluttered (though some of the clutter moved to the office) and the floors are cleaner than they have been in months. The hard part about cleaning our house is that Soba relentlessly tries to attack the mop, broom, or vacuum, and will throw a huge tantrum if we lock her in her crate or outside while we clean. We're seriously considering throwing technology at the problem and getting the Scooba, not as much to save us the work (though that's certainly a welcome bonus), but to be able to run it while we take Soba to the dog park or the farmer's market.

I've been really enjoying how trips to the farmer's market have become our Saturday morning routine. Soba gets to enjoy a nice long walk and lots of attention, and we get to enjoy some tasty treats from Mirabelle's and some fresh stuff from the market. Our trip Saturday was prolonged by delayed baguettes: apparently, Mirabelle's had a power outage in the morning and were behind schedule. They kept promising that the baguettes would come first at 11, then at 11:30, and they finally put two baguettes (still hot!) into my hands just before noon. But we got sit outside, have a leisurly lunch, and talk with an ECE prof and his family, and even say hello to our dean (who didn't remember who I was). I guess that's one of the advantages of living in a small town.

I know that it's better to focus on the new things that are coming in life, rather than wax nostalgic about the things from the past, but I can never manage to do that. And it's getting harder and harder to deny that I'm leaving the Bay area in a matter of days. I said that there would be no tears at our going away party last night (except for in a specially designated room), but there were a few close calls for me. After saying goodbye to several close, wonderful people and realizing that I have no idea how long it will be before I see them again, it was pretty hard to retain my composure.

But, safe for a few such sad moments, the party was really great. Many thanks to eviladmin for hosting and for everyone else for coming. eviladmin's house is a pretty good space for a party: we had a dance floor, a comfy room to hang out in, and many spots for overnight crashers. One thing I didn't expect is that because there is so much more space than our apartment, the party was much lower energy, as everyone could spread out, become more horizontal, and not be within earshot of 7 different conversations at once. (Which reinforces my argument for higher population densities.) But it did have the nice feature that I spent more time talking to people one-on-one than I do at a usual party.

We stayed overnight and in the morning eviladmin cooked us an amazing breakfast of belgian waffles, fresh fruit, and pancakes. We hung out for a while, rearranged some furniture, and attempted to hang a painting using such common engineering tools as dental floss, lifesavers, and candles. Unfortunately, we did not quite succeed, but I'm sure that something will be worked out at a future bab5. We left around 2:30 because I still have a bunch of things to take care of in the day and a half I have left in the Bay area.

I've been feeling pretty down about leaving, but when I can manage to look forward instead of backwards, I am pretty excited about the move. I can't wait to move into our townhouse, pick up our new car, and start my new job. I also have to remind myself that I was pretty lonely when I first moved to Berkeley, but I eventually got over it. It took me most of a year to get to the point that when I would go on one of my frequent visits back to Canada, I would look forward to coming back. So I'm sure that with time, we will adjust to Chambana (or "banana shampoo," as a friend of mine calls it) as well and it will feel like home. I just wish it wasn't so far away...