Bid List Delivered...

...and now the waiting begins. It's less than three weeks until Flag Day--not the holiday, but the day we get little replicas of the flag of the country we'll be serving in! Can't wait to find out and to have an excuse for D to visit. After much research on pet regulations in various posts and soul-searching on whether embassy A is a high, medium, or low preference, it's mailed in and unchangeable. Now there's nothing left to obsess about until Flag Day. Whew!

In other news, Murphy, the temp cat, is working out nicely. He's a declawed grey tabby. Downsides: litter box and his tendency to bite without warning. Upsides: he's a cat! Plus he's a pretty ideal combination of affectionate and aloof. He's mine, all mine until November 1.

Finally, went for a slog of a run outside. It's not that hot, but it's very muggy. Still, as sweaty and disgusting as the run was, it was not as disgusting as it felt to sit around all day every day. There are scads of biking/running trails around here, so I hope to explore while the weather stays snow-free.

Bidding Preferences--Done!

Tomorrow morning at SOB (that's start of business, or 8am, for you acronymically challenged individuals), our bidding preferences are due to our CDOs (career development officers). My priorities are (1) traveling with pets, (2) using a language other than English (I'm hoping for French, Turkish, Swahili, or Arabic), and (3) not leaving DC before D's ready to leave Hawaii. Other people might prioritize having opportunities for their spouse to work, working in their field (mine is public diplomacy), going to a post with high pay differential (that's the hassle factor, which might reflect disease, crappy Internet, danger, and lack of access to great beer), or a custom-designed preference. About the only places that are really off the table are ones D couldn't accompany me on (only two jobs, in one city), although places that don't allow the full complement of 4 pets are not the slightest bit interesting. We all signed a page that indicated we're worldwide available, so if push came to shove, I'd need to take one for the team. I just don't think the team wants to test us that way. [fingers crossed]