Charleston calling (and an update on Paul's back)

Paul met with the neurosurgeon yesterday. The doctor said it's a ruptured disk and that Paul's a good candidate for surgery -- and likely will need surgery when he gets older -- but that it's not critical he have it now. He also said it's interesting how Paul's back has rather quickly healed itself numerous times in the last 13 years or so. (Paul's so much like Wolverine!) :D

Paul came home with a list of 10 exercises to do 10 times twice a day. Ooh, ooh -- maybe I can get him out of bed to be my walking partner in the morning. ... Probably not. I wake up before my alarm clock and reply to e-mails, check for new stories on the wire (easier than rushing when I get to the office), and blog when I have leftover time. Paul wakes up an hour and a half later, usually bearishly grumpy, and drags around for at least another hour after that. Oh, how I sometimes wish he drank coffee.

One thing I did appreciate about our business/pleasure trip to Charleston was having the chance to sleep late. (Nothing new to him, but I don't sleep in often.) We stayed in two hotels over the course of the week, and in a rare hotel occurrence, both had really comfortable beds. So we closed those heavy, sunlight-blocking curtains and slept late. Who needs an alarm clock when you're (kind of) on vacation?

Speaking of Charleston, I came home with some momentum from the trip -- that is, I came home ready to take the next steps in moving, such as planning packing strategies (Smacky: You're right. My strategy is to have Paul pack everything -- kidding!), calling the moving company for an estimate, and trying to figure out how much furniture we can fit in a place less than half the size of our house. I even have momentum in putting off a garage sale! :D

And yesterday, I took another step in the moving process: I called Verizon and set up an account with a Charleston phone number. T-Mobile doesn't have coverage in Charleston -- we were completely roaming the entire week we were there (groan) -- so I had to pick a new carrier. I went with Verizon because I can get a family plan that includes my phone, Paul's phone and the OnStar phone in my car. For now, I just have one line with a data plan and GPS nav.

Of course, my old phone doesn't work with the new carrier, so I had to buy a new phone as well. ... The entire experience became rather expensive, but it had to be done at some point anyway. Phones -- well, nice phones -- aren't cheap.

So for the next three months (at least), Paul and I will have T-Mobile phones with Memphis numbers (and a $200 bill), and we'll share -- but I'll likely carry -- a Verizon phone with a Charleston number (and a $100 bill). But we decided it's important to have a local number there to start giving out, and it especially will come in handy as a contact number when we set up appointments for things like utilities and cable.

For a long time, and likely because I've never been in this situation, everything about moving has been surreal. But it's starting to come together in my head as things click into place: getting the apartment, meeting his coworkers, driving through campus, buying a phone.

And now that it's really sinking in, it's even harder because I feel like I'm living a dual life right now -- phasing out of one place and into another. Yuck.

My new phone is supposed to be at the house by 3 p.m. today. Paul, don't you dare open that box! That's my $142.01 phone (after rebates with a 2-year contract, for a limited time only)! I'm kidding ... sort of. You can at least open the box and plug it into the charger. ;-)