Baby steps, big steps...

And here's where the rubber hits the road... Everything is happening faster than I can keep track of now. This week alone, I have accomplished:

- Taxes: we made an appointment with tax preparer for next week; Leo and I need to find out what happens if we file together since he's an "independent subcontractor" and "business owner" (or rather, his boss is a cheap jerk who violates employment law with abandon; he made him set up his own business, pay his own workers' comp, and supplement his own taxes all with the objective of paying peanuts and taking as little responsibility as possible for employing undocumented workers), I have two jobs, and we need to know the ins and outs of how his status affects our filing... and tax returns.

- Dentist: appointment next weekend. I love my dentist's office because they can handle whatever I throw at them. Last time I went, they were going to yank one of my wisdom teeth and everyone I knew was preparing me for the worst: "your face will swell up like a melon," "that sound as they wrench the tooth from your mouth is the worst sound in the world," "you can't eat for two weeks and you'll have gaping holes in your gums and everything will hurt," "you'll probably die and the tooth fairy will eat your soul..." When I sat down in the dentist's chair and was informed that this would be "easy" and that I wouldn't even be put under, I started shaking and sobbing, imagining the marathon of Abu Ghraib-like treatment I was about to receive. The dentist whipped out his array of glinting torture devices and began forcing his way into my mouth. I squealed every time I felt any sort of pressure, convinced that on the other side of the anesthesia was a reality of squirting blood and leaking brains. The dentist seemed coldly immune to my terror, deftly switching from one silvery implement to the next. The nurse took my hand and asked whether I would like to listen to my iPod. Weeping pathetically, I nodded. With trembling hands, I wedged my headphones deep into my ears and began searching frantically for something loud, screamingly loud, to cover the deep, sucking sound of my tooth dislodging from my head. As I spun wildly through my song library, the hygienist tapped me gently on the shoulder. I looked where she was pointing, and there was the quietly triumphant dentist with my tooth in his hand. "Would you like to take it with you?" he asked. "We're going to make so much fun of you the next time we see you," added the hygienist. Thank God it's just a cleaning this time.

- Car tune-up: appointment next Friday. Since my mom’s is driving our car Molly -- and everything that doesn't fit into four 80 lb suitcases -- back to CO, we're gettin' the old gal tuned up and road-ready... not a bad idea since Molly is still doing that weird sputter that was supposedly caused by spark plugs and wiring. If I get into grad school at UBC, my mom will drive Molly out to Washington State where she has a little cabin, and I will swing down from Vancouver to pick everything up! If I don't get into grad school, my mother will begrudgingly sell all of it.

- Find out about bringing year-long supply of Rxs to Brazil: I will look like a drug dealer going through customs, but I've got enough of everything to get me through a year... pity my insurance only pays for one month of that year. And why are birth control pills so damn expensive? I complained about it once, but the pharmacist told me rather unsympathetically "it costs less than a kid."

- Rent apartment: I've informed our landlord that we're leaving. We have yet to find a subletter, though. I was very worried that I would have to talk to the same landlord who told us to just tape our fire escape shut when I complained that someone was smoking in it and that the smoke was coming into our bedroom. Thank goodness he is on vacation. A rather sweet woman called instead to explain the options and offered to answer any of our questions. Whew. But I still don't have a subletter. Unwhew.

- Sell/donate furniture: my kid sister swung by and laid claim to almost everything in the apartment, which helps out a lot.

- Find someone to adopt guinea pigs: the indefatigable Jessica found a wonderful young mom with two kids who are nuts about guinea pigs. They house the school pig, George, on weekends and have been looking to get their own. She came by today to pick up Pablo and Juan Carlos. I shed some tears, but I am really glad that they will be going to such a good home where they'll get lots of love. It's hard to overstate my relief. I had gotten a lot of responses to our ad on Craigslist, but they all seemed to be from hoarders and crazies:

"hello. i live in meddford also. i really want ur guinea pigs. please write backi love animals. and would take amazing care of them. just wondering do they play with you or run away? i would love one that cuddles and plays. thanks"

"HELLO MY NAME IS ***** AND I LIVE IN ROXBURY AND MY KIDS BEEN WANTING SOME GUINEA PIGS AND WE SEEN THE ADD ON CRAIGSLIST AND I WAS WONDERING IF THEY ARE STILL AVAILABLE CAN WE PURCHASE THEM WE HAVE THE 30 DOLLAR FEE"

"i have daughter that would take of them and really would like to have them as her pets. and animals are birds. thanks. i live in malden."