Accepted the Job, Now the Real Wait Begins

I accepted the position at QUT a little over a week ago, and, to a great extent, it doesn't feel real quite yet. It seems I've been taking citizenship, and the right to work it conveys, for granted. We applied for passport renewals last month (waiting), and the university has sent my nomination to the Australian government which begins the visa process (waiting). So I've returned to working on my dissertation full-force, but with renewed motivation. John and I are researching neighborhoods (proximity to campus and farmers markets), modes of transit (bike maps, ferry routes), discussing desirable apartment features (windows, dishwasher, and bizarrely, closets), and looking at photostreams on flickr (graffiti, national parks, pythons which have snuck into people's bedrooms). Altogether exciting, and it helps with the waiting.