The "You're Almost Finally Rid Of Us" Party Details

As the vast majority of you know, Claire and I have been planning our trip to Canada for some time now. For those that don't know, here's the cliff notes:

I've always wanted to live in Canada since I was a kid. MacGyver seemed to like it, and I liked MacGyver, so it was a match made in heaven. A few years ago Claire and I talked about it and slowly started the ball rolling. Finally, last September we applied through USIT and booked flights for the 27th of January, 2011. Well, after a delay with my Visa application on account of needing a full medical, our Visas have arrived and we're good to go. While the initial Visas are for only 12 months, we are looking into all the options open to us to stay longer.

And so, we need a party to thank you all for being the best friends anyone could hope for! You lot have been great. I've been in Cork 12 years and Claire 11 for , and we've both made far more friends here than back home, and much better one's too. If that's the case, then why, you may ask, are we leaving? It's not you, it's us. We want to try something new, somewhere new. We want to explore our horizons while we still can, and find what's out there. We're still (relatively) young and free to travel. We don't have kids yet, though we do have Ashka, our beloved cat. Thankfully, it's easier to leave a cat with some friends than it is to leave a child, though in the absence of any kids of our own, we're going to miss her terribly until we get her shipped over once we settle down.

Anyway, enough of that. Suffice it to say, we'll miss you all, and you're more than welcome to come visit. But before then, party!

When: This Saturday, 15th of January
Where: Food in Wagamamas from 6:30pm then on to the Franciscan Well for the night, probably around 8 or a little after. Whenever food is finished.

Wagamamas is not a booking. As far as I know from past experiences, they don't take bookings. So the plan is to turn up and try to get everyone sitting reasonably close together. Alternatively, if people let me know before tomorrow if they'll be there, I'll try to use my pull with the manager to get us a bench. I'll need to know how many to expect though, so if you're interested in food, RSVP.

And that's it. I've tried to email everyone I can think of, or at least everyone I have an email from. I'll also be txting my entire phonebook, so some of you might be getting the important details twice. Three times if you got my email, read my text and have my blog bookmarked or in a Reader Feed! But I'm not going to be able to reach everyone, so spread the word. Everyone is welcome. This is a chance for us to say "thank you" to you guys. If someone that knows us hasn't heard about all this, then tell them. They haven't not been invited, we just don't have contact details for them. Please. Everyone is invited to come along. It's open to everyone from my best friend (You da man, Ted!!!!!) to my worst enemy (I HATE YOU TED!!!!!!!!! (But, in the spirit of leaving the country, even you, Ted, oh nemesis of mine, is invited to the Well for drinks. But no food. No food for you. Thankfully we're eating in Wagamamas and I know how you're allergic to wooden benches, glass paneling and the public)).

See you all on Saturday!