5 days until launch.
And the winner is...
MISS DAISY!
No wait.
LARGE MARGE!
No wait.
YES! LARGE MARGE WINS!
Objection your honor!
Looks like we're going to have a recount. Up until 3 days ago Miss Daisy had a 1-vote advantage. I was about to update my blog to announce the winner, and the internet broke (Al Gore's fault). And to top it all I received 2 late votes for Large Marge the day before yesterday.
What to do? Have a recount? Have a debate? Death match? Raise the debt limit?
Sorry folks but this is no democracy. Meaning, I do whatever I want. You're probably better that way anyway, I know what I'm doing. Large Marge it is. If you ain't happy, please file a complaint ($5 per complaint - gotta finance my trip).
Tomorrow is my last day at work for a while... this is a bittersweet moment... sweet that I won't have to wake up in the morning, bitter that I won't get paid... but that doesn't mean I'm not going to work. This is not a vacation, folks! There are a lot of things I want to accomplish during my trip which will take some effort. Most nobably:
- Learn a new language. As soon as I enter Central America, I will make every effort to speak spanish with everyone I meet and strive to become fluent or as close to it as possible by the time of my return. I wonder what accent I'm gonna have when I speak spanish - french Canadian? American? Or something weird like my current accent that sounds like a mix between South Texas and Austria?
- Learn to cook. I'm not too fond of this one, but it will quickly become a necessity given my budget and amenities... frozen dinners aren't an option, and restaurants will be few and far between in some countries. This is as good an incentive as any to change my diet, learn to make simple things that actually don't taste like shoe, conquer my fear of vegetables and otherwise get into some good habits.
- Get fit again. Over the last few years I have become pretty good at losing weight, and even better at gaining it back. During this trip I will have ample opportunity to exercise - through morning (for you daylight creatures, this will correspond to mid afternoon) workouts, hiking, swimming and whatever else I can think of.
- Learn to take good pictures. I have the coolest camera that will do wonders if I ever figure out how it works. With the help of a few books, friendly advice and lots of experimentation I should eventually get there. I know I will see wonderful things, and am looking forward to sharing with you.
- Measure, measure, measure. Continuing my never ending quest (read: obsession) to figure out what it all really means, I will quantify my life over the next 6 months through a set of measurements. I am the kind of person who can best understand things in mathematical terms (nothing else makes sense to me, really) - and with the help of my personal computer, a small army of spreadsheets and a keen eye for the countable I plan to do just that. Examples of some of the things I intend to measure:
With all that aside, this trip won't be a success if I don't learn to enjoy it. That means have fun, stop complaining and take it one day at a time. One of the main purposes of this trip is to put everything else in perspective, figure out what really matters. I just hope that I come back a better person.
This was my last post before I leave. I'm a bit sad, scared to death, and excited like I've never been. Next time you visit this site, I will be on the road. Wish me luck.
Goodbye, Chicago!
Welcome, America!
DMR
And the winner is...
MISS DAISY!
No wait.
LARGE MARGE!
No wait.
YES! LARGE MARGE WINS!
Objection your honor!
Looks like we're going to have a recount. Up until 3 days ago Miss Daisy had a 1-vote advantage. I was about to update my blog to announce the winner, and the internet broke (Al Gore's fault). And to top it all I received 2 late votes for Large Marge the day before yesterday.
What to do? Have a recount? Have a debate? Death match? Raise the debt limit?
Sorry folks but this is no democracy. Meaning, I do whatever I want. You're probably better that way anyway, I know what I'm doing. Large Marge it is. If you ain't happy, please file a complaint ($5 per complaint - gotta finance my trip).
Tomorrow is my last day at work for a while... this is a bittersweet moment... sweet that I won't have to wake up in the morning, bitter that I won't get paid... but that doesn't mean I'm not going to work. This is not a vacation, folks! There are a lot of things I want to accomplish during my trip which will take some effort. Most nobably:
- Learn a new language. As soon as I enter Central America, I will make every effort to speak spanish with everyone I meet and strive to become fluent or as close to it as possible by the time of my return. I wonder what accent I'm gonna have when I speak spanish - french Canadian? American? Or something weird like my current accent that sounds like a mix between South Texas and Austria?
- Learn to cook. I'm not too fond of this one, but it will quickly become a necessity given my budget and amenities... frozen dinners aren't an option, and restaurants will be few and far between in some countries. This is as good an incentive as any to change my diet, learn to make simple things that actually don't taste like shoe, conquer my fear of vegetables and otherwise get into some good habits.
- Get fit again. Over the last few years I have become pretty good at losing weight, and even better at gaining it back. During this trip I will have ample opportunity to exercise - through morning (for you daylight creatures, this will correspond to mid afternoon) workouts, hiking, swimming and whatever else I can think of.
- Learn to take good pictures. I have the coolest camera that will do wonders if I ever figure out how it works. With the help of a few books, friendly advice and lots of experimentation I should eventually get there. I know I will see wonderful things, and am looking forward to sharing with you.
- Measure, measure, measure. Continuing my never ending quest (read: obsession) to figure out what it all really means, I will quantify my life over the next 6 months through a set of measurements. I am the kind of person who can best understand things in mathematical terms (nothing else makes sense to me, really) - and with the help of my personal computer, a small army of spreadsheets and a keen eye for the countable I plan to do just that. Examples of some of the things I intend to measure:
- Large Marge's gas mileage by speed and terrain
- Cost of daily living, in the city or on the road
- Variable growth rate of my head and facial hair (I am shaving it all right before I go)
- Time delay of various types of hot peppers (and degree of pain at time of eviction)
- And more (any suggestions?)
With all that aside, this trip won't be a success if I don't learn to enjoy it. That means have fun, stop complaining and take it one day at a time. One of the main purposes of this trip is to put everything else in perspective, figure out what really matters. I just hope that I come back a better person.
This was my last post before I leave. I'm a bit sad, scared to death, and excited like I've never been. Next time you visit this site, I will be on the road. Wish me luck.
Goodbye, Chicago!
Welcome, America!
DMR
Yum...learn to cook. You owe me for the countless Indian Dinners :-D Have a safe trip, can't wait to read more!
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