May 1st, 2008
Goodbye, office. Hello, adventure! (in 6 weeks)
You are reading a post written by a man who is sitting in his office chair for the last time. In case my excited tone doesn’t translate through in that last sentence: it feels really good.
Today, Thursday, May 1st is my last day of work. I’ve fought through the senioritis of my last few weeks of work, finished my projects, packed my desk, tied up lose ends and think I managed to do it without burning any bridges.
We even had a “Goodbye, Nathan!” lunch at the office yesterday, after which I wrangled everyone in attendance into Studio A for a group picture.
After today, I’ll have exactly 6 weeks until I get on a plane in Chicago and head to Lima, Peru. What will I do with those six weeks in the Thrill Capital of the Midwest we also call West Lafayette, Indiana while I wait to leave? Here’s the plan:
Exercise. Figure I’ll run on even days and lift weights on odd days! I realize it probably doesn’t seem like my guns could get much higher caliber than they already are, but I don’t think it could hurt to try. Or maybe not. I’ll at least go for runs, though.
Practice Spanish. I’ve had four years of it in high school plus a semester in college. I probably learned more working as a bus boy at a cafeteria, though. Needless to say, I’ll be using the Rosetta Stone software daily to try to get up to speed.
Attempt to get a base tan on my very white body. This probably won’t work. I will most likely just turn pink. Whatever, yo.
Order things I need for the trip. Things like packing cubes, an extra battery for my camera, a quick-dry towel, emergency traveler’s health insurance, a credit card to travel with. Not exactly exciting, but necessary.
Finalize any planning and research I decide to do. As I’ve mentioned earlier on “The Plan” page, I’m growing less and less interested in actually reading much about my destinations. I think I’d rather fly by the seat of my pants when I get somewhere and be surprised. However, I am keeping a Google Document online for each destination where I paste any useful links or text from websites and forums.
Spending time with friends, saving money, and general chillaxery.
Aughta be enough to keep me busy!