We Made It

After a very long flight from Los Angeles, we managed to make it through customs with them washing our hiking boots and tent for us. Thanks! After a short while of hanging out in the airport, we decided to get out and get somewhere. (Even if we weren't doing the little things like bathroom, calling home, etc. we couldn't have left the airport since it was the dark hour of 6am.)

Like troopers, we plopped our stuff in the youth hostel and did a little sightseeing. We walked along Queen Street and went to the top of the skytower (a lengthy 14,192 km from New York City). That was an awesome thing and we got to see the whole city laid out in front of us. We even fit in Kelly Tarlton's Underworld Adventure. After such a long day of sightseeing, and our plane ride, I am exhausted!

I was told before I got here that the people are "backpacker friendly" and boy is that an understatement. We got a YHA card at the youth hostel because it offers tons of discounts at most of the sites (the backpacker rate). This card is definatly worth it!

When I forget how far away I am, I just think about the time change. As I write this letter it is 4pm thursday here, midnight wendsday in Connecticut and 10pm wednsday in New Mexico. Odd to think about the fact that I existed for only a short time, if at all during July 30, 2003.

Always the last

Why is it that after the plane lands and everyone runs to the baggage claim, we stand around for 15 minutes and I always end up next to the annoying person proclaiming they 'always are the last to get their luggage'? Uh, look around, half the plane is still standing here waiting for their luggage.

One time, my mom and I were coming back from somewhere and we really were the last ones to get our luggage. Actually, they turned off the belt and we were still standing there. Our luggage had beat us to the airport, on a quicker flight. Not sure why we got stuck on a later one. Our luggage must have had some connections.

Right now we are waiting in the LA airport for our flight. It leaves in 3.5 hours, but we felt it was best to get here super early. It was a good thing, too, because we got to switch from row 75 to 46. Could you imagine landing after a 13 hour plane ride and waiting for 74 rows of people to get off? It will be tough to wait for 45.

Slow Boat

Is it a sign when you are about to leave and a 100 moths seem to be attacking you?

About five miles from our house, I got a little anxious about my large luggage pack. (This thing weighed in at 51 pounds!) We pulled a U-ey and headed straight back home for my smaller suitcase. So, after a week of thoughtful packing, I rearranged my whole suitcase into one about half the size. Clothes were flying everywhere. To bring something means to carry it, and therefore it had to make the cut. Thing is with the bigger one, I was totally bringing things that I didn't even like... because I had the room. You would think I would have learned my lesson the first time I travelled overseas when i ended up throwing away about a half suitcase of stuff.

After about 20 mintues of racing through the suitcase I was feeling pretty good. By the following day I was ready to take more stuff out and Kev was definatly ready to lighten his load. Although we do not plan on touring around with all our stuff the whole time it will be nice to know that when we move from one place to another that we don't have to kill ourselves.

I guess that is one good reason for the 'slow boat to China' approach. Although we left Connecticut on Saturday morning, we don't actually leave the country till Tuesday. Plenty of time for dumping things with friends or dropping them in the mailbox.

Optical Illusions

I have been putting all the stuff I want to take with me to New Zealand on my bed over the past week. The pile was pretty slim and I kept adding things everyday, because you can't wear the same outfit everyday of the week for an entire year. Well, actually I probably could, but we have to think about the seasons, here.

I wanted one suitcase big enough to take a lot of stuff and have room for fun things I want to purchase there. The suitcase I got (after 3 trips to Walmart, TJ Maxx, Kohls, Target and mutiple travel stores) has a capacity of like 4,000 cubic inches. I imagined it partially filled with a huge space to fill on the return trip.

It is amazing how big that luggage looks when it's empty and how small it looks when my clothes are overflowing. Can I get someone to sit on it, so I can zip it up?

Lost and Found

Missing: one, north face fleece
Size - small
Color- black
Last seen - I can't remember, who remembers where they last wore their winter jacket when it is is stiffeling hot out?
Missed by - me, on my way to New Zealand in the dead of winter.

Please send any information that you may have on it's whereabouts. It is hard to find a reasonably priced jacket in my size during July. If I don't find it, I may have to succumb to purchasing one 'down under'. Although...maybe they will have cool styles at a good price, who knows?

The Way to Fen

Mom, Dad, Kev and I went to a Red Sox game tonight at Fenway Stadium and watched them pummel Detroit. It was a fun time going into the city for a little pastry at Mike's Pastry Shop on Hannover and then a little Italian food for diner. It's hard to eat everything on your plate after you've already eaten dessert. (We're adults, though, so it's ok to spoil our appetites.)

See You Later

I have been running around trying to get last minute things and see people for possibly the last time in a long while. It is so strange saying "goodbye" when I am still going to be around for a week. It totally doesn't feel right. "see you in about a year!"

What am I saying?, the whole thing feels so strange. It is so exciting that I am so close to getting on a plane to fly halfway around the world!

New Zealand here I come!

Bottom of the Ninth

Grab a fat lady and tell her to start singing, because it's all over. I left work today at about 3pm and it was the last time. It took an eternity to clear out my desk. It is amazing how much stuff you can collect in such a small amount of space. I actually made two trips to the car.

It was really wierd leaving and made the fact that I am heading out to New Zealand in two weeks very real. I kept swinging from sentimental and reflective on my time at I&L to jumping out of my skin to move everything out and doing the dance of joy. I think over the course of giving my notice to walking out the door I have had some crazy sureal moments. Maybe the fact that I have thought about it all so much played a big factor in that.

But it's over now and I am unemployed. Who knows what type of job I'll end up with in NZ. Who cares, I'll be in New Zealand and that is what I'm going for.

A To Do List

Well, I have got only one or two more days of work left to complete my final assignment. I couldn't be happier about that and these next two weeks I have got a lot of stuff to do to prepare for my trip and wind down from working.

Things I need to do (need is used loosely here):

• Sleep past 9am, maybe even stay in bed half the day.


• Read Moneyball, the art of winning in an unfair game


• Purchase a new hiking backpack, sneakers and various clothing and toiletry items


• Try to visit with every friend and every family member (in the area) as much as possible.


• Put all the stuff I think I'll need in New Zealand in a pile, sift through it and take out 20%. See how that fits in my backpack and decide if there is more I can let go of. The goal is that only one backpack comes with me. A heafty goal for 11 months, I know.


• Go to the beach and get a tan


• Go for various hikes and bike rides


• Relax!

No Whammies, No Whammies, Go!

Josephine and I went out to pick up some Powerball tickets this afternoon. I decided to get a quick pick and pick out my own set of numbers for the other one. We were probably in there for less than five minutes and the guy behind the counter must have sold at least 12 other tickets.

What are my chances when they are selling 2.4 tickets per minute just at this one store?

One can still dare to dream!

Chitty Chitty

After a horrendous night of sleep because of the humidity, I woke up early enough to drive 100 miles across the state to look at some sales for work that I might use in my appraisal. I made it about 30 miles and was rudely disturbed by a thunk and then a very disturbing noise as if I was dragging something.

Now let me interject that my car is getting up there in age with a total of 124,000 miles on it and growing at an exponential rate from the 60,000 I bought it with in early 2000. But it only has to make it till the end of the month, when I will be taking off and parking it in mom and dad's driveway (thanks guys).

So I pull over to inspect this sound, fearing the worst. And of course there was a metal thing hanging down between the front wheelwell. My first instinct was "damsel in distress" and I called Kevin (my car expert). Of course there was no pick up from him and I decided not to leave a frantic message about this metal thing dangling from my car. Who knows by the way what this thing is connected to and if sparks are flying underneath my car while I am driving along. I almost thought to call MikeyP, but since he lives in California that would have been the ripe hour of 4am. Probably a good idea I didn't do that.

What would I have done anyway? I know how to change a couple of spark plugs and could maybe assist in changing brakes and rotors, but a random metal thing hanging from the car, nope I don't think I could accurately describe that one. Wouldn't this be the perfect time for one of those camera phones?

Needless to say, I was not driving far on this and got off the next exit, with each bump providing a plethera of horrifying rumbles, like my old Mazda when the mufler died. I sat for 45 minutes in an auto mechanic's parking lot waiting for them to open their doors, told the guy "I'm dragging something between the wheelwell". Then totally anticlimactically, the guy walks over, lays down, wiggles the metal thing out and hands it to me. Just a rusted exhast shield! (not that this means anything to me other than inexpensive, well free to be exact, and that ain't half bad). Seems that the shield should be there for a reason, but the mechanic (and Kevin) didn't seem too hell bent on me replacing it.

I saved the shield, actually, which I think made the guy think I was a little cukoo-cukoo. Maybe I'll hang it on my wall one day.

Betty Crocker, I need you!

We all have our talents, cooking is not one of mine. I prefer "food preparationally challanged".

I went to Super Stop and Shop this morning to get all the fixins for some quacomole to bring for my appetizer at the 4th of July picnic. Everyone was at the store getting their last minute items. I meandered over to the produce section and of course they were out of the familiar, small avacados and only had five of the larger ones.

I called for back-up. Allie is a great cook, for some reason it all just makes sense to her while I, on the otherhand, stare blankly. She coached me though picking the best avacado and then I asked the produce guy just for back-up. Now I'm all set and I grab all the other items: onion, garlic, a lime, salsa and chips.

So now you would think I am all set, the right avacado makes the guac, right? Hmm, if only I could combine the ingredients in a way that the final product doesn't look like something I was forced to eat in Mystery Can! It tastes fine, but I know if I bring that to the picnic I'll be taking it all home, minus what I eat of course. Maybe a little while in the fridge will help this disaster.

All Dressed In White

A girl friend from way back is getting married. They were on the path to engagement for awhile, but when he popped the question it was still a big deal. It's wierd to think about it, I mean really think about it. I don't even know how to spell her new last name. When she told me, I was wicked excited; of course, but a little sad too. I guess it just means I am getting older. Soon friends will have kids and then grandkids (uh, slowdown!). But none the less, as Josephine always says "Mathematically it makes sense, that time just keeps going faster as you get older. As a percentage of the time you've already been here, each day gets less and less."

Maybe this is my quarter-life crisis, just about a year and a half behind.

Bite Me

Allie and I went hiking this past weekend, at sleeping giant. It was a beautiful day for it and we sat in the window of the lookout tower for a little while just checking out the horizon. Although it was still pretty hazy in the distance, it was great that it wasn't a scorcher like last week.

Still days later, I have battle scars. Nope, not hurt muscles - we actually took it pretty easy. My battle scars are from those dreadfully annoying pint-sized insects...MOSQUITOS! Yuck! These things seem to be attracted to me through some wierd magnatisim. If I am in a group, no one else will get any bites because they are all swarming around me. I even got a bite on my knuckle. I mean really, what are they doing there?

The buggers are out in droves too, because there is so much standing water around. I knew it was going to be tough. Maybe I should eat more spicy foods, or take b-complex, or carry a blow torch of deet in my pocket.