And so it ends

My dearest darlings. This is the final post for this blog. My year of leisure will end in approximately 30 minutes, after lasting some 11 months and several days.

Tomorrow, a renewed relationship with the alarm clock begins, as I start working full-time.

Oh, the pleasures of money coming in to my bank accounts!

So, I've toyed with all sorts of ways to close this blog. I've periodically jotted down notable things I've done or seen, that I thought would look great on the backcover of the book I dream this blog may become one day, when combined with my personal journal. In case this doesn't happen (I know more than a little of the publishing world, and what does and doesn't get published...), here are some highlights and tidbits for you, dear reader.

* Going to the opera in Bratislava
* Languages learned: un poquito de castellano
* Languages lost: nearly all of my French, until I arrived in Paris
* Words lost in English: countless, and I'm still rediscovering them
* Watching a blind tour group at the Iguazu National Park in Argentina
* Learning that a smile and hand gestures will solve nearly all language barriers (cleavage also helps...)
* Countries visited: 17
* Friends made: many
* Visits from friends, no matter how anticipated, can easily go awry
* Friends lost: 1
* True friendships will not be stopped by difficulties or disagreements or blog posts
* Romances/flings: 2.65
* Arriving in London on 7 July
* The icebergs in Patagonia
* The kindness of Argentinians
* Discovering the allure of Eastern Europe
* Visiting my first mosque
* Value of relaxing and losing stress: infinitely priceless

And so, because I've learned that I prefer not to say 'goodbye', I won't.

Instead, I hope that you all follow my new adventures in my new blog:

http://girlwanderlust.blogspot.com/

Grazie mille for reading, and I hope you continue to read.

Hasta luego. A bientot. See you soon!

The stars all seem to weep

RIP Ibrahim Ferrer.

A good friend and I were lucky enough to hear him perform live. He and I danced half the night while listening to Senor Ferrer sing like a playful angel.

I will remember that night forever (I hope).

Several moments of silence, please:

















RIP Ibrahim Ferrer.

The weekend in review

As to my weekend, it was truly great. I went to Yakima to visit the best friend that moved. Her new place is very nice and already a cosy little home.

I also looked up a friend from college, that I travelled to Europe with in 1998, and we saw each other a couple times. She has two children now (both gorgeous). It was strange to hear children call her 'Mom'. I should mention that we hadn't seen each other in about six years, and talked in about five. I definitely want to keep in better contact with her, and I will definitely be visiting her again on future trips to Yakima.

Friday night saw me drinking wine at a "Hops Festival". I surely didn't know that 52% of the hops that Anheuser Busch uses are from Yakima. I learned that grape and hops production are now larger industries than apples in Yakima.

And the wine is great.

Between guzzling a couple glasses of wine, I watched the men and women cruise each other, men ride around in cute little tractors, beauty queen contestants and people eating corndogs.

It was fun.

I got drunk.

We watched the fireworks, then headed out. Partially so we could avoid the drunken traffic smash that would was inevitable a couple hours later, and because we'd had our fill of the festival.

We avoided the traffic and made it home in time to watch the young boys (20ish) light a small fire in their barbecue, and have it grow higher and higher and then we watched the embers float in the wind onto my friend's roof. Stupid boys. Very stupid, indeed. (The weather at 10pm was still in the upper 80s, in a city with drought-like conditions.)

The roof didn't catch fire and I'm still here...

I came back in time to make it to a bbq at a friend's house, then we went for the first of our walks. We're going to start walking 2-3 times per week.

I've missed walking. It's been too long, and I'm about to be chained to a computer... Though, I'll be getting paid!

I'm finally starting to hit a stride with a new routine.

Though, would of course much rather be hitting a stride in a country where I don't speak the language...

Mood=giddy

The last 24 hours have been very good to me.

1. I have a date with Bachelor #3 for next Thursday;
2. I got the full-time (3-5 month) job (YAYY);
3. I ran into a friend I haven't seen in some 16-17 years, and we're going to meet up hopefully soon;
4. I spent the evening with a good friend;

All in all, a very nice 24 hours.

And tomorrow, I'm off for the weekend to spend the weekend with one of my best friends. That I'm taking a three-hour Greyhound trip to see her illustrates the veracity of our friendship. (I rather dislike American Greyhound.)

But, I'm still giddy from the last 24 hours. I'm rather looking forward to meeting Bachelor #3. We talk easily and laugh often.

So now, dear readers, I sign off. I will be without email until I return on Sunday evening sometime. Imagine!

Wish me luck in the dry heat of Yakima. It's supposed to be 100F tomorrow...

Eek!

On bad timekeeping skills

I was gently chastised earlier today. Justifiably, too.

For so long, I've been in the habit of making plans on the fly, and since there was rarely another plan to conflict, didn't think much about it.

Now, though, I'm learning the 'you need to think before saying yes' lesson. I'd made plans with one of my best friends (she's the one that moved out-of-city) to go see her and her new place this weekend. Then, a couple days later I made afternoon plans with my other best friend for Saturday.

Mucha mea culpa.

Thankfully, I was let off with a light chastisement from my friend.

I've started writing things down in a little book I carry in my purse.

On interviewing

No, it's generally not a good idea to get flummoxed or tongue-tied, which is what happened to me (a little) during the second, group interview today. The first was fun and laugh-filled. To be clear about this, this is a company I did a temporary project for a year ago, so I actually know these people a little.

I'm pretty sure the position is mine (esp since the experience I have from last year makes me a much stronger candidate for this), but still feel a bit weird about how the second interview went. It's really pretty rare for me to be tongue-tied, and the questions weren't really unusual for an interview. Just out of practice, I suppose.

I should hear back within a couple days.

My good luck charms (and my mobile phone) are not leaving my side for the forseeable future.

!Buena suerte para mi!

Lesson learned

That is, to trust my gut feeling.

Because I'd been wondering if I was too hasty with, let's call him Bachelor #1 (B1), I was chatting with him yesterday, and wrote this. What transpired made me angry. Very angry. After going for a bit of a walk, and venting with a good friend, I calmed down. After a good night's sleep, I've realized that my original decision was correct -- and for even more reasons than I originally thought.

Next!

B3 is calling me tonight, to make plans to meet. He literally makes me laugh out loud with his emails, and I look forward to having dinner with him.

B4 is scheduled to return to Seattle tomorrow, and should be contacting me then.

(I have three good luck charms in my purse now.)

Aha...yes, I can be gullible sometimes

So, the friend is not a father. His email was a bit of a joke. Ha ha.

Went on another date. It was fine. No lightning bolt of chemistry, so don't know if I'll see him again. I really do believe in the Lightning Bolt of Chemistry. Physically, he's not really what I'm looking for. We also ran out of things to say to each other after a couple hours.

Am I being too picky? Perhaps. But I have a pretty solid idea of what I want, so there you go. I'm willing to make certain concessions if I feel the lightning bolt, though.

So, my quest for a guy continues...

Wish me luck.

(ps found the Turkish good luck eye, and it is now in my purse and goes everywhere I go)

The difference nine months makes

For me, it's utter relaxation and a lot of incredible experiences and stamps in my passport.

I've often thought about nine months being time enough to have a baby, and how my trip can be considered my baby. Perhaps a stretch, but there you go.

And now I've just been sent photos by a friend, and apparently he is now a father. I just received a bunch of photos, including him looking pretty adoringly at a newborn girl (with the message "This is what I've been up to.").

Wow.

How things change.

Whheeeeeee

Everything is moved. Boxes in a friend's basement. [Now] half-unpacked boxes in my new bedroom.

Who knew I had so many pieces of clothing? (especially red clothing) I thought I'd ditched a lot of clothing before moving, but apparently not...or perhaps I just need to ditch even more.

The old house in West Seattle is now empty, save a couple half-consumed drinks in the fridge, a couple rolls of toilet paper and a broom. A moment of silence, please:







Thanks.

So, now time to unpack a bit more.

ps yes, I have gone out this evening -- I'm not just sitting chained to my laptop or being a slave to my boxes... :)

Little updates everywhere

I was offered the job yesterday. No big surprise, but it was still very nice to hear "I'd like to offer you the job" be said. Won't start for a couple weeks, though, which is nice in a way.

One of my best friends yesterday expressed surprise that I still believe in "The One", as in a dating/relationship context. I do. I also believe there is more than just one "The One". I suspect he thinks I was perhaps too finicky and hasty in my handling of the man I went out with. Sometimes I feel this way, too. Che sera sera.

I've had some reasonable responses to my last dating ad, and am in correspondence with a couple people. For some reason, I'm attracting Tall Men. Like 6'4", 6'6". I'm more or less 5'5". The man I went out with last Friday night was 6'2", and I felt like I was barely at his chest level...

And yes, I really am writing this at 6.40am. I woke up an hour ago, and just haven't been able to go back to sleep. Kill me now. Especially since I'm moving today, and was looking forward to spending the afternoon unpacking. Not napping.

Sing along with me: Shana gets to unpack and have her own space! Shana gets to unpack and have her own space!

Wheeeeeee!

On Dating (or at least, trying to)

Whoa. I think it's about time to get myself out in to the real world and try my odds there. Perhaps a couple weeks is too little, but I'm just not receiving the kind of responses that I'm interested in. Yes, I've had what could perhaps be called many responses to my ads, but honestly, I've gone on one date. Most of the guys that respond and I think "wow. Nice email." end with me looking at their photo and thinking "Not so much, even if my only options were you and a lunatic." OK. So maybe the guys aren't *that* bad, but perhaps you understand my meaning. I do believe looks are important, and the guys that respond to my ad are mostly not what I'm interested in.

Now, I look at photos first. If I can't imagine kissing the face, then it's a no. Without exception.

This means, once I move tomorrow, I will be doing things away from the computer. There is a lake not too far from my new place, and I will start walking there and see what happens (I mean, there was something potent in the air around the Seine, so I'm hoping that it was something potent to bodies of water, and not just a French thing...). I also plan on getting back into dancing again soon. In short, I am going to start trying to meet as many new men as possible.

I really don't want to be single now.

Oh. This is sooo much fun! >smirk<

Wheeeeeee...or wait, maybe not so excited

So, I have a job interview this afternoon and a job interview on Tuesday morning. Unless I have convulsions during the interviews, or behave in a Linda Blair-esque fashion, I'm 95% certain both of the jobs are mine.

Wheeeeeeee! I will have a paycheck soon.

Saaadddddddd! I will have to wake up on a schedule soon (and not because the dog wants food at 6am).

These are the very, very last days of leisure.

It's been a very good and very memorable (almost) year.