Monday, August 26, 2013

3:30 AM



I have learned in my 27 years of life that nothing good happens after 2 am. Well it is currently 3:30 am and I am still up. What's worse is that it is now Monday morning and I get to wake up in 4 hours to go to work. Shit.

My mind is racing because the government did something right and processed my passport in record time. I don't know why I'm surprised. I paid them enough. But here it sits next to me and I am completely jiggered. I wasn't planning on starting the ticket buying process until later this week when I assumed it would arrive. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around this sudden change and calming down an ego who is currently freaking out.

I am excited. And nervous. And well, a myriad of other emotions. As I stand on the edge of the precipice that is my next adventure I am contemplating:

1. The Amazing Race and why I didn't follow through on submitting my video.

2. My dreams of becoming a children's book author and why I never seriously pursue it.

3. What I hope to gain from this journey.

4. What I have learned up to this point.

5. What I had for dinner that has kept me up this long.

It's lame. And awesome. I'm dreaming a lot right now, and for those of you who have heard some of my dreams, that can be a pretty wild adventure in and of itself. My brain is cataloguing and problem solving around the clock and there is very little I can do to slow it down. I don't want to slow it down. It needs to do it's thing, but seriously. It's 3:53 now and it's MONDAY.

I've decided to set out on my adventure on September 11 because, thanks to Americans and their phobias, it is a super cheap day to fly. *At this point I would like to pause and say hello to Big Brother because I've no doubt triggered some sort of homeland security alarm by using "Government, passport, ticket, nervous, precipice, follow through, September 11, Americans, fly, Big Brother" and now "Homeland Security" in this post. I'm glad you're here. My name is Summer and I'm just a 27-year-old who is in the middle of a dynamic quarter life crisis. Feel free to follow my adventures anonymously.  You might just find that you like the stability in your life, a lot. Ah heck, tell your friends. Terrorism, Al Qaeda, bomb and Bin Laden for President. Tomorrow should be a good day at the office for you. You're welcome.

So back to it, September 11 is the magic day in theory and it's coming up fast. I got to do something I've never done before yesterday. I entered my home city into Skyscanner and then selected "Everywhere" as my destination. THAT was liberating. The world is my oyster bitches. I sure hope I come out a pearl.

And that's all for now. I'll perhaps elaborate on my crisis at some other time, but for now I'm going to give sleep one last shot. Happy Monday everyone. I hope you had more hours to prepare than I.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Traveling



So I'm getting ready to travel and I'm pretty stoked. I sent my passport off for some upgrades last week and now I'm just sitting here waiting... Where will I go? What will I do? Will I get stranded? I hope so. Adventure is out there and I intend to find it.

One thing I love about traveling is the advice that comes in before you go. Every tidbit has it's own story that confirms it's validity.

Here's my list so far:

1. Drink Water. Unless it's brown or has things swimming in it.
2. Know what poison Ivy looks like. It's a bitch.
3. Try all of the things!
4. Listen to your instincts.
5. Brush up on military time.
6. Know how far your lodging is from major sites.
7. Don't ask what's in it. If it tastes delicious just say thank you.
8.  Travel until you get home sick, and then stay a few more weeks.

What would your advice be?