My Last Day @ Work

Adios, suckers! Yes, it’s official: I am happily unemployed. A working sucker no longer (but please keep in mind that when I stop working, the paychecks stop being deposited… ouch!).

How am I feeling right now? FREE!!! It looks a little something like this:



So I have one more weekend in NYC. Unfortunately, I will spend most of it packing up my apartment.

P.S. I'm throwing away my loafers at the end of the day. =D

Sunshine

This morning I woke up to my radio alarm clock, as I usually do. But today I heard a song I’ve never heard before (Jesse Malin’s “Don’t Let Them Take You Down”), and what struck me most about this song was the line: “It’s a beautiful day. Don’t let them take you down.” This led me to the thought of “It’s my day and I can make what I want with it,” which reminded me of this line from Vanilla Sky: “Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around.”

What a great way to wake up! I lay in the sunny part of my bed for a few minutes soaking up this thought… that I can shape my day and have whatever kind of day I want.

Can I just say that I had the best morning commute ever!? And the weather didn’t hurt… sunny and cool with bright blue skies. As I was walking through the park to my office, I couldn’t help but walk (float?) the whole way with a big grin on my face… I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that I only have two more days of work and then I’m moving onto new adventures… adventures I’ve chosen for myself and the life I want to live.

My Longest Relationship

Has been a 10-year love-hate relationship with New York City. And while we’ve had a good, long run and I’ve grown a lot in this relationship, I think it’s time for us to go our separate ways. You see, you’ve lost that loving feeling. Now it’s gone, gone, gone.

Sometimes NYC can be a sweet seductress, who provides me with my every desire whenever I want it- like the best slice of pizza @ 3am or a picnic in sunny Central Park while listening to the tunes of the NY Philharmonic followed by a fireworks show; and sometimes NYC is a bitch – like when it’s 4am and raining and I can’t get a cab home or when I have to carry heavy groceries five blocks in a foot of snow to my apartment.

And I think NYC can sense that I’m distancing myself from it. For example, I’ve had things happen to me this weekend that I’ve never experienced in 10 years here in NYC (my jacket was stolen and I lost a valuable ring), and I kept finding myself saying “This has never happened to me before.” Yup, I think it’s a sign that NYC is having the same mixed feelings and it’s time for us to move on…

So as the end of our love affair nears, I know two things for sure: 1) If I can handle you, NYC, I can handle just about anywhere and 2) you will always be here for me if I ever need you, NYC.

And as the old saying goes… I’m sorry NYC, but it’s not me… it’s you. I hope we can still be friends.

My Packing List

• Peru Lonely Planet guidebook
• Passport, credit cards, & cash
• Cell phone & iPod (and chargers with a converter)
• Swiss Army knife
• Duct tape
• Lots of tissue
• Camera & connector cable (D-SLR & Compact)
• Insect Spray (for the Amazon River & the rainforest)
• Medicine (maleria pills, antibiotics, ibuprofen, neosporin & bandaids, Diomox for altitude sickness, anti-itch cream, iodine tablets for water purification - just in case!)
• Sunscreen
• Whistle
• King-sized flat sheet (recommended by my Dutch backpacking friends)
• Goretex rainjacket with zip-in fleece (for the Andes)
• 3 pants
• 3 t-shirts
• Toilitries
• Socks & underwear, of course
• Sneakers/walking shoes & flip flops
• Books & my journal

And that's all I need...

Go for it!

If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it.
If you don't ask, the answer is always no.
If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.

What a Difference a Day Makes...

Two weeks ago I was admitted to Georgetown's McDonough School of Business MBA Class of 2010. I gave myself a week to think it over, and I've decided to go. After ten years in NYC, I'm ready to move on and start a new chapter of my life (this doesn't mean that I won't be back to NYC for visits... DC is only 3 hours away).

I am going back to school as a career changer. Six years working in IT is enough for me, and I'm ready for something new that I enjoy and that I'm passionate about. My short-term interests are in International Business and Marketing, and my long-term interests are in Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises. Georgetown has strong programs in all these areas.

Because I want to take time off to travel before school starts, here is my timeline:
- May 30th- Last day of work (Adios, suckers!)
- June 3rd- Goodbye for now, NYC
- First two weeks of June - Spend time with my family in Birmingham, Alabama
- June 16th - July 16th - Travel in Peru with myself (The main reason I started this blog)
- End of July - Find a place to live close to Georgetown
- August - School starts!

So now I find myself with three weeks left in NYC before my journey begins. My main purpose in starting this blog is to stay connected with my family & friends while I'm traveling in Peru. I will fill you in on my itinerary, the things I do and the people I meet, upload pictures & video of the amazing things I see, and recount the stories of my travels.

Let the countdown begin...