last real day in the usa

while i don't technically leave until tomorrow night, i figured this is my last full day of living it up in dc before i leave. although, my version of living it up consists of unpacking my new place still, getting traveler's cheques, and having a drink with friends later tonight. but still- living it up! yeah!

anyway- it might be a few days before i get connected to the old internet again and get a chance to post, and by then i'll be in oxford. hope everyone continues to have a fun summer. work hard and play harder!

halfway there?

well- for the most part, raja and i are moved in. we have the truck again in the morning to finish taking over some of the bigger items i have left (dresser and chair, etc). but the major stuff is moved in. and on the hottest day of the summer so far.

we promptly rewarded ourselves by downing lemonade and sweet tea and devouring rockland's bbq. delicious.

well then. my new place looks like hell since nothing is unpacked yet and the old place looks ghostly. at least it's cooler in the old place (odd i know). so i guess i'll be here for one or two more nights. if anyone wants to come sit on the floor with me and watch hulu videos on the laptop- by all means, let me know.

ugh

i used to enjoy packing up and moving. maybe because i never had much stuff. or maybe because it usually meant i was getting ready to spend a summer with stephen or mike or jason and the rest of the gang. usually i could cram everything into my truck.

now- this whole packing thing is overrated. i have way too much stuff which i built once i moved in, so i'm either going to have to take it apart or try my best to wedge it out of here. do you think anyone would call the cops on me if they saw me trying to carry things out from the basement windows? probably not- that's probably a standard occurrence here in dc.

plus, i have no truck. let me be clear- i took my fair share of ridicule and ribbing from the guys and gals when i bought my truck. "why didn't you buy a car" "you're wasting gas" etc. were the common phrases bandied about. but, when they needed something moved- who did they call? not 1-800-u-haul or whatever it is. that's right, me. and because they're my friends and i love them dearly, i'd help out when i could.

now- my truck is 600 miles away. and i'm trying to figure out whether bed frames and boxes can fit in a zipcar. (maybe i'll get lucky and not get the mini cooper this time). i could try to find the one pickup that is in dc on the zipcar list, but that's just as bad as having ian drive my truck up here to help out. i think. hey ian- busy this week? :)

and so it begins

hey everyone. as promised, here's my attempt at keeping a record of my summer. well, the part that you all care about anyway. :)

in about 9 days or so, i'll be boarding a plane and heading to oxford to study for 8 weeks. in between now and then i get to move from one apartment to another and attempt to then unpack in the new place, and then pack for my trip. i hope to somehow manage at least 2 hour rides each day between now and then since my riding time is going to diminish immediately upon leaving. i'll let you know if any more crazy people attack me on the streets.

i'm not entirely sure what to expect on this oxford trip. lots of work to be sure- each class has its own final "project" (i.e. research paper) to go along with it. but then again, i'll be staying in oxford and trying to spend as much time soaking it all in as possible. this all could have been avoided in the first place if oxford would have just taken me on as a full time student last year. but alas, god works in mysterious ways (how was i supposed to know the financial markets would crash, and with it, any real full time opportunities for those not already having had experience (whither intern or full time))? so- perhaps this 8 week assignment is the way to go.

in the meantime- i'm putting my head down and going full speed until next wednesday on the plane, when i just might finally catch some sleep.