Day One: coast to coast

3:45am: Mom & Dad take me to the airport. They are awesome.
5:45am: Mom packed ham biscuits in my carry-on. Recieves strange looks from security.
5:52am: Made it through security, only to have my backback explode (no, seriously, it LITERALLY exploded). No electronic casualties, thank God. Cheeks turn crimson.
6:07am: Plane boarding. Try desperatly to avoid sitting near small children.
6:08am: One-year old and two-year-old sit directly behind me. #@&$!*
6:25am(ish): Take-off? We'll pretend, I have to turn off electronics. Dude with an ASU hat and a (I swear) I heart AK shirt just boarded. I miss Timmy haha. Next stop, Denver & CC III!

10:30am (EST): Landed in Denver. Forgot about time zones. Thought this four hour flight would be two hours. Going for coffee with CC III.
11:00am (EST): CC III is awesome. She laughed at my misadventures thus far, and reassured me I'm doing the right thing.
12:20pm (EST): Boarding Denver to L.A.
12:41pm (EST): There's liken a bazilion children on this flight. Note to self, maybe no kids ever (sorry Mom).
12:42pm (EST): Phone off!

3:32pm (EST): My plane has smelled like balogna since we left Denver.
3:40pn (EST): Where the hell are we taxiing off the runway toward, Hawaii? Really, landed, then taxied for at least 10 minutes.
3:41pm (EST): Deplane, deplane! Gonna go check into United (fingers crossed)
4:30pm (EST): Fah que United. Lugging 250 lbs. of junk out to Em's apt. P.S. I'm doing all this from my phone. I will miss it dearly.
4:34pm (EST): Everytime I see Van Nuys, I read Van Nuts. What's wrong with me? haha.
4:35pm (EST): I have been in this van, circling the airport for a while. I think this guy's lost.
4:36pm (EST): It looks like rain. I don't want to sit outside Em's apt in the rain until she gets out of class at 2:45. But I will.
4:37pm (EST): (For Davin & Davie)
PULL!
pitchu pitchu
That's how I feel about L.A. right now. I have a fever, and the only prescription is great Mexican food.
4:38pm (EST): Seriously, driver? The same loop at the airport, AGAIN?!?!
4:39pm (EST): Just kidding. weeeeeeee highways!
5:20pm (EST): Made it Em's. My driver know Japanese? Awesome. Got a mini lesson.

10:20pm (EST): I Hate lady drivers. Sorry Em's friend. Mexican with Em!
12:40am (EST): Drunk. Cat Sadler from E! networks is beside us. Going to crash.
12:45sm (EST): And Whitney from The Hills.

Last day of work in the US for 2009

It's my last day at work in the US. I am not sad at all. My coworkers got me a card, and a tray of chicken-minis from Chik-Fil-A. Brilliant.
Today is going to drag on and be the longest day ever, I can tell.

I keep scheming and attempting to design a collapsible softbox for my flash. I'd like to take my DIY beauty dish I made over the summer, but 1. It will take up too much room in my suitcase and 2. I doubt the TSA or Japanese customs will appreciate it/ believe it's not a terrorist device.

Maybe I can figure out how to make a collapsible one of those too...

Visa is GO!

Finished filling out all of my paperwork for my work visa, and called the Consulate of Japan in Atlanta to see if I could mail it instead of delivering it and picking it up in person. Not a problem, just overnight it to them, with a prepaid overnight envelope enclosed. Should take 4-5 business days.

UPS overnighted it on Tuesday at 6:00pm. Went home for lunch today (Thursday), and my passport had been sent back, visa stamped, CoE stapled. 4-5 days? It barely took them 4 hours....

I love the Japanese already.

Paperwork

Received a lovely call from the NYC Office, and my Certificate of Eligibility has been approved by the Japanese Government and is being sent to me this week. Excellent! When I receive that, I get to start my Visa paperwork, and possibly have to drive down to Atlanta to see the Consulate of Japan. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can just mail it priority...


49 days left in the states.

Airline safety brochure

I found a copy of the airline safety brochure, to make sure I'll be prepared in the event of an emergency.

Apparently I can only make lists...

Things I will miss about America*:

1. Cheap shitty beer.
2. Bars where everyone knows my name (I only drink at Cheers)
3. Driving.
4. Family and friends, near and far, close and informal.
5. English.
6. American asain food.

I'm sure I'm missing a lot, this was just off the top of my head.

* in no particular order