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

10 Things To Do (by March 2010)

1. Hike Mt. Fuji, and photograph the sunrise.
2. Learn to speak Japanese.
3. Spend a day watching the surfers at Wakayama.
4. Visit Japanese Disneyland.
5. Ride the Shinkansen (Japanese Bullet Train) from Hokkaido to Hiroshima.
6. Take a bath at an onsen.
7. Embrace Japanese food (abstain from McDonald's, develop an affinity for green tea, trade my devotion to PBR for Kirin... yea right, who am I kidding here....).
8. Two words: Sumo. Wrestling.
9. One more word: Karaoke.
10. Check out the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum.