My Celebrity Lookalikes

What the?

The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors can't be contained to just the outdoors. It needs to come indoors. (Please click on image for a better view.)

Today's Photo Friday: The Great Outdoors.

Photo Friday Challenge: Movement

I know this shot is blurry, but Jiro looks like he's having such a great time! So, I decided to use it for today's Photo Friday Challenge: Movement.

Itching to travel

I started out 2008 by planning to travel to Cairo in October. That is on hold for now until I know what the hell is going on with the house. I feel like I can't really travel anywhere until the house sells. Yeah, I feel so fucking stuck here.

I created an account on the Travel Buddy website. Part of the member profile is to make your own map of where you've been. Mine is pretty damn sad. But, that will only get better, right?

A lot has changed

Since my last post, a lot has changed in my life. In fact, my life was completely turned upside down. I was blindsided. The rug was pulled out from under me. You get the picture. My partner of ten years decided to move on in her life without me. It's over. No indication whatsoever.

Now here I am, 2 1/2 months after the breakup and I'm surviving. Our house is on the market. I'm still living here. She has moved many states away. It has been an emotional rollercoaster over the past two months, but I'm really trying to remain positive.

The world is wide open to me now. I have a passport and a credit card, so I can go anywhere I want to. I've thought about maybe getting certified in TEFL so that I can teach English abroad somewhere. Or, maybe I'll become an expat! Either way, I want and NEED to travel. As soon as the house sells and I can get the hell away from here, I want to see what's out there. All I can do for now is save money and plan and dream.

Everyone needs a proofreader!

I saw this sign on the trip to my Mom's for Christmas.

2008 will be a big year!

So...the thesis work continues. My committee has accepted my proposal; now I need to formally submit the proposal to the graduate advisor. Then I just have to write the damn thing! I HAVE to do this by May. I need to put it behind me. I'm not allowing myself to do any pleasure reading until it's done. And that's especially tough since B bought an awesome book for me on ancient Egypt for Christmas.

Yes, Egypt. I am going to Cairo in October 2008! It's going to be AMAZING. I'm going to travel with either Gap Adventures or Gecko Adventures. Probably Gecko. I've been saving money for several months, and I'll still have about ten more months to save.

Why Egypt? When I was little, my mom had many National Geographic books and I loved looking through them. My mom saw that, like her, I was interested in ancient civilizations, and she started buying books for me. Ancient Egypt was the first. Then ones on the Mayans, the Aztecs and the Incas. I wanted to be an archaeologist when I was young. Then I drooled over Indiana Jones and his adventures. I guess I've never outgrown that. So, I have decided that my first trip abroad should be in honor of my mom and the nurturing she gave my sense of wonder about ancient Egypt. When I go to visit my mom tomorrow for the holiday, I'll tell her all about it.

Yes, 2008 will be a big year!