Picked up tomorrow's day shift.
Baby G just called and told me she's frustrated at work.
Just another day trying to make ends meet... from a hemisphere away.
Sorry, not trying to bitch, just a little weary.
I'll go.
Peace.
Diz
10.30.2006
10.29.2006
Just testing.
Just so you know, the times on all the posts below are totally inaccurate. Sorry. See, we haven't even left yet and we're already confused about time zones. :)
Sunday Morning Music
We changed our clocks back last night and so now I'm awake and thinking about getting donuts for me and my lady. It seems people wait intentionally to better things until I'm no longer a part of them. A few examples:
They got a brand new theatre facility at Warwick Valley High School plus 20 or so classrooms to ease overcrowding in 1999. I graduated in '97.
AU couldn't handle all of it's students, so it bought a set of condos on Westbard Ave. in Bethesda and started running a free shuttle every 15 minutes from there to main campus. Two years before, I was living on Westbard Ave and waiting for a Maryland "RideOn" bus to take me to the Friendship Heights Metro so I could take the train to Tenleytown and then hop the shuttle to main campus. It used to be an hour commute to go 2 miles (once spring hit, I did start walking it).
Speaking of AU and theatres, we graduated in '02. State-of-the-art facility on Wisconsin Ave. grand opening: 2003.
"Don't worry, we're renovating, you'll LOVE it when it's done...it'll fix all of these complaints and inconveniences." Place: DC Improv Comedy Club. Time: 8/02 - 5/06. Renovations actually START: 8/06.
So I'm usually right on the cusp of these things. Baby G would say "Yes, Dear, you're into stuff before anyone else discovers it and you make it so popular that people need to renovate or expand, but by that point you've moved onto something else." She get sarcastic. My sister, YaYa, would say, "It's not all about you, Princess."
You know what I say? If they open a White Castle restaurant anywhere in the vicinity of NorthWest Washington DC between January and June of '07, I'm hiring myself out as an unlucky psychic. It won't be a successful business until right after I leave, however.
The point is: They opened a Dunkin' Donuts on 17th Street last month, and that's where I'm going this morning to get my lady breakfast and go through more crap. I swear to God, our apartment is in BOXES right now. Maybe I'll go build a fort. Nah, no fort...somebody'd go and make it way cooler right after I left it.
Have a good day,
Dizzle
They got a brand new theatre facility at Warwick Valley High School plus 20 or so classrooms to ease overcrowding in 1999. I graduated in '97.
AU couldn't handle all of it's students, so it bought a set of condos on Westbard Ave. in Bethesda and started running a free shuttle every 15 minutes from there to main campus. Two years before, I was living on Westbard Ave and waiting for a Maryland "RideOn" bus to take me to the Friendship Heights Metro so I could take the train to Tenleytown and then hop the shuttle to main campus. It used to be an hour commute to go 2 miles (once spring hit, I did start walking it).
Speaking of AU and theatres, we graduated in '02. State-of-the-art facility on Wisconsin Ave. grand opening: 2003.
"Don't worry, we're renovating, you'll LOVE it when it's done...it'll fix all of these complaints and inconveniences." Place: DC Improv Comedy Club. Time: 8/02 - 5/06. Renovations actually START: 8/06.
So I'm usually right on the cusp of these things. Baby G would say "Yes, Dear, you're into stuff before anyone else discovers it and you make it so popular that people need to renovate or expand, but by that point you've moved onto something else." She get sarcastic. My sister, YaYa, would say, "It's not all about you, Princess."
You know what I say? If they open a White Castle restaurant anywhere in the vicinity of NorthWest Washington DC between January and June of '07, I'm hiring myself out as an unlucky psychic. It won't be a successful business until right after I leave, however.
The point is: They opened a Dunkin' Donuts on 17th Street last month, and that's where I'm going this morning to get my lady breakfast and go through more crap. I swear to God, our apartment is in BOXES right now. Maybe I'll go build a fort. Nah, no fort...somebody'd go and make it way cooler right after I left it.
Have a good day,
Dizzle
10.27.2006
Busybusy...
Going away party: 12/15.
Leaving Newark, NJ: 12/29.
Leaving Los Angeles, CA: 12/31.
Arriving in Fiji, Auckland, and Wellington, NZ: 1/2/2007.
Working like a mad man for all the prepwork, but we're getting there. Four more shifts for me at one bar, and my 2 weeks notice goes into the other before Thanksgiving. Baby G's last night at her pub is 12/12.
This is gonna be so rad.
~DZZL
Leaving Newark, NJ: 12/29.
Leaving Los Angeles, CA: 12/31.
Arriving in Fiji, Auckland, and Wellington, NZ: 1/2/2007.
Working like a mad man for all the prepwork, but we're getting there. Four more shifts for me at one bar, and my 2 weeks notice goes into the other before Thanksgiving. Baby G's last night at her pub is 12/12.
This is gonna be so rad.
~DZZL
10.17.2006
Got it!
Hey.
Baby G and I got off the phone a little while ago from a conversation during which I was informed that WE HAVE THE TICKETS. Newark to LA, 12/29/06. It is official, it is set in stone, and it is both exciting and scary. Thanks to Baby G's folks (Grown G and Mrs. Grown G? Adult GG and his wife? Mrs. Lady T and her husband, Chemical Bridge? I don't know. All for the sake of not being "Google-able") for helping on this integral part of the trip. It would've sucked if we'd had to hitchhike from NY to Cali. While we're in Cali, I plan on having my first "In-n-Out" Burger. I will, of course, blog immediately to share how it was. By the way, I've just decided I'm sticking with Papa and Mama G. Like the three bears. Only she has a sister. We'll call her "Baby G's sister".
Something I've forgotten to mention in previous posts: I've never been out of the country. I went to Canada, once, when I was like 12, and it was really just hanging out for an afternoon on the other side of Niagra Falls with my family. I think we even got McDonald's. Also, I've been to Houston, and believe me, when you take a Greyhound from DC to Houston, it's another country. The panhandlers there are PROS! But I've never been AWAY. Never been west of Texas, either. Baby G, on the other hand, has been friggin' EVERYWHERE. India, Scotland, Mexico, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Amsterdam, England, Canada, the Caribbean, etc., etc. So part of the appeal of all of this for ME is that I get to travel so far away with someone who's done something like this on a smaller scale before. I couldn't feel more fortunate.
I suppose that's it for now. We're still working hard, keeping our heads down and our noses clean. 4 more shifts this week for me, 3 for her.
Wish us luck,
Dizz
p.s. The Mets didn't win the night I typed that previous post. But then they ROCKED the next night. Last night the Bears came back from a 20-0 deficit in the 4th quarter. The BEARS! 2 more months, and I'm bringing the "Super Bowl Shuffle" back for the first time in 20 years. Long live The Fridge.
Baby G and I got off the phone a little while ago from a conversation during which I was informed that WE HAVE THE TICKETS. Newark to LA, 12/29/06. It is official, it is set in stone, and it is both exciting and scary. Thanks to Baby G's folks (Grown G and Mrs. Grown G? Adult GG and his wife? Mrs. Lady T and her husband, Chemical Bridge? I don't know. All for the sake of not being "Google-able") for helping on this integral part of the trip. It would've sucked if we'd had to hitchhike from NY to Cali. While we're in Cali, I plan on having my first "In-n-Out" Burger. I will, of course, blog immediately to share how it was. By the way, I've just decided I'm sticking with Papa and Mama G. Like the three bears. Only she has a sister. We'll call her "Baby G's sister".
Something I've forgotten to mention in previous posts: I've never been out of the country. I went to Canada, once, when I was like 12, and it was really just hanging out for an afternoon on the other side of Niagra Falls with my family. I think we even got McDonald's. Also, I've been to Houston, and believe me, when you take a Greyhound from DC to Houston, it's another country. The panhandlers there are PROS! But I've never been AWAY. Never been west of Texas, either. Baby G, on the other hand, has been friggin' EVERYWHERE. India, Scotland, Mexico, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Amsterdam, England, Canada, the Caribbean, etc., etc. So part of the appeal of all of this for ME is that I get to travel so far away with someone who's done something like this on a smaller scale before. I couldn't feel more fortunate.
I suppose that's it for now. We're still working hard, keeping our heads down and our noses clean. 4 more shifts this week for me, 3 for her.
Wish us luck,
Dizz
p.s. The Mets didn't win the night I typed that previous post. But then they ROCKED the next night. Last night the Bears came back from a 20-0 deficit in the 4th quarter. The BEARS! 2 more months, and I'm bringing the "Super Bowl Shuffle" back for the first time in 20 years. Long live The Fridge.
10.13.2006
I concur...
Yeah, this is getting down to crunch time. In 2 months, we're moving out of Washington, DC. In that time, there'll have to be at least a couple trips to NY, not the very least of which might be for Thanksgiving.
Nothing new to report as far as plans for the trip go this week. Baby G had a rough week at work, and I just finished 7 shifts in 4 days last night. Don't get me wrong, I made BANK, but I'm pretty sore all over and if I could afford a doctor to prescribe me something silly, I would. Tomorrow will be better.
One thing I should be ashamed of sharing but I'm not is that I actually surfed the web for TV listings in New Zealand to see if we'll still be able to catch "Lost" while we're there.
Whatever. Don't judge me.
Off to see the Tigers and Mets win.
Peace,
DZL
Nothing new to report as far as plans for the trip go this week. Baby G had a rough week at work, and I just finished 7 shifts in 4 days last night. Don't get me wrong, I made BANK, but I'm pretty sore all over and if I could afford a doctor to prescribe me something silly, I would. Tomorrow will be better.
One thing I should be ashamed of sharing but I'm not is that I actually surfed the web for TV listings in New Zealand to see if we'll still be able to catch "Lost" while we're there.
Whatever. Don't judge me.
Off to see the Tigers and Mets win.
Peace,
DZL
10.12.2006
This is getting obnoxious...
It's 1:17 am, and my night off from the bar. -And I'm not asleep. I got about 3 hours of sleep last night ( the reason is a grand story, but one for another time), I WANT to go to sleep, but I'm still f-ing awake. -And getting irritated.
Can we leave this city already? I understand that no matter where you go in the world, "G-dub" will still be trying to change the subject, -and not even doing it that well, and planes will be flying into buildings (again) in the city I love; friends will astound you and need you to go to Gaithersburg, MD deliberately, lovers will still tell you that you are beautiful despite the fact that you have zit cream on your chin, and I'm still listening to Dave Brubeck on my bad ass i-pod.
I'm ready to get on a plane.
~Baby G
Can we leave this city already? I understand that no matter where you go in the world, "G-dub" will still be trying to change the subject, -and not even doing it that well, and planes will be flying into buildings (again) in the city I love; friends will astound you and need you to go to Gaithersburg, MD deliberately, lovers will still tell you that you are beautiful despite the fact that you have zit cream on your chin, and I'm still listening to Dave Brubeck on my bad ass i-pod.
I'm ready to get on a plane.
~Baby G
10.09.2006
Update
Hi everybody.
Today is October 9th, 2006; Columbus Day. Yesterday, Sunday, our friend Kevin came over and gave us our first ever computer tutorial. It's amazing that both Baby G and I have made it through the last decade with no idea how to burn a CD, much less take an ambitious trip such as the one on which we are about to embark. But now we're prepared. Kevin taught us how to get music online, save it, make it listentoable on a CD player, load Baby G's iPod (one of the first things she put on it was Chicago. Not the musical; the band. And Pat Benatar. My friend Skippy will be stoked. Everyone else, just bear with me. I'm working on her, but she was ballet dancing through the whole grunge era and missed a lot.), and a whole lot more. We owe him much. So, Kevin, I'll put this out there: I'm going to do my absolute best to get the T-shirt you won from www.ytmnd.com for you. Oh, and we'll pick you up something bitchin' in New Zealand, too. :)
Still putting money away. A couple major purchases before we quit our jobs near Thanksgiving. A couple doctor's appointments, student loan stuff, etc. But we're getting there, and therefore so are you.
Keep reading. This is gonna be so rad.
On the home stretch,
Dizzle
Today is October 9th, 2006; Columbus Day. Yesterday, Sunday, our friend Kevin came over and gave us our first ever computer tutorial. It's amazing that both Baby G and I have made it through the last decade with no idea how to burn a CD, much less take an ambitious trip such as the one on which we are about to embark. But now we're prepared. Kevin taught us how to get music online, save it, make it listentoable on a CD player, load Baby G's iPod (one of the first things she put on it was Chicago. Not the musical; the band. And Pat Benatar. My friend Skippy will be stoked. Everyone else, just bear with me. I'm working on her, but she was ballet dancing through the whole grunge era and missed a lot.), and a whole lot more. We owe him much. So, Kevin, I'll put this out there: I'm going to do my absolute best to get the T-shirt you won from www.ytmnd.com for you. Oh, and we'll pick you up something bitchin' in New Zealand, too. :)
Still putting money away. A couple major purchases before we quit our jobs near Thanksgiving. A couple doctor's appointments, student loan stuff, etc. But we're getting there, and therefore so are you.
Keep reading. This is gonna be so rad.
On the home stretch,
Dizzle
10.08.2006
Prologue
A couple years ago, Baby G and I were talking about the 'next step'. We're both pushing 30, have undergrad degrees (albeit in theater from AMERICAN U no less!), and we have both been working in the restaurant business since we graduated in '02. We started off by considering grad school someplace, and we limited our prospects very little in this hypothetical.
After ruling out many places over the course of a week or two, we began to iron it down to certain criteria: they should probably speak English there, travel should be direct (just in case it's a ways away, people may want to visit or we may want to leave), and the culture need not be far from that in the States as I (Dizzle) have never left this country and Babay G was concerned about culture shock, jet lag, homesickness, etc. on account of me.
We saved up $1000, asked a friend to hold onto it for us, and forgot about it.
>>>FAST FORWARD 18 MONTHS>>>
One day while managing a wine bar up in Bethesda, I realized we had let that topic rest for a little longer than I would've liked. Sort of a "I've reached my limit with the restaurant business" breakthrough. Or what one of our old college professors used to say was our "AHA!" moment. I grabbed a big jar, one of the ones that bartenders have for olives or cherries in bulk, the 2 gallon kind, and decided it would be a good place to keep spare change.
Baby G and I approached the topic little by little as the months wore on. We knew we were saving for something, we just didn't know what yet. Finally, after a particularly difficult week waiting tables, I turned to one constant source of relaxation for me, something I can count on to always be there, always be enjoyable, and always take my mind off of what's bothering me: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Before you start thinking how uberdorky that is and inwardly judging me, please know that Baby G fights dirty and could possibly read minds and you'd better be careful or she'll get you with a bat.
So we're watching LOTR and our feet hurt and our customers have consistantly been tipping poorly even though we've been busting our ASSES for $2.77 an hour and Baby G turns to me and says, "You know, it's really beautiful there."
"Where? Mordor?" I replied (she thinks it's funny when I say "Mordor" the way some of them do in the movie. It involves rolling your 'r' somewhere in there. I don't know what they do, but it always sounds funny to me).
"No, NerdBoy, New Zealand," she said.
I paused it. I looked at her. She was right. And once again, as was on the day when I fell in love with her, we had a common direction and purpose. In one minute, we went from wondering how long we'd be in the restaurant business to wondering when we should leave, how long we'd be gone, how to tell our families, etc.
I personally would like to say I owe it all to Frodo and his fellowship, but in reality, I owe this budding adventure to Baby G, and her love of me. She does the accent better than Elijah Wood anyway.
We opened a joint bank account. We agreed that for the next year, we deposit any and all change we get, as well as any dollar amount we have at the end of a shift that is less than $20. And we began to save. And save. And save.
We knew we'd need a computer. An IPod. Visas. Passports. A new guitar. Camera. Etc. etc. etc.
Last August, a little less than two months ago from the time I'm writing this, we spent more money in one fell swoop than we had on any one thing in a long, long time: We bought a pair of one-way tickets to Wellington, New Zealand. We leave Los Angeles on December 31st, 2006 at 10:30pm.
Between now and then, we must learn how to file taxes from abroad, get copies of passports and visas, close our accounts with whomever we owe money to (damn you, Sallie Mae), aquire hiking boots, get exercise and learn how to, finally, at 27 and 28 years old, learn how to use a frigging computer.
So here it is.
And here we go.
And the only reason you're reading this is because you'd like to take some of this trip with us...and we're happy to oblige.
Hopefully this blog will be a place to post pictures of our trip, updates on how we are doing, and offer a perspective from a world away. And hopefully it will be entertaining enough to continue to check. I think I can speak for her when I say we'd like that very much.
More to come, and looking forward to spending my New Year's Eve on massive amounts of Dramamine,
~Dizzle
After ruling out many places over the course of a week or two, we began to iron it down to certain criteria: they should probably speak English there, travel should be direct (just in case it's a ways away, people may want to visit or we may want to leave), and the culture need not be far from that in the States as I (Dizzle) have never left this country and Babay G was concerned about culture shock, jet lag, homesickness, etc. on account of me.
We saved up $1000, asked a friend to hold onto it for us, and forgot about it.
>>>FAST FORWARD 18 MONTHS>>>
One day while managing a wine bar up in Bethesda, I realized we had let that topic rest for a little longer than I would've liked. Sort of a "I've reached my limit with the restaurant business" breakthrough. Or what one of our old college professors used to say was our "AHA!" moment. I grabbed a big jar, one of the ones that bartenders have for olives or cherries in bulk, the 2 gallon kind, and decided it would be a good place to keep spare change.
Baby G and I approached the topic little by little as the months wore on. We knew we were saving for something, we just didn't know what yet. Finally, after a particularly difficult week waiting tables, I turned to one constant source of relaxation for me, something I can count on to always be there, always be enjoyable, and always take my mind off of what's bothering me: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Before you start thinking how uberdorky that is and inwardly judging me, please know that Baby G fights dirty and could possibly read minds and you'd better be careful or she'll get you with a bat.
So we're watching LOTR and our feet hurt and our customers have consistantly been tipping poorly even though we've been busting our ASSES for $2.77 an hour and Baby G turns to me and says, "You know, it's really beautiful there."
"Where? Mordor?" I replied (she thinks it's funny when I say "Mordor" the way some of them do in the movie. It involves rolling your 'r' somewhere in there. I don't know what they do, but it always sounds funny to me).
"No, NerdBoy, New Zealand," she said.
I paused it. I looked at her. She was right. And once again, as was on the day when I fell in love with her, we had a common direction and purpose. In one minute, we went from wondering how long we'd be in the restaurant business to wondering when we should leave, how long we'd be gone, how to tell our families, etc.
I personally would like to say I owe it all to Frodo and his fellowship, but in reality, I owe this budding adventure to Baby G, and her love of me. She does the accent better than Elijah Wood anyway.
We opened a joint bank account. We agreed that for the next year, we deposit any and all change we get, as well as any dollar amount we have at the end of a shift that is less than $20. And we began to save. And save. And save.
We knew we'd need a computer. An IPod. Visas. Passports. A new guitar. Camera. Etc. etc. etc.
Last August, a little less than two months ago from the time I'm writing this, we spent more money in one fell swoop than we had on any one thing in a long, long time: We bought a pair of one-way tickets to Wellington, New Zealand. We leave Los Angeles on December 31st, 2006 at 10:30pm.
Between now and then, we must learn how to file taxes from abroad, get copies of passports and visas, close our accounts with whomever we owe money to (damn you, Sallie Mae), aquire hiking boots, get exercise and learn how to, finally, at 27 and 28 years old, learn how to use a frigging computer.
So here it is.
And here we go.
And the only reason you're reading this is because you'd like to take some of this trip with us...and we're happy to oblige.
Hopefully this blog will be a place to post pictures of our trip, updates on how we are doing, and offer a perspective from a world away. And hopefully it will be entertaining enough to continue to check. I think I can speak for her when I say we'd like that very much.
More to come, and looking forward to spending my New Year's Eve on massive amounts of Dramamine,
~Dizzle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
