I'm leaving!

Hello fans,

 

I’ve been meaning to do an extended blog about preparing to leave this place since I got my rotator information a few days ago.  I should be able to sleep in my own bed on Sept 8 – Inshalah.

 

I’m pretty reluctant to start new projects and have been spending my groundhog days of recent doing small things – writing nothing stories which the Air Force News Service decides to blow off – and instead of researching and writing my own press releases – I take other peoples stories and turn them out for my weekly press release quota that I’ve never met the entire deployment.

 

I’ve done a lot of work on making this lil’ notebook for my replacement – I even have her name placard printed out and ready to post on her cubby desk.  Saddly, my dog pouncing on a cat card that says “Life is one damned thing after another – Elbert Hubbard” will have to come down.  My friend Glenn sent it to me… As will my home-made card from mom and the beach scene post card from Lynn I have pasted on my singular cubby for motivation.

 

The lil’ notebook I’m making for my replacement is one giant brain dump of continuity… continuity can be the worst in the world so long as it is organized and pretty.  And I made a checklist of things to go over with Olivia Newton John (which isn’t her name, but what I’ve been calling her since I can’t remember her name).

 

As of today, I have been here 122 days – 90.1 percent of the deployment finished with only 1,153,398 seconds left to go… Less than 2 weeks… and with the ability to drink 39 more beers… I don’t think I’ve had an alcoholic beverage in 2 months… maybe that’s why I have such headaches.

 

I have a lot to look forward to upon my return… my shapeless hopes of plans to spend time with people important to me is taking shape… Mom has graciously offered to drive my car home this weekend so I’ll have it for my return… then I’m going to her house for my R&R.  After that – its to Florida where I will see Grams and then fly to Key West with Johnny for an extended weekend.  Then back to Grams where Lisa and Kyle are meeting me to go out of Orlando to the Bahamas on my first ever cruise… I’m so excited about this trip I could just pee!

 

The cruise was my first purchase on my new AMEX skymiles card… I finally got one.  With the amount of money I’m spending on travel this fall with my NYC trip in November too – I should have a free ticket soon.  I had wanted to visit my Fort Walton Beach peeps – but some of those peeps are coming to the Bahamas and its just too damn far to drive… my free ticket will be to go down there for spring sometime.

 

When I’m all done with my travels – I get to go home to DC to celebrate my 30^th birthday.  I still have not decided exactly how to do this – but since I had such a great going away party that I threw for myself – I think I’ll do something similar on my big back deck.

 

Fall is my favorite season… so many things to look forward to this year – These trips, my party, Halloween which is by far my favorite holiday, NYC trip with a hotel overlooking Times Square for the Macy’s parade and shows Wicked and Odd Couple with mom there.  In December Evita comes to DC – so it will be a full-up season of theater.

 

So that’s it… my final thoughts about this place?  I have none.  My brain is fried. I just want to go home.  Thanks to all for the support, emails, cards, packages…

 

Well, with that all said, I need to go do some work.  This will likely be my last blog from here. 

 

Cheers,

d