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A little out of it this morning…

… thanks to a less than stellar night’s sleep. In addition to a bad case of spaghetti brain, I think I am not getting enough exercise. I have done nothing since I had food poisoning three weeks ago!! Today is freezing cold and there is apparently a big snow/ice storm on the way, but I am still going to take a “lengthy” power walk around the neighborhood. I imagine it will be invigorating, if nothing else.

Otherwise, there is not much going on. The EuroTrip is 100% booked (wahoo!), and we are at the “hurry up and wait” point with Japan. This weekend, we head to Atlanta to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and in two weeks, we head to Savannah to celebrate Chuck’s 30th!

Speaking of Savannah, I feel like such a bad wife. I was so preoccupied with getting Europe figured out (we had delayed so much already), that I waited rather long to finally turn my attention to Savannah. Since it’s President’s Day Weekend and Valentine’s Day Weekend, sooo many ideal spots were all booked. But, I did find a good riverfront hotel and made reservations for our group at Chuck’s favorite restaurant there… so I guess I salvaged things overall… somewhat 🙂

Seriously though… we are running out of weekends down here in Georgia! I had hoped to squeeze in a weekend excursion to New Orleans, since I have never been, but I don’t think that will happen. Before I know it, we’ll be out of here and on our way home to DC for a few weeks!

Time sure is a-flyin’.

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Love/Hate relationship with TripAdvisor

As if the amazing selection of reviews wasn’t overwhelming enough, I recently discovered how to use the question forums and regional experts. I had basically solidified my plan for a full 24 hours in the Luberon village of Gordes, then two nights in the more pristine and poodle-y Aix, with day trips to Arles or Marseille as desired.

But now, I feel like I’m totally effing it all up and maybe I should have consulted these experts first … oy vey!

I’m being dramatic – I am sure my plan is still fine – but this definitely makes me want to do more, and it feeds my tendency to overanalyze my decisions! But I have to remind myself that this part of the trip is purely about food, wine, and wanderlust – not squeezing in every site, town, or museum. I just need to decide how best to wander 🙂

The real question is where to have our home base in the South of France: Avignon, or Aix-en-Provence?

I need a Provence expert!!

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This week…

… has had two main focuses (foci?): Europe, and grad school applications.

Euro-planning is going surprisingly smoothly. Flight is booked, as is our EuroStar from London to Paris, and our hotel in Paris. I’m still working on lodging in London and Provence, and the train from Paris to the South, but I’m hoping to wait until we get some of our bonus points on the AMEX card we opened a few months ago. Otherwise, I’m trying not to over-plan, but we do have a pretty decent itinerary set. I only wish we could add more (and go to Italy too!)

It’s kind of funny… everyone says that they speak English in Paris, and no one has the patience to deal with your weak American attempts at fitting in. But I have e-mailed at least two hotels in Paris, in my crappy French, and gotten perfectly nice French responses. It could be different over email, but maybe I will get to practice some French over there after all!

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As for the grad school apps, I have decided to apply for two Master’s programs that are available on-campus and online (the degree will not specify that it is online, so that is nice, for those who may stigmatize that approach.) I don’t know for sure that I will actually end up enrolling, but I’d like the option to, if I am accepted. My plan for now is to get to Japan, get settled, give job-hunting a solid shot, and then make a decision about the degree based on what I find. I don’t like the idea of paying for a degree or acquiring debt, but I also don’t like the idea of getting back to the States and wishing I had taken better advantage of that downtime to remain competitive and improve myself.

I know that when I struggled finding work in NC, it was because I was either overqualified for most positions, or underqualified due to lack of a Master’s degree. If I need to specialize, and I have free time at my disposal in Japan, that may be the time to close that gap and get out of the awkward in-between phase! Of course, Lord knows where we’ll end up in 3 years, or what my goals will be at that point… but (money aside), it can’t hurt to acquire more education, right? Plus, these particular programs will help steer my resume in the direction I would like it to go – on paper at least.

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What a goofy week…

1) Uncle dies. I was not particularly close to him, and his life was fairly depressing… but still. RIP, Uncle Bill 😦

2) Mom suddenly resurfaces. After 6 months of relative silence and “treatment” (aka punishment for her recent offenses), she is back on the streets of Colorado. What is even more depressing about the whole situation (besides the fact that it’s freezing cold everywhere lately) is that my Dad seems to have harbored a belief somewhere deep down that the “treatment” was going to help. He still clings to this shred of hope that perpetually leads to disappointment…

3) I got food poisoning Monday night, and while the puking has subsided, I still get bouts of wooziness and I tire easily. Damn you, expired Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls!

4) My sister’s dog basically has two bum lungs, and needs to have his chest cut open to have them fixed, at a very high cost. If not, he dies. He’s already had several liters of air pumped out of his chest cavity already. Basically, her dog is to her what Annie is to me, so… I feel Bonni’s despair.

5) I went to the doctor before Christmas for my pre-Japan medical clearance, all on top of things and ready to go. I repeatedly asked for confirmation paperwork and signatures, but was emphatically told I did not need any. Turns out she was wrong, wrong, wrong, so I get paperwork from some random source in Japan and go back this week, still woozy from the food poisoning. She doesn’t understand the papers, so she sends me home while she calls around to figure them out. As it turns out, she isn’t qualified to do medical clearances, and I’m supposed to go to some other place that does them. Now I’m trying to schedule doctor’s appointment #3, but no one will pick up their phone! Of course, we can’t finalize or book anything until we are cleared. I can’t decide if it’s the military at large that is incompetent, if it’s me, or if it’s just the Army. Ha! 

6) I have to take the Bean to the worst vet appointment ever, but you all already know about that. 180-day quarantine started yesterday (at least it’s in-home!)

Grrr. Can this week be over already? I need a fresh start.