And Then There Was One...

Well, I think I only have about two more posts left in me. I know, I know. You guys want your free entertainment. I did what I could. Of course, before too long, I’ll be back to provide the entertainment in person. Even better than having to read it, right?
So the past two days have been interesting. Not in an “I-Have-Lots-Of-Entertaining-Stories-From-The-Past-Two-Days” kind of way. But more in the way things have gone in general.
I have had more people come hunt me down and stop by my desk in the last two days than I think have come by in total during the past three months. Everyone wants to know when my last day is, make sure that I will be at the office send-off drinks on Friday night, and to see what I have planned when I am done here. And everyone wants to make sure that I will give them my US email address before I go. I think I’m all set with that kind of stuff.
Kim, our office coordinator, just stopped by 10 minutes ago and asked if I wanted to stay longer. It’s kind of nice to hear that people want me to hang around. Of course, I have places to go and things to see. Plus I have it set in my mind that tomorrow is my last day of work here. So I really don’t think that there is much that could convince me to stay through the end of the week, much less any longer.
Kim also wanted to tell me that we would have my “exit interview” tomorrow afternoon. I have some forms to fill out tomorrow, and some questions to answer. (They really appear to be directed more towards someone who is resigning, not someone who is here on temporary work visas. But at least the form will give me something to do tomorrow.) I think the exit interview is really just going over a checklist to make sure I’m not taking and good stuff home with me. Rats. There goes my plan to take home a really awesome two-hole punch. That’s right – you read correctly. Two hole punch. What in the hell I would do with that thing, I’m not sure. I guess I would have to steal a two-hole binder to store whatever paper I punch two holes in, since it wouldn’t work with anything back in the US.
But I digress… It has been nice to have people popping by my desk to talk to me and wish me well. And to have people come by and see how I have enjoyed living here. I really like the people here, and I really like working here. But I’ll tell you what… I need a vacation! I think the last vacation I had was a day and a half off for my sister’s wedding. And prior to that, I’m not sure I remember my last vacation. I think it was the weekend of Cooper River Bridge Run back in early April. So, needless to say, there’s not a whole lot that will be coming in between me and my time off!
As I had a little free time today, I got online to make sure I had all of the directions and addresses I need for my upcoming trips. I also jumped online to find the best way to get to the airport on Thursday morning to pick Sally up. I come to find that the trip takes about an hour. Yikes! No, an hour is not a big deal. The fact that Sally’s plane arrives at 6.30 am is the big deal! But no worries… With having to get her bag and deal with customs, I am shooting for 7.30, assuming her flight is on time. So as long as I am at the bus stop by 6.40, I’ll be doing okay. I already told her, “If you’re early, I won’t be. Just sit and wait.” My butt doesn’t get out of bed before 6 for much of anything.
Of course, on the flip side, I imagine that I’ll be pretty excited that morning about seeing her (it’s the first time in three months that I have seen anyone from back home), so maybe I’ll be easily motivated to get out of bed early. I mean, I’m really excited about it right now, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t do mornings. So I am just hoping I don’t fall asleep on the bus or the train on Thursday morning. I can’t imagine there will be all that many people on the public transport with me at 7 am. Luckily, the couple of times I dozed off on the bus or the ferry, the people were pretty loud when they were getting up, so I managed to get off at the right stops. (I tend to be one of the last stops on most modes of transportation, when everyone has to clear off the bus or the ferry.) But I’m sure all will be fine.
In the big events of the week, I will be finishing up my book on the commute home tonight. I think. (If not, I will finish it while sitting in my apartment tonight.) Why is it such a big deal? Because I have been reading this damn book for almost a year now. (I’m not much of a reader in my “spare” time.) I was sure that I would have lots of down time to read while I was over here. But I rarely get to sit down on the bus, and it’s not very easy to read while standing up. Plus I usually spend the morning commute checking my home emails, since I have 25-30 to go through each morning before I get into the office here. So I have reached a major milestone while wrapping up here. Take it as a sign. I guess. I finish my book, and it’s time to go.
With that said, it really is time for me to go. I want to go catch the ferry while it is still light out, since I only have two more nights of this commute! (Of course, I missed the bus this morning by literally two minutes. I watched it drive past as I stood at the crosswalk waiting for the light to turn. So no ferry commute this morning into work. I swear I’m going to catch that ferry tomorrow!)
To close, what just might be your final mX Update:
TEXT VENTS:
“Tanya S of Penrith, 709 to Central, did I have a gym bag?” – Maybe me, Penrith
“We should rename the North Shore train line to the Not Sure line so that we do not worry about delays.” – Patil, Mt Colah
“I’m sitting on an intercity express to Newcastle. The train hasn’t moved for 15 minutes. CityRail, get new trains and use them.” – L, Hornsby
“My train driver was using a hilarious tone when she made the announcements. People in my carriage laughed.” – Sarah, North Sydney (Why don’t I get to ride on those trains!?)
STORY OF THE DAY:
I stumbled across an article in mX about a guy who formed a band called “Carolina Liar.” The band is based here in Sydney, and is this one guy from the US and 5 other guys from Sweden. The name of the band came from this guy, who used to tell stories of his life (for example, neighbors practicing target shooting inside their mobile home), and one guy called him “Carolina Liar.” “He used to say I was the biggest liar he’d ever met because I was constantly telling him crazy stories of what people did down south in Carolina.”
Now, I’m going to call bull on this story. Actually, I’m going to suggest that “Carolina Liar” is an accurate name for him in some ways. The liar part. I don’t think he’s really from “Carolina.” Why? Because no one from either North or South Carolina call it “Carolina.” We like the true distinction of exactly which state we are from. (Because, regardless of which side you are on, the other “Carolina” is low class compared to yours.) Dork. Plus the stories he’s telling (that I read in the article) could easily be topped by any 6-year-old who attends public school in NC.
One last story for you guys: There is a hotel on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast that had to make a massive change in its hiring policy. The hotel has fired all of its male employees. The 27-room hotel now only employs female staff. The manager of the hotel is quoted as saying, “The last straw was when I saw our bartender… walk out of the bathroom with a British tourist.” Apparently the male employees have repeatedly been having affairs with the foreign female guests.
Now explain to me… How does this new policy help things? I would think that if I were a guy who was traveling to Turkey, an all-female hotel might be my #1 pick for my hotel stay! Brilliant!