Preparation

Well. That's a great way to start a sentence, don't you think? Maybe not. I'm gonna start it like that anyways, so let's start over. Well, I'm getting ready to leave for China. Been taking care of all the preparations, necessities, and what have yous. Not an easy task, as you could very well imagine.

I've got a little less than a month left in the states, and it's a strange feeling. A better way to describe that would be a strange mix of emotions. I'll be teaching English there for at least a year to start. Can you imagine packing everything you need for a year? I can't. And I'm doing it! The mix of emotions I've been feeling have only just begun and I consider them to be very mild. They're gonna hit a lot harder when I'm flying in the air or soon after arrival. Ahhhhhh!!! That's a sample of what's going through my head right now.....and I just felt like screaming on paper, so deal with it. I've found myself taking more and more slow, deep breaths the closer my departure date gets. And while we're on the subject of taking care of what needs to be done; being a procrastinator sucks! There are lots of us out there, and I think it's about time we set up a support group. Just kidding. Come on, a support group for people that procrastinate? That's just another reason for psychos to meet. They got enough meetings to attend as it is.

So if you actually want to get something out of this and hear what I've accomplished thus far, here it is. I've got my plane ticket and my Chinese Visa as far as big ticket items are concerned. Traveler's insurance is my last stop. I plan on acquiring that within the week. If you want a list of little items that I've deemed important enough to accompany me, here's that. I've got my acoustic guitar, laptop, portable hard drive, digital camera with an extra battery, and two memory cards. Exciting stuff, I know. You should also know that I'm psyched about getting rid of my cell phone and not having to worry about gas or car insurance or any of the garbage that goes with owning a car. It's liberating.

Adios for now. I'll keep ya' posted on things when it gets a little closer to leaving.

Jeff the Chef (I don't really cook...yet. It's just about the only thing that rhymes with my name, haha.)