Next Stop, Newark NJ

I was so tired I slept through takeoff. My favorite part. Unbelievable.

The trip from Houston to Newark was 47 Counting

Crows songs.

I know this place like the back of my hand now.

10 p.m. I finish calling immediate family members to let them know I've arrived safely. All restaurants are closed. Have Frito's and Pork Rinds for dinner. That's a meat and a vegetable right?

11:30 p.m. As it turns out, this does not mean that there are resting places in the airport:

I know... I went in search of this so called resting place. Took the airport subway to what turned out to be an overpriced Hilton inside the airport. When I was ready to return to my concourse I found that the subway had stopped running.

12:45 a.m. I walked for miles, ran across this guy:

1 a.m. Discovered that American Airlines concourse has massage chairs. Enjoyed TWO massages.

2 a.m. Finally, my concourse. Wow this place is huge!!!

3:43 a.m. I've edited all of my pictures, FINALLY watched the last episode of Lost, and am currently jamming out to my favorite song from Guitar Hero. But I'm in Houston, so it's really only 2:43 a.m.!!!!! So proud of my newfound linking ability by the way!!!

Three more hours to go! One more hour until I've been up for 24. Scared I will snore on plane. Getting up to seek out one more adventure between now and then.

Stranded in Houston!

For the next 9 hours I will be living in the Houston Airport. YAY layover!!! The view from here is grand!

Never mind the handicap sign, this is where I was told to sit.

Objective #1, find a better place to spend the night.

It was thrilling to fly again! ADD was at it's peak and found me switching between book, journal, laptop, on board movie, and magazine. The flight was less than an hour and a half long.

My favorite moment was watching ice crystals form on the window while listening to a quarter spin in my head on my new headphones. The live version doesn't do the song justice, as there is no quarter... but believe me, it was amazing.

The view of the Mississippi River was brilliant!

So far, I've chatted with a British couple who have informed me that there are no mosquitoes or spy glasses (peep-holes) in England.

At 6:30 in the morning I will fly to Newark, NJ and at 11:30 a.m. I will begin the 18.5 hour flight to Beijing.

Now for food and a comfortable place to play Guild Wars. I am tired.

The Last McSupper

Last night I convinced a very reluctant Derrick to let me have my last supper (out anyway) at McDonalds.

In retaliation he made me watch this as I ate it:

I did not enjoy my double quarter pounder and I think my relationship with Derrick is now strained.

Sweet Georgia Peaches

In my experience, epic life-changing dreams usually need a kick-start to throw them into action. My decision to move to China was no exception. I could give you dozens of reasons why I want, must, go... but there was a singular catalyst that pushed me out the door.

Loneliness.

By the time the proverbial kick in the pants arrived, I had been in Atlanta for roughly a year. I don't know why, but I just didn't fit in, especially with the similarly-aged x-chromosomes at the office. Atlanta hurt my feelings, I wasn't used to having a hard time making friends. I play well with others.

I could have taken it personally, but rather decided to take advantage of the fact that I had no roots here. It was a sign that it was time. Time to go. My sister put it perfectly: "China, it's spelled GTFO."

I am absolutely certain that I am about to have the time of my life but today my excitement just doesn't dull the pain that I know I'm going to feel when I leave. As it turns out, if you're lonely, just move to Walton on the Chattahoochee and get a job at the Chatt Room and you'll have more friends than you can leave in one piece.

Yes, loneliness was the key that helped turn my dream into a reality but in the end friendship will bring me back home.

(Pictured above: Constance: Keeper of the Zoe and creator of excellent foodstuffs. Shauna: Shoulder provider and secretkeeper. Derrick: Blogdesigner and maker of the laughter that causes snorts. Chris: He who is my rock in Atlanta and forgiver of great bitchiness.)

Free cat for sale.

I am going to kill my brother. (I love you Ashdon, but right now I'm thinking your head might make a fine display upon the wall.)

Let me give you another reason why planning is useless. My beloved cat Zoe is 11 days away from being homeless. I made arrangements months ago for her to stay with my brother but he just couldn't wait to be a proud papa so he got his own cat... which is one too many in a place that doesn't allow pets!

Unfortunately, he didn't experience any crisis of conscience over harboring two cats in this place until, oh a month before I have to leave. I could have gotten my knickers in quite a knot when he told me he couldn't take her but I didn't want my baby brother incurring any ridiculous fines on my behalf.

In the wake of this news my friend Mike readily volunteered to take my precious kitty. I was so relieved until he sent her back to me with claims that she inspired his cat to projectile vomit.

@#$%!

So I find myself this morning, with less than two weeks to go, worrying about what I'm going to do with her. And then, as if he were in Murfreesboro reading my mind, my brother texts me the following, "Do your cats compete for attention?" Hmmm, I'm quick to figure things out and even quicker to judge. IT'S CONFIRMED, HE'S GOT TWO CATS NOW!!!

Note: this is what happens when you work with cute furry things. He gets it from his mother, she could never resist a stray.

"This is so unfair!" I tell him. "I'm not mad," I say "but you're starring in today's blog." In my defense, I had planned on writing about Zoe today anyway.

By the way, if you're interested, Zoe has white fur and green eyes. She likes catnip, feathers, and long naps on the couch.

I quit! ...And I'm moving to China.

It's been:
2 years since I graduated college.
1 year since I realized that I was not cut out for a desk job.
8 months since I started actively pursuing my idea to leave the country.
3 months since I was offered a job teaching English in China.
2 months since I signed the contract.
And 2 weeks since I quit my desk job.

In two weeks I will be landing in Beijing for what I expect to be the most exciting adventure of my life. Adventure. I've been jumping off cliffs for months now in pursuit of it. I can't get enough. Ironic, I'm a Capricorn, we don't do this sort of thing. And we don't quit our jobs and sell all of our worldly possessions just to have a chance to try something new. We plan and save and revel in stability.

Yet here I am, exercising complete abandon of caution. I'm moving to a country so foreign that I don't even know what to be excited about. I certainly can't envision it when I close my eyes... regardless of how many times I tour the city on Google Earth. (Look how happy the Bejing airport is!!!)