What’s in a Name?
Wow. 10 days since my last post. For all three of you who are concerned, yes I’m still alive. The past week and a half has been a complete whirlwind of life-changing events, with very little free time to keep up on the happenings of the world. Sadly, in those 10 days I have only managed to leave the house on 3 separate occasions— the first on a 30 minute trip to the grocery store, the second down to the bank and a quick packed lunch of PB&J in the park with Laura, and the third an evening out in New Jersey. Other than that, I’ve been glued to my computer from the time I wake up, to the time I force myself to go to sleep at 4am. So let me not bore you with the details, but here’s a quick rundown of the important chaos that has been happening.
August 16 was my last day at the temp job I’ve been working at for 6 months. There was always the possibility of going full time, but I just had a feeling it wasn’t going to happen. Especially over the last 2 months. I decided since I was still being paid through the end of August, I was going to take some time and work on launching my travel/food/culture blog I’ve been trying to start up for a while now. I was also working on designing an 8 page booklet as part of a freelance assignment, and updating a website for a charity group. I thought with so much on my plate, it was the perfect time to get laid off. I couldn’t have been more right. The very next day, JetBlue announced their All You Can Jet pass— $499 for 30 days of unlimited flights (excluding Fridays and Sundays), all taxes and fees included! I, rather impulsively, bought it. First I did my research, made sure that I knew enough people in enough cities that JetBlue flies to to make it worth the money. Then I contacted all of those people and made sure it was okay to crash on their couch. Then, I bought it. I had to put all of the trip-planning details aside though, as I spent about 80+ hours in one week working on that brochure. (Yes, I’ve had training and experience in design, but it’s not something I do every day. I’m a little rusty.)
So every spare second I’ve had since then has been spent planning for this trip. It starts September 7th and lasts through October 6th. And what better way to launch a travel/food/culture blog than with a 30 day journey around the country, right? One would hope. My goal is to get a new blog up and running by mid next week. An interesting blog that serves an actual purpose to readers all across the world. But I’m having trouble finding the perfect name. Every time I stumble upon something, either the domain or Twitter name is taken. Not to mention my laptop is hardly capable of posting while on the road, and even though I have $900 set aside for my $1100 laptop (so close!), I now have to keep that money “in case of emergency.” Gotta see what I can do about renting one or something.
I’ve booked a little over half of the trip, I’ve sold concert tickets for money and listed several other items on eBay, and I’ve only managed to spend $18 in 11 days. So far, I think I’m handling unemployment rather well. It’s really been the first time in my life I’ve had a little time to breathe and reboot. I get to spend this time focusing on something I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time. I’m extremely optimistic and grateful for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see the good things that will come of it. Until then, stay tuned. Trip itinerary and details to come soon!
