Looking Ahead

I'm sure spending the last five of six weeks on the road hasn't helped with my outlook, but I'm going to be exhausted by the time this is all over with. That, or I'll achieve super road-warrior nirvana with the ability to hop on a plane and be ready to go at a moment's notice.

I'm already making trade-offs. Learning new things (skateboarding and DJ'ing) are falling lower and lower in priority, while traveling and riding my bike are staying at the top. There are quite a few things I want to do (diving in Bonaire or snowboard camp at Whistler) that I'm struggling to keep on the schedule. And the hard cut-off for the travel is early February (I need to start training for IM CDA).

GMT

I'm sure this is a pretty common theme that you'll see in the next few months, but I'm stuck on GMT right now. I'm waking up early and falling asleep before we get the check for dinner. I don't fare well with jet-lag. Apparently, old mice don't either.

Everyday is a Saturday

Wow. It's beginning to really hit me that I am quitting my job. It's really nice that I'm sleeping away a Sunday afternoon, and it doesn't matter -- there's nothing that I'm rushing to do tomorrow. Once I get some pesky tasks done (scheduling appointments, expense reports) and once I plan the trips, I won't have anything I need to do. It's scary and liberating. Thank goodness Pete (and for 3 weeks his brother Ed) are taking time off too.

I'll do my best to divide my blogs into travel and training, but I train enough so that it gets incorporated into travel. While my first stops in Chicago were Portillo's and Lou Malnati's for hot dogs and pizza, my first (and only activity so far) has been a 20 mile run down the lake shore.