Counting down the hours...

Hello everyone. This is my first blog of hopefully many more to come. Time is getting nearer to departure date. T-minus 28 days. Last week I gave my company my 2-week notice. I've really enjoyed working for IronPort/Cisco over the last two years and will continue to stay in touch with my manager and friends that I have made over the course of my time here, and maybe, just maybe, I'll work here again upon my return to California. But that's a long ways away. For now, I am focused on the task at hand. Getting ready to leave for the southern tip of Argentina...and in one piece.

Everything is coming together smoothly. We've gotten our medical shots, we've gone to REI about 100 times to pick up/return camping and traveling necessities. I am feverishly applying sun spot cream to my chest and back to get rid of Tinea Versicolar before we depart (and by the looks of things, it's working). I don't want to look like a freak with a tan.

After purchasing our car and taking it for a few spins, I can honestly ask: Who wouldn't want to travel in a VW Eurovan?? The car is perfect in every way. It is clean and spacious on the inside and even has a fold down bed and table. Although I'm pretty sure the current cleanliness will be replaced by what I call "Man Tornado" after just a few days. From the outside, the car blends in perfectly with other cars that will be on the road. We aren't attaching surfboards to the top, we aren't putting McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden bumper stickers on the car and we aren't towing jet skiis.

On a side note, Mike's goal in terms of physical appearance will be to be the fluent Spanish-speaking dirty American hippy, as he has emphatically explained to me why growing out his hair as long as possible, growing a burly mustache and bringing a total of 2 t-shirts is the only way. Is it somehow a rite of passage? Maybe so. I'm sure we'll figure it out along the way...