One month to go

Here I am in the last month before I leave on my journey to France. I am filled with anxiety, doubt, intrigue and anticipation. I finally picked up the arrete from my parents which arrived earlier this week. This is the letter that I needed in order to get my visa later in August before I leave. I am working so much right now that I have not had any time to practice my French so last week I picked up an audio program on CD. It is below my level but is helping me practice my accent and pronunciation. The next month I have a lot to do, I am trying to sell my truck before I go so I will not have a car payment to worry over while I am in France. I think I found someone to buy it, but I have to pay about 2,000 out of pocket. I am cool with it because it saves me almost 4,500 in the long run. This will come in handy next summer when I am backpacking through Spain.
While I am sure that the time will pass quickly enough I am hoping to work another three weeks and then chill out for a few days travelling around seeing everyone before I leave. Hopefully I can make enough to go down to the beach or somewhere for a weekend to chill out. Then again, Paris is only 30 days and a wake up. One can hardly wait........

Misfits Thanksgiving 2003, with the parents here. George and Teri, love ya Mom and Dad. I am on about hour number 48 with 4 hours of sleep, but well worth it. 

Hanging out, playing the X Box 

At the football game, Go Panthers! 

Bar-B-Que

I was thinking about bringing something to work the other day for my co-workers at the freight terminal. The guys are really a great bunch of people that remind me a lot of the people that I grew up around. This area has been so overwhelmed with new faces that it is hard to see the people who have been here all along. I am not being anti-growth, just reminiscing a little to the time when I worked my first restaurant, before my love of French cuisine took root. Lancaster's B-B-Q. 
   There is a certain satisfaction that I realize when I smell the slow-smoking of pork "Boston Butts." That dash of acidity that the Eastern North Carolina style offers with some White House apple cider vinegar. Then you just need to steam a seedless hamburger bun and scoop, slap, and spread a generous portion of mustard cole slaw. Drooling.......... Then, after you take that first bite and you smell the bakers dozen of fresh fried hush puppies rolling over the table, you reach and bobble-bounce the steaming treat to your lips.  Your conscious tells you that it is not nutritious but nevertheless you bite through and taste the Sweet Betsy with onions from House Autry, delicious. In the land of soft drinks available today there isn't one that I would take over a thick-as-molasses, styrofoam cup, filled with sweet tea, ice and a wedge of lemon. Although I am going to France for a year and I try to be urbane, you will never shake all the adopted southern boy out of me.
    I have about 5 weeks left until I leave for my adventure. The freight job is going to end on the 11th of August because I am a casual worker and the union will not allow me to work more than 30 out of 90 days. I have been so worried about making money. I think that this way will be better so I  can maybe go up to Lancaster's with the family, have myself a cup of sweet tea, laugh a little, and remember where I came from. I think that I have been so obsessed with getting a leg up that I didn't realize how much I will miss Dad's hamburgers and sugary summer desserts, coffee with my mom, wracking my little sisters nerves, a little politics with the big sister, or just hanging with my brother. 
 
Good times, Good food, Great People.....

Uncle Sam released me yesterday

It looks as though I have been released from the Army without being called up. My last day was on the 17th of July. I have officially seperated from the US Army. It is kind of a weird feeling though. I went to reenlist about a year and a half ago before the war in Iraq actually started, although, I knew it was coming. I told the retention officer that I would reenlist as long as I was allowed to choose a new MOS, but more importantly that I was allowed to go to France for a year when I returned. She said, "Do not reenlist of you want to go to France because they will not let you go to France for a year." I offered to go to Iraq and help and they said no. So, I guess I should not feel any remorse.
 
Now I have only around 43 days and a wake-up until I leave for France. The new job is working me so much that the time actually is passing pretty well.
 
I am getting excited talking about the things I will be doing on the Assistants website. For those of you who do not know it is www.assistantsinfrance.com. I live for that site, and it has become a little family for me that I know I will use as a support in France when the going gets rough. Thanks LeeAnn!!! Today I posted a thread about wine country in France. I want to get drunk with the intoxication of the beautiful vineyards rolling through Bordeaux. Perhaps, I can bump into an old fixture of the area who sees my enthusiam and invites me in to sample some of the families vintages. Although I know a lot of the major chateaux are owned by larger companies I am hoping for a little luck. Even a glimpse into the old world of France. If I am lucky I could work the harvest and nibble baguette and cheese after toiling all day in the hills. Who knows, my romantic side is coming out. OOOPS!!! I have to make sure that I do not spill my milk on the way to the market, I am running late for work. Thanks for stopping by......                        
                                                                                                                                                                                   

Stuck in the staging area

Well, I now have a decent job even though I am working unbelievable hours. I do think, however,  that this will help me out in the long run because I am going to be used to the hours in France by the end of the summer. I just hope that I start getting paid soon. The three week wait for my paycheck is becoming a little annoying. I have put the restaurant on hold for the most part. I am working one day a week there and using the money to just buy my lunches at work. I have so much to do before I leave and I hope that my arrete de nomination arrives soon so I can get my visa.
 
Oh, although I did not design this site as a political forum I wanted to say that I am voting for Kerry/Edwards this November. I have put up with Georgie for too long. He is creating a huge deficit and putting us in a terribly precarious position of being able to defend ourselves. Not to mention that he is not a smart man and keeps showing us that he is Dick Cheney's puppet.
 
OK, I think that will suffice.

Falling together

I think that things are really beginning to fall into place. I have a decent paying job that allows me to get as much overtime as I can handle and I found the magic supply/demand curve for my truck. Sometimes in life it seems like you are working and not going anywhere, then you look back and say to yourself, "I came all this way." My motto is to never stop moving forward and do not let the little things get you down. Times were very tough over the last six months and I am now coming into the light.

Ok, enough of the reminiscent mumbo jumbo. This week I am working 60 hours plus at the new job until they don't have any work for me. Which, apparently will not be until December but I am not worried about that at all!!!!
Only tough part is that I have not even been to the pool this summer. I guess that is just one of the opportunity costs I am making. I will make up for it snowboarding in the Alps next winter.

Lost in the moment

I have been so neglecting of my blog the last week and a half. I started working the new job moving freight. The pay is pretty good but unfortunately being able to talk about France is out of the question because even though I am a temporary fix I think that I would be let go. Not to mention the fact that it seems the farthest these guys make it outside a tractor trailer haul is Myrtle Beach, SC.

I must say that I am very excited about leaving in eight weeks. I am trying to work as much as possible since it looks as if I will be paying the payment the entire time I am gone.

On the upside last night at the restaurant ( www.dresslersrestaurant.com ) I met a three patrons from the UK. It was not a great night for my pocketbook but one of the guys at the table was hilarious. They were the age where you are just happy to be around people and I think they enjoyed my youth too, not the lecturing types. We discussed France and the UK under our breathes because only a select few at the restaurant know that I am leaving. I asked the guy that was visiting from over-the-pond if I could get his number and we could hang out a day in London when I go to visit for a weekend. He was very adamant about me coming over. He said that if I come over he will come and hang out. Pretty cool in my opinion, sometimes things are just meant to happen.