Well here I am again writing in this blog and I haven't even left for the DR yet. I will consider this my *official* pre-departure blog post, and from here on out you'll hear from me direct from some rando internet cafe in the Republica Dominicana. It's all starting to become real...after having made trips to the bank, spending every last giftcard on little things like travel shampoo and a new pair of sandals, and printing off bits of the so-called important paperwork, I am not at all packed but am very ready to go.
These past couple of weeks I've been working at my usual brewhouse (coffee, not beer) Fuel in Mt. Vernon. It's been really great...I've been able to see my favorite regulars, work with my artistic coworkers, and help out Tommie, my second mother and one of my dearest friends. We've accomplished a lot around my house as well, having painted and put in a new fireplace in our living room, successfully gone through Christmas dinner with two sick grandparents and an almost 1,000-pound ham (I dont' know how my mom does it.) And New Year's Eve brings me out with my brother and his friends to dress up nice and head out to the bars. Sounds like a nice time, eh?
One thing that has been interesting about the past few weeks is the sheer quantity of wild game meat in our house, a result of my dad and brothers' impeccable shot with a 22. Road hunting is a favorite pastime in the Butz household, and the past 15 days have brought home turkeys, pheasants, rabbits, quail, and even a large goose slain by my brother Tom (you should ask him about that hunt...pretty primitive stuff). As the wild game fills our already-full Christmas freezer, I see more and more rabbit and goose recipes around the kitchen, as well as wild game cookbooks. This includes Ted and Shemane Nugent's "Kill It & Grill It," which I found to be hilarious and a thrilling page-turner, as is any book by Ted Nugent, I'm sure. As you can see, I have had a lot to distract myself with, but now that Christmas is over, I'm done working, the slain goose is eaten, the season two DVD of Sherlock is now finished, I have nothing to do but concentrate on going to the DR!
One good thing about going to the Caribbean is that the packing portion is really simple. My handbook tells me that I should bring plenty of shirts and pants, blah blah blah. I look down to the nonexistent section about winter wear, and there is a side note saying that I MAY bring a light jacket if I really want to. Looking outside at the 20 degree snowy weather and watching the miserable neighbor children struggle back up the sledding hill with too-rosy cheeks, I smile cunningly. No more Iowa winter for this lady. However, I have never in my life gone to a beach without getting some sort of sunburn (not to be mistaken for suntan...German/Irish Butz skin doesn't exactly allow for that.) So I drug my little brother with me to Walmart to buy a god's plenty of sunscreen and aloe. Hopefully this means that I won't get sunburned! Lies...but at least I can treat it.
Three more days...even the random tangents in this blog reflect how much I'm avoiding the fact. I am very excited to go, but I still haven't really wrapped my head around it. Perhaps once I start packing it will become a real thing and then I'll be scared shitless. Guess I'll put off my packing for a day or two more :)
That's all I got for now, but I promise that next time I write it won't be from the US!
Best wishes and a happy new year,
Anna
No comments:
Post a Comment