A Picture's Worth

Just kidding. I'm back in the capital with my best friend who's a local here, and after coming here in summer it is weird seeing it so empty by comparison, not to mention actually snowing. Sure, I've seen snow before, but usually in the mountains, and always on the ground already, not in progress. And of course the state I left is the only one in the US that doesn't have snow...

Weirder than DC in winter: Running around being a tourist while back home, Queensland is flooded. It's not even my state and it feels weird. It's gotta be worse for one of my old flatmates who's actually from Queensland; he's had family affected by it but his parents told him to keep going with his tour of the US and stay here as long as he'd planned. I've donated; I just wish I could do more.

( I hate to be a downer, so a bit more on DC. )

The new TSA restrictions are creepy. Airport security got pretty suspicious of Pukamon when he went through the scanner so they gave me an extra patdown way worse than the one I had flying back from Pittsburgh. If I had the time and money (rental cars and gas are more expensive than flying) I'd drive around the States instead (though this wouldn't have helped me get to Puerto Rico).

( Speaking of Puerto Rico! )

Oh, Hikari-san, I think you would have liked the coffee in Puerto Rico: It was everywhere, it was much cheaper than Starbucks, and it was fantastic.

New York next! Anyone up in the area for hanging out?

It's hard to believe I've only got a month left at Disney. And only two weeks till I graduate! Finally, I'll get the graduation ear hat and meet graduation Mickey and Minnie. My roommate's girlfriend plays Minnie; I will laugh if she ends up working a graduation.

I'm starting to plan my itinerary for after my Program, because I get until February 7th to stay in the States on my visa and school doesn't start for another week after that. Places definitely on the itinerary so far: DC again, NYC again. Maybe LA. Maybe Vancouver; one of my cousins is teaching snowboarding there this winter and Pukamon finds snow hilarious. Pukamon and I have been discussing the Jersey Shore, but all I want to do there is fist pump like a champ, and all he wants to do there is hit the beach, and it's going to be the middle of winter. Probably not. Suggestions? I've been putting quite a bit away, so I might even be able to swing a quick visit to Tokyo once I leave the States.

This week I put in an application for something pretty big, though it's really unlikely that I'll get it so I won't be devastated if I don't (think "I fell down a couple of steps" on a scale of stubbing your toe to accidentally destroying the worlds). I don't want to say what it is in case I jinx it, but wish me luck.