MIA Business

I just found out what MIA means in non-airport term and apparently it means "missing in action". I've pretty much been MIA from blogland these past few weeks for various good reasons:

1. I turned 24 on September 24th and have been planning my party for the past 4 weeks.
Note: my party rocked, but it wasn't the best party I've ever had like I had predicted

2. On Thursday night we returned from a 4 day camping trip in the Australian bush, we've had the last week off from school for mid-semester break--even though the middle of the semester was weeks ago.
Note: we saw heaps of animals and I have at least one good drink-camping moment

3. Our friend Keely left a couple of weeks ago and while she was here visiting I kind of neglected my academic duties and have plenty (read: too many) of them now

4. During the first half of the semester I wasn't being assigned enough work so I decided to fill up my time with extracurricular activities like volunteering as a translator for this UN-associated organization and tutoring Spanish. Well, work in school has picked up considerably and I now have a jam-packed schedule.

5. I just purchased our tickets to Thailand. This required approximately 3 hours of waiting in a travel agency without food or drink.

6. The semester is over in 3 weeks and I have to choose a text for my translation project next semester as well as decide on a topic to research for my mini-thesis.

7. We are knee-deep in the medical process for Peace Corps and we have doctors appointments right and left. I has to get blood tests for Hepatitis A-Z, HIV, plus heaps of other blood-bourne diseases. Apparently we begin taking antimalarial medication next summer--woohoo! I recently paid heaps of money to purchase two pairs of metal-framed glasses for Peace Corps because they stronglly advise against using contact lenses or plastic framed glasses--like I had wanted. If I'm even half as dirty in my new town next year as when we were camping, then I don't want to wear contact lenses. I pick up my new glasses on Monday (tomorrow), so I may just be looking a bit more intelligent these days.

8. I've dropped my PhD dreams for now, although not entirely as I will still be working on a research project next semester of publishing quality, but am being more realistic about my future and have decided that I need to get certified to teach ESL if I'm going to have any financially-rich future at all after Peace Corps (read: attend more schooling-yes!)

Finally...we've got heaps of pictures from camping and my birthday which both deserve separate blog entries.

This has been a Dirty Flamingo production sponsored by Deernose Records, 100% Juice Stickers and LavaLots Orange Crates. Stay tuned...and stay cool.