Finally… a Blast-off Date: 1 Oct. 2011

O.k. there’s no more wiggle room now… I’ve finally bite-bullet and set a blast-off date.  I’d originally hoped to blow this dear U.S. of A. popsicle stand by July 1st, but…

1. Turns out that’s pretty much the heart of the monsoon season in Asia, and I thought it best to uh, not start off by getting swept out into the South China Sea on my first day in Vietnam.
2. Just waaaaay too many loose ends to tie up in little more than 4 months.  Seriously, it’s all a good bit overwhelming.  Having to sell most everything including my car, researching and setting up a mail forwarding service (more on that in another post), ditto travel insurance, finding a good home for my dear kitty Luna, arranging a storage locker (and figuring out what stays and how to fit it all in!), immunizations, banking issues, plus getting visas, copies of my college transcripts, a police background check (for a work permit in VN) – the list goes on and on.  In short, trust that moving lock, stock ‘n barrel overseas, isn’t at all like slapping on a backpack and hopping on a plane for a 3 week vacation.

Thus I’ve opted to be prudent and push my ETD out a bit.  But it’s now official:  I WILL be heading for that g-forsaken rice paddy in Southeast Asia come October 1, 2011!