Closure

JFGI: Just fucking google it. Used when people ask stupid questions without asking google first.

I had to google "jfgi" to see what it meant. The irony is overwhelming.

First let me share this video because I think it’s amazing and weird and beautiful. Allison Schulnik, the artist, creates music videos for Grizzly Bear, which is how I came across her stuff.


[Pretend transition here.]

This was meant to be written in the quiet hours of the early morning, sitting next to my packed bags and appreciating the stillness of my house. That was the plan, but I accidentally fell asleep and woke up to frantically run around like a headless chicken, grabbing all the last-minute crap I forgot about.

So I’m writing my closing post now, in the international United terminal at O’Hare, waiting to get on my flight that has been delayed three hours. I’m staring at the bony butt of the older man sleeping across a row of chairs nearby. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

But alas, my ranting and babbling has come to an end. At least on this blog. By the time I have the internetz and actually get a chance to post this, it will be history. I’ll either be in my hostel or some internet café in Asia, jetlagged, hungry and melting from the sun.

It just recently hit me that I’ll be missing certain moments this year for the first time—Thanksgiving, Christmas, my brother’s graduation, etc. I’m especially sad to be missing the holidays in Seattle because it’s the one time a year I get to see my mom’s side of my family who I adore in a city I consider my second home. I also feel a tinge of guilt because my grandpa died last Christmas Eve, which was hard enough on everyone, and now I’m upping the number of missing relatives this year.

Trust me, I’m not thinking Oh man, what are people gonna do without me! Pretty much everyone is like "We’ll miss you, but we’re happy you’re doing your thing. Send a postcard." I’m the one who’s having trouble saying goodbye, even though this experience is completely self-inflicted.

Also, I only just realized it’s almost NEW YEARS. 2009 is close to over and we are embarking on a new decade. Can you believe that? I honestly can’t. It’s been a big 10 years, look at all the stuff that’s happened.

Just watching this, I think Oh yeah, I can’t believe that happened six years ago, it feels like a month ago. Oh dear Time, how you continually mystify me.

But here I am, getting ready to spend the next year of my life far away from everything and everyone I know. I promise that I will have a new blog up and running sometime in the not-so-distant future to document my journey. Hopefully it will be more interesting than writing about White Chicks.

Until then,

Thanks for ever reading my stuff, no matter how infrequently or anonymously it was. It means a lot to me.

J.