M-whY

It started with dinner at Fuel and Fuddle with Momoko, who is well-travelled herself. To give credit where credit is due, her solo journeys across the globe convinced me that if she could pull it off, I could too. She gave me some travel tips, recommendations for where to stay in Japan, and even left me a couple phone cards that I would find useful when I landed in Tokyo.

A few nights later, some friends treated me to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. The five guys all ordered pasta plates, and the lone girl ordered a salad. Entrees were followed by three slices of cheesecake which were shared around the table. The food was great. Everyone cleared their plates. Well, except one. Someone couldn't finish their salad...

There wasn't much for me to do at work on my last day. I threw away all the papers I had collected over the past year and wiped my computer clean of any suspicious activities I may have engaged in. I gave Chris my empty mountain dew bottles so he could add to his collection under his desk. My coworkers treated me to lunch at Primanti Bros, home of Pittsburgh's most famous sandwiches. Where else are fries served inside the sandwich?

The weekend before I left Pittsburgh for New Jersey, I had lunch at Rose Tea Cafe with Lina, a friend I had met all the way back on the first day of college. I had always enjoyed her company. It was a change of pace from all the basketball and video game talk that I had with most of my other friends. Besides, who else would go with me to more cultured events like the Duchess of Malfi and Dracula at the Benedum?

Shortly after returning home to New Jersey, I made a trip to Boston to see another good friend of mine. Pete actually lived about a half hour outside of Boston, in Plainville. The name couldn't have better described the town. But I was there mainly to see how Pete was doing. We did venture into Boston on one night though, where I also met up with Wayne, a friend I hadn't seen since high school. There was quite a bit to catch up on.

At one point, Wayne asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?" I responded I did not. "So there's no one to leave behind then."

"How about yourself? Are you seeing anyone?"

"I'm not either. Girls are evil," he added. Hmm, is that bitterness speaking?

After returning to New Jersey, Sandy and I agreed to meet up somewhere in New Brunswick for dinner. We talked about our careers (actually, her career, since I really don't have one right now) and what we wanted to do in the future. When walking to our cars, she remarked, "This is kind of weird. It feels like I'm not going to see you again for a long time."

"I'm probably only to be gone a year. It's as if I'm just returning to Pittsburgh to work. Hasn't it been about a year since I saw you last anyways?"

Isn't this true for the most part? A lot of friends I see maybe once a year at most. Jobs and school have taken everyone all over the country. It's only on rare occasions that we have a chance to see each other anyways.

Today, my parents invited the Kays and the Sashiharas over for dinner. My brother Mike even returned home from college for the party, though I'm not sure yet whether it was to say bye or to do some grocery shopping in the pantry. My mom prepared a lot of good food, which, in retrospect, I should've taken pictures of before we attacked it. Maybe I'll take pictures of the leftovers tomorrow. Mr. Kay tried convincing me to go up the east coast of Australia instead of going down the south coast and then up the outback. Mr. Sashihara, despite apparently eating himself to the point of discomfort, managed to tell me numerous times what a great idea my trip around the world is.

That brings us up to now. There's one last 'bon voyage' left to be said. Which will happen in T-Minus 2 days, at the space stat... I mean... airport.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!