After almost a decade, I'm finally getting off the continent entirely for my own reasons again.
It's been a busy year, and I've been abroad more than once in a more professional capacity, mostly in Europe. This trip is a little different--I'm headed to Japan for a couple of weeks. The plan is to spend the time with two of my oldest friends while they excitedly drag me around to their favorite places, since they return to the Land of the Rising Sun every December. I haven't picked nicknames for them yet, but I will soon.
At the moment I'm sitting in Delta's holiday lounge in Atlanta's E concourse--every December Delta puts together a lounge inside the airport for members of the uniformed services, which is nice since the USO is outside security and also since Ft. Benning's proximity to Atlanta means that the USO is almost always hosting a contingent of nervous 18 year olds in dingy civilian clothes and silly haircuts on the way to basic training, or even-more-nervous 18 year olds in terrible uniforms and worse haircuts leaving basic for their first duty station or a holiday break.
I spent a bit of time chatting with a Navy vet who now works as a civilian supporting projects out in San Diego when he's not working on the Newport News area while my phone boots up, and debate terrible coffee (nobody does really wretched coffee like military hospitality. It's an acquired taste). I decide against the coffee because I'm hoping to sleep on the flight over, though honestly I'm not sure I'll be able to, even without a window seat. Too excited to be back in (what I hope is still) my element.
So I boot up my laptop and spend some time thinking about this entry. I'm remembering how frank and florid I was when I last wrote in this format--trying to figure out if I want to be that window again, for you all, or if I'd like to try to class the place up a little.
Regardless, it's time to call my bank and confirm that they know I'm leaving the country, and then head to my gate for boarding.
I'm off to Japan!
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