...well, sort of. I have a week left in Denton, the town that I've lived in for three years. Then, it's a month in my hometown....and then what?

I'm definitely looking forward to the change, the job, the life. But there's a lot of baggage coming along with me (metaphorically speaking. My actual baggage is only two pieces plus a carry-on). When I get there, will I be okay? Like for real okay? When will the magic wear off? When will I start to set my mind to something? When will I start screaming the F word out of frustration? Exactly how many hearts will be broken?
Am I prepared for this insanely huge move? Do I have enough clothes? Will I forget to pack something important? Will I disappoint the people I meet in Korea? Will I make friends easily? Will I embarrass myself to no end? Will I be a good teacher? Will I find a good temple? Will I be a good student? Will I ever shake this bad pronunciation?

I guess a little bit more shortsighted, when will I miss this town? I've really grown to like Denton. I think I'll even miss this rat-hole of an apartment (expect the days of no A/C). I'll definitely miss my friends here (what's left of them - international students have a tendency to leave once you get friends with them).

I know that I'll miss my hometown. Hell, I'm not even in Killeen yet and I know I'll miss it. I've been apart from it long enough to know that I'm a country boy through and through. Thanks a lot Central Texas. You've produced yet another good ol' boy.

In the meantime, I'll be sure to make good use of my time (read: not at all).

back in denton after a week-long holiday trip down to my hometown - the one, the only, the dirty - Killeen. It was nice but as always, I'm glad to be back home.

Having said that, I left my frakin monitor at my parents house. My roommate is going to bring it back when she leaves Killeen but that won't be until the fifth of january. So what is a uppity white guy to do? abuse the system.

I troted down to the nearest Wal-Mart and took advantage of a stellar return policy. So long as I keep the box and monitor in tip-top shape, I can return my newly purchased 300 dollar monitor with no restocking fee. So, right now I'm typing on a beautiful Dell LCD that has me smiling for the time being.

When I make the trip to Korea, I plan to travel as light as possible. Having said that, I also plan on taking a mid-sized computer with me. Hey, at least I downgraded from a full ATX 10 bay behemoth of a case from Apevia. This new case is 12 pounds lighter and a few inches shorter - perfect for traveling now. But alas, my three year old LCD monitor is aging. Thus, the plan to purchase a bigger and badder screen upon arrival. Can you believe that a 21" Korean monitor is cheaper than a 19" model from newegg? So, this new "borrowed" monitor has me thinking about the bells and whistles down the road.

Oh alright I admit it's trashy to buy something with no intention to keep it, but at least a come to a complete stop at every red light. That makes up for it, right?

Anyways, onto more pressing matters - I have seven full days to get stuff done before I have to switch into student teaching mode again. That means I have some serious writing and studying to do. Till then!

lame. I can't really stay on the computer long because I'm in a shared space with shared computer parts. It's not that I have super important stuff to do, but I would really like to get some studying done during the week. Plus, there's only so much PSP I can play...

Maybe I can find something else to occupy my time? You know, something productive? I've been hacking away at my history book, but that's only at night. I did bring some notecards, but some of them are outdated. I'd like to go over and work on my youtube videos but internet is a premium here - I should be thankful it even exists. But, it does cut me kind of close with commitment with the KC101 blog. I haven't been able to have steady access to the internet so it looks like I'll have to wait until I get back to Denton to do my blogging marathon. I have one lined up for this Tuesday but that's it so far.

Perhaps I could start cataloging and scanning some family photos for my personal collection? I had been planning to scan and save my family's photo albums in June but maybe this week would be better. I just don't want to walk away from this week feeling like I did nothing but rake some leaves, eat some food, beat Dracula, and install Vista. Oh and the install went great. I'm a 5.9 out of 6 point scale of awesome.

So here's what we got going for us this week:

Sunday - work at grandmas, mulch leaves, move firewood, clean pool, clean Jessie's cage, do laundry
Monday - have lunch with Grandma, scan family photos, assemble new computer case
Tuesday - clean out truck, meetup with Jamie, trade Jessie for Chicken and Mouse, play with Aiden
Wednesday - move chest of drawers for dad, go to the park
Thursday - open presents, put up Christmas stuff in attic, go to movies with mom, steam cleam carpet
Friday - eat with Todd, trade animals with Jamie again, drive back home at night
Saturday - back home in Denton, complete last ebay transaction, meetup with 유정, write me some blogs