Bad News - No Japan For Me

I just checked the USA JET website and am sad to report that I wasn't selected for an interview. *frown* Ah well, at least I tried. At this point, I'm not too bummed about it because I wasn't one of those people who were betting everything on it. I was hoping I'd at least get an interview, but I suppose it wasn't in the cards for me. At least I still have a job right?

A special thanks goes out to everyone who helped with the application and for writing reference letters. I'm sure they were wonderful. I guess this was probably a bad year to apply since there were a record number of applicants (more than 5,300). However, that's what happens when you do this kind of stuff on a whim. If I had given living abroad more serious thought, I would have applied years ago. Then again, I probably didn't have this wanderlust going on back then so traveling didn't even come to mind.

Now that I know I didn't make it, I can concentrate on other things. I am still seriously contemplating spending a couple months backpacking through Australia and New Zealand with Elle. She and I will probably have a good time just getting lost.

I have also read an entire blog written by a local guy who did a cycling tour through NZ and is backpacking it through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a guy named Dug, who seems to be from Maui, and his blog is called Rompingground. He's already been gone for over a year. Amazing! While I definitely cannot live up to his long-distance biking, the WWOOFing sounds pretty interesting and a good way to learn about a foreign country and really get to know its people.

Now, I know what you guys are thinking. And yes, I am definitely a city girl (which is why I love San Francisco so much). But I think I can kick it in the backwoods as long as I'm doing something interesting like milking cows or herding sheep. I'm not sure about clearing the land as Dug did, but I'm game to at least give it a try.

So I guess the main point is that my future is wide open. (I was getting a little stressed out as Elle and I would talk about Australia and NZ but couldn't really do much because everything hinged on a reply from JET.) I plan to reevaluate the next year or so of my life and see what direction life will take me. Moving up to San Francisco is still a possibility, but I don't think I can do it without a job. That'd take some cojones that I do not have right now.

The Curious Bike Messenger

On the way home from work today, I drove alongside one of those bike messengers. A couple things popped into my mind as I tried to avoid running his weaving ass over.

1. Why are most bike messengers these tall, lanky guys with longish, curly hair? Is it just me or do they all look the same?

2. How come these bike messengers always wobble when they start from a complete stop? You'd think their legs would be strong enough to get the bike going without weaving back and forth in the lane and giving motorists a heart attack.

3. How in the world does they pedal when their pants are a contradiction of sorts. On one hand, they're loose enough that we'd all see some plumber's crack had it not been for the guy's boxers. On the other, the cut is so tight and straight legged that they've gotta be skinny jeans. With the top loose and the bottom tight, how can his legs even move to pedal?

4. How do they manage to carry such heavy loads in their packs? I've seen some with bulging bags zipping through traffic like nothing.

I really do think bike messengers are entirely their own creatures. I don't know many people who would volunteer their lives day in and day out to ride unprotected among stupid motorists. These people must come from a brave stock.