Do you know the way to San Jose?

Despite the fact that it wouldn't have been out of the norm and that no one would have noticed, I'll most likely be pretty sparse on the entries for the next three or so weeks. Why you ask? Well, for the first time since my one family trip back to Korea in the summer of '93, I'll be on a real life vacation...and out of the country no less!! That's right, I'll be doing whatever people do on vacation in beautiful Costa Rica.

I really have no clear reason for this sudden case of wonderlust. I can't even call it that since, at least in my national travel experience I really don't care for travel. I also can't bring myself focus long enough to plan a trip out. I think I just want to be in a different piece of scenery. As for the destination all I know are that the islands of Jurassic Park (Isla Numbla and Isla Sorna) are supposedly off its coast, it's where they sent Randy in Home Improvement when they had to write him off the show (I think I he was saving the rain forests or something), and according to my high school Spanish I think it means rich coast (gotta love those cognates).

I've planned just enough to not just hang out at the airport for the three or so weeks I've scheduled for myself, I'll actually take a shuttle to some hostel in the capital for a few days but after that I'm hoping I run into somebody, preferably not working for sadistic European millionaires luring unsuspecting American travelers, who has a better plan mapped than me. So yeah this has all the makings of an unmitigated disaster, but who knows we're all surrounded by chaos.

I seriously doubt I'll do much updating since I have a hard enough time writing entries when I have FREE internet and FREE time at home. That, and the internet travel blog is one of my most despised types of written document. It's the same old shots of funny faces and bandannas in front of old buildings or boring shots of sunsets on beaches. I'll bring my camera just in case, but I'll only post something if I take a picture of something that posses a quality that I can only describe as uniquely Victor.

Fortunatly I'll be back by July 1st, just in time for the World Series of Pop Culture on VH1 premiering July 9th 9pm eastern (8 central). This time it's war!

I AIN'T WORKIN' HERE NO MORE!!

So it's finally happened, after roughly seven months of early mornings, crawling commutes, long hours, low pay, idiot bosses, petty office errands, and enough in-office angst to power a small town, I finally had my last day of work. Those of you who know me personally know the nature of my job, those of you who don't are probably not reading my blog anyway. However, for the edification of any wandering readers or secret admirers let's just leave it as a mid sized, cubicle strewn office in Jersey. It's kind of like The Office except instead of quirky and funny it's sad and tragic.

So how did my last day of work go? Well, here it is in easy to digest, bulleted, highlight form:

• Before work I stopped at my local Dunkin Donuts to buy a Box 'o Joe and an assorted two dozen to give to my co-workers as a little farewell treat. I didn't really want to do this but the last two turn overs (and believe me we have plenty turn overs) did the same thing so I figured they might have had some expectations on me.

• I get stuck in traffic. It's not just any traffic mind you, it's a "SIM City-style, city copter one reporting heavy traffic since you never built anymore roads because you were too busy building up your commercial areas, and now you're screwed" type of gridlock. I later found out some nut decided to make his failed suicide as inconvenient as possible. I don't take the bridge but everyone else in my path does.
  

• I actually end up coming into my last day of work at the latest time I've ever came in. Ironic? I'm not sure.

• I have to keep fielding banal questions along the lines of "So it's your last day eh?" and "Feeling pretty good to get out eh?"

• I do my shit, or at least give the illusion of doing as much of my shit as possible.

• Lunch time rolls around and the boss wants to take me out. I like a free meal as much as the next guy but considering the fact that I've said about a dozen words to this man in my entire 7 months here, I feel like it'll be a little weird.

• I have a hamburger with a large side of silent awkwardness.

• The post lunch period is really the test of a workday. It's five or so straight, break-less hours of work until quiting time. It's all the more difficult to slog through since it's a complete quiting time.

• I spend a good part of my time deleting any evidence of my goofing around on my computer; no cache unturned, no cookie left behind.
  

• With about two hours to go, the wheels fall off the wagon. I'm in that mode in middle school when all the learning was done and everyone was allowed to bring in boardgames and have fun while running out the final week of the year, except I'm the only one in that mode.

• My normal time to leave has arrived, but everyone else is still working. And why not, it's only Friday and we've already worked over 8 hours? Etiquette be damned, I announce my departure.
  

• Handshakes, well wishes, keeping in touch, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, and I'm off.
  

• I speed down the highway, windows down, elbow out, blaring said Johnny Paycheck signature anthem; the song really enters another level when quiting a job like this.
  

• Two and a half minutes into my victory drive home, the woefully short song ends, and my iPod shuffles over to Mr. Big Stuff, that's a pretty good song too.