Date: 2015-09-29
To: So stinkin' busy!!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

I'm down to 153 days of potential work time. One hundred and fifty three. There was a guy who ate Chipotle every day for 153 days (he's from Los Angeles... maybe people there really love chipotle?). There was a French lady who was held hostage in Yemen for 153 days, too. Other than those two things, 153 days seems like an arbitrary number in the world lately.But for me, today, 153 days is my max estimate until I'm free! It's the day that my apartment lease ends, and it's the last day that I would agree to work. It's February 29th (appropriate, right?) and since I have 3 weeks of vacation per calendar year at my job, I may not even work most of that January and February time. It would be so great to have a long weekend every weekend and go up north to ride snowmobiles!! That would be my ideal winter.My "to-get" gear list is shrinking by the day. I have my bag and pad, my tent, my pack (potentially!! I need to load it with food and water to make sure it's big enough), my puff jacket, and I chose my poles. I think I might buy a pair of Merrells and try them out this fall at various dirt parks, trails, and outdoor activities to see how they hold up to normal wear and tear. I currently wear New Balance shoes as 'everyday sneakers' - but they tend to fall apart more easily than I think the Merrells would. But I need to test! I better get my butt moving on gathering my remaining big items that need testing because the weather is getting colder and colder and winter is coming! (I don't watch Game of Thrones, but I did read ASOIF). I adore winter. It's my favorite season by far. Spring is wet and chilly, summer is hot and sweaty, fall is beautiful but always so busy with work and people crowding outside to cling to the last bits of 'outdoor weather' and complain about the falling temperatures, but winter... winter is snowy and quiet. Winter keeps many people inside but it's ideal for folks like me - those of us who love snowshoeing and snowmobiles and waking up to the world covered in white. We're people who like wearing warm layers and drinking hot chocolate and snuggling into blankets. We make snow angels and drive 6 hours every weekend to find the best sled trails and the most remote fresh powder. Winter is my jam. It's also the reason that I can't live in a southern state. I don't even want to live as far south as I am right now, and I think I'm technically still in 'the north'.After I finish the hike next year, I'm guessing that I'll be in a good place to start a new job in a state that I love. I think I've said this before, but I don't really have a 'home state' anymore - moving a few times as an adult made it difficult to get a sense of home from any one place. Colorado is my front-runner option, for the mountains and weather and technical industry. then maybe Wyoming as a second choice, since it's pretty similar. third might be Vermont/New Hampshire (though I guess I'd prefer NH since I grew up there). If I had to choose a fourth, it'd probably be Michigan or Wisconsin area - northern half, maybe even upper peninsula - depending on job availability. No matter where I end up, I know that it will be someplace with snow. And hopefully mountains. And even more hopefully, an awesome job. 153 days of 'real life' left. Then sixteen days of general prep. Then I start in Amicalola!! Getting closer!