loose ends

As my trip approaches, I have been trying to tie up all of my loose ends, serious + trivial: applying for my Visa, getting in last meals (+ teas!) from my favorite NYC places, seeing family + friends, figuring out how to end my cell phone contract with minimal fees, getting my 2012 tax information together, compiling a reading list of English language books to read in Taiwan (I’m going to tackle the classics!), researching the best cameras to document my trip, researching more grants to apply for + getting together a repertoire of monologues for auditions when I get back to NYC.

One of my highest priorities was visting my grandmother, aka Meem-maw, in St. Augustine, FL. So, I took a long weekend + went down to the Nation’s Oldest City last Thursday.

the house/st. augustine, fl/november 2012

I grew up going down to Florida to visit family from both sides for Thanksgivings + Christmases. I joke that it gets cloudy the moment I arrive + sunny the moment I leave, but it does. (Like clockwork. Every. Time.)

swampy + gray/st. augustine, fl/november 2012

vilano bridge in the distance/st. augustine, fl/november 2012

Meem’s area of St. Augustine is beautiful. I was looking forward to walking around the neighborhood to see what had changed + running across the Vilano Bridge. I also had a good book to read (The Pale King by David Foster Wallace) + plenty of Chinese to review.

review/st. augustine, fl/november 2012

But ultimately what I wanted + needed was some serious time to relax with my Meem.

With my work schedule, volunteering + getting my ducks in a row before I move in 22 days(!!), I don’t give myself many breaks. This weekend got me rested up + ready for this final stretch before my Taiwan chapter begins!