I’m not quite there yet, but with the arrival of a check on Monday, I should have a $0.00 balance on a credit card I’ve been holding for five years. The conclusion to my entry on travel and debt. Transportation I don’t own a car, nor do I have any desire to buy one...
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I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve been thinking about returning to Japan as an English teacher. And while I consider a pros and cons list the sign of a mind too confused and weak to truly appreciate his situation (should be able to work it out in his head), I couldn’t help but turn my...
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My friend Eddie called my all-in with a Queen Five. Hands still shaking with the rush that can only come from gambling, I confidently showed my Ace Seven, giving me two pairs to his queen high. He didn’t even seem to realize he was at a disadvantage. Victory would have been mine… if he...
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Five months since my return to the US, and I find myself in somewhat of a holding pattern. It’s not as though I haven’t been up to anything – I recently had the chance to speak of my experiences volunteering in Japan at a Hosteling International event – but, for the most part, I...
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This is a subject I’ve been shying away from for some time. Frankly, even my immediate family doesn’t know the full extent of my finances. I’ve also been afraid of hearing feedback like, “How could you be so stupid, spending money like that?” True enough, but everything seems simpler in retrospect. Let’s start at...
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Why do white people always ask this? They have this obsession with heritage: “I’m part this! I’m part that!” Who gives a shit? One of the advantages of being back in the US is the ability to blend into the crowd. As a white, brown-haired, green-eyed, 20-something man with no physical abnormalities, I can...
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I was just rejected from a job application I was really hoping to go through. Although I’m certainly no stranger to rejection, it’s been hitting me rather hard this month. It’s been three months since I returned from South Korea, and I feel like I’ve been going through the motions of life rather than...
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Three months since I flew into San Francisco International, and my mind has been swimming with possibilities. Employment-wise, Craigslist continues to be a constant source of income for me, but as I’m not living in 2006, and with the unemployment rate as high as it is, gigs and jobs are getting scooped up within...
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It’s only been six weeks since I took that flight from Incheon, and already my world is established. I have a job (well, series of jobs, anyway), a girlfriend, a place to stay, food in the fridge, money in the bank. I’d be lying if I said things are exactly the way I wanted...
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And we’ll meet it if it does. I’ve got exactly four teaching days left before my replacement arrives, all green from Dallas, and just under two weeks until my flight to San Francisco. I wish I could say I’m looking forward to returning “home”, but the truth is I’ve been very numb to both...
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