Like rjung, I also haven’t had a vacation in about three years. I’m planning on going to the Swiss Alps this summer or fall. It may not happen, but it’s nice to at least have something to shoot for.
Well, I’m going to the Outer Banks the Thursday before Memorial Day and spending the weekend down there, returning on Memorial Day evening. I have a friend who owns property down there and he’s invited a bunch of us to head down and stay at one of his houses there.
The second week of August I’m driving to Sylacauga, AL for my fraternity chapter’s annual reunion over a long weekend. That Sunday when the reunion winds up I’ll drive from Sylacauga to Memphis to do the tourist thing during Elvis Week and visit Sophie.
Well, since you asked, exactly two weeks from today I will be on board a westbound 747 toward Asia. I will be in Thailand for ten days before heading on to South Korea for fifteen days. I don’t have an itinerary planned for Thailand (you should see a pattern in this) but I’ll work something out.
In South Korea I’ll be following the US National team around the country during the first round of the World Cup. Cities that the games are in are Suwon (Northwest, near Incheon and Seoul), Daegu (South Central Korea) and Daejeon (Southeast, near Pusan). I am also looking into spending a few days staying in a Buddhist Monastery while I am there.
I have some free accomodations in Bangkok via my wife’s aunt, the rest of the time I’ll fend for myself. I have booked some homestay for the Korean trip, which should be quite interesting. I’ll send you some more postcards, okay?
Zappo, can you swing somewhere near by on your way to Memphis (you can stay with us again if you like) and I can get you your shotglasses.
What is it about this town that it keeps popping up in my life?
Last year, I went to a family wedding there. So far this year, I’ve met two people (on separate occasions) from there, and now it pops up here.
As far as vacation plans, I’m taking the payout on my vacation days when I leave the company in early August. That pay will come in useful during the move/first couple of months of grad school.
Now that’s an idea! Maybe I can head back to Pennsyltucky via Cincinnati and we can get together with Rue, tevya and some other Dopers for a mini-Dopefest dinner or something.
No wonder we pay you the big bucks!
Well, somebody pays me the big bucks, but I didn’t know it was you. I smell SummerCincyDope II (the first one is in a few weeks and I’ll miss it anyway because of above vacation plans). Keep us up on dates and we’ll cobble something together in your honor. Maybe you can drag Saint Sophie and the LooneyvilleDopers back up with you…
Yes. It’s me that’s paying you the big bucks. I just launder them through your boss so you don’t get wise to it.
I will definitely keep you posted on the vacation itinerary, Shibb! This’ll be great.
Ain’t nothing like a DopeFest to help you come down from a visit to Graceland. . . 
I wanted to go whitewater rafting in Colorado, but my husband didn’t want to spend the money for the gas and hotel. He wants to pay the house off sooner. Since we went whitewater rafting a couple of years ago, I figure I can wait another year.
So I came up with an alternate plan. I’m going to go to some of our favorite stores, movie theatres and restaurants and buy gift cards. Then I’ll put a couple of each in envelopes and every day, we’ll select one envelope randomly each day and that’s what we’ll do. I’ll also do a little early grocery shopping and buy some foods we wouldn’t normally buy.
Staying home this year. Saving up a strike fund just in case. Lovely having a job that you have to put your life on hold every 3 years. We struck for 45 days in 1989 and 69 days in 1995. And the big airplane company has been laying off quite a bit of people lately and production is slowing down. That is usually prime conditions for a little labor disagreement. The upside is I get a new truck if there is no strike.