Update as of Aug 7th

Alright, here's the latest update (as of Aug 7th):

Get visas: Check
Sell off D’s lovely convertible: Check
Vacate Apartment, move belongings to storage, find new apartment and sign-lease: Check
Buy camcorder, binoculars, spare camera batteries, tripod: Check
Get yellow fever and typhoid vaccines, get malaria tablets: Check
Purchase summer reading: Check
Meet up with friends and bid them adieu: Check
Celebrate D’s birthday – "the Chicago Chapter": Check

So it’s official now: we are now two bums on the road! We have vacated our apartment, canceled all monthly utilities, and sold off our car (well, one of them)!

Lessons learned (yes, in typical consultant fashion, in three bullets):

• Amazon Prime is quite cool – at least the one month free trial. You can order stuff in the evening on day 0, and get it delivered on day 2
• Most doctors are wonderful, but some are more wonderful than others
• Never underestimate the amount of effort that goes into packing the kitchen

By the way, for anyone who’s interested, here’s our summer reading.

It’s not about the bike: Lance Armstrong
The Good Guy: Dean Koontz
Moscow Rules: DeSilva
When you are engulfed in flames: David Sedaris

As you can see, I’ve balanced out different themes and genres. Koontz is the only author that has been able to scare me shitless through his writing. Sedaris is just too funny – have read all of his books, and have also been to his performance in Chicago. His live performances come highly recommended from both of us – his speech delivery complements his hilarious essays superbly! You have to listen to his “Six to Eight black men” to comprehend his comedic genius. Lance Armstrong’s story is an inspiring one that I have wanted to read up for a long time. A few unfortunate recent incidents in the lives of a few friends have furthered my interest in knowing more about his battle with cancer. DeSilva is a new author for me – should be an interesting read – gets great reviews.

There’s another book that I have been wanting to read – The Last Lecture. Might pick it up if we finish the four mentioned above before the end of our trip.

Reviews on the books will be coming up as we read them.