Headline: Human Pincushion Rambles Shamelessly

Yesterday I went for my last round of vaccinations. It's a good thing I like shots (or, at the very least, I don't mind them) because I got five of them, three in my right arm and two in my left. These included polio, typhoid, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, and meningitis - the quickest $515 I've ever spent in less than a half hour. I still need the last course of hep A and B, but that won't be until I get back. Needless to say, both of my arms are a bit sore today, but actually less sore than I was expecting.

After being turned into a human pincushion, I met up with some friends and former coworkers at a bar/restaurant where one of the friends was guest bartending. Of course it was good to see people again, some of whom I hadn't seen in months. But it also gave me an opportunity to a) show off my new haircut, and b) talk about my trip. I may have mentioned here before that I really try not to talk about the trip too much because I realize that it (and I) can easily begin to monopolize the conversation. Last night, though, some people were hearing about it for the first time (or hearing the first update in a long time) and so were asking lots of questions. Yay! I got to talk about my plans shamelessly and guilt-free! I also got to talk to people who'd done some traveling of their own, some to places that I plan to go. Not only was it a good exchange of information, it reinforced for me that this trip is truly going to be a fantastic experience. . .that I will probably bore people with for many, many years to come. I apologize in advance. :-)