The genesis

I lost my job at the end of November in a mass-layoff. With the layoff came opportunity, but also immense pressure and confusion. I toyed with all sorts of ideas, interviewed for new jobs, was offered none, auditioned for a high school musical (not embarassed), wrote the obligatory and now cliche account of my impression of Wall Street's implosion, sang at open mic night, cooked, cleaned, went to the gym. One night I was gripped by an uncontrollable urge to hit the road and not so much travel as just wander. I said to myself, "hey, this isn't working, try another tack." Traveling rejuvenates me by providing perspective, and I realized that thus far I had been ignoring a golden opportunity. I decided the easiest and cheapest option would be to head south to Latin America, avoiding long, expensive flights and going to a place where I know the language. With the dollar surging I could stretch my savings for quite a while. In my view the opportunity cost of this seemingly impractical move is probably at an all time low, given the horrible job market. Why spend my severance pay (a blessing for sure in these times) trying to find a job in one of the world's most expensive cities at a time when the only response you get is "I'd love to help you, but..."? Hopefully things will have marginally improved in three to six months, at which point I will be able to search more efficiently for gainful employment. In the meantime, I can see new places, work on my Spanish (marketable skill), and give more careful and measured consideration to what I would like to do with my life. Someone put it best by saying that I am choosing to "sit this one out."

I plan to post here as time and internet access permits, in lieu of mass emails. Some of my posts will be "Travelogue" entries, giving an update of where I am and how I got there, while others will just be my own miscellaneous ramblings on topics light and heavy. I've been away from NY for a month, but I'm just now starting this thing, so there will be a few catch-up entries posted in succession.

JS