25 August 2009

The next few months

I am glad to say that things are looking up a bit in my life.

My folks have finally started the long-delayed move out of my place and into their new place. Most of their belongings have been moved, and all they now need is a bed. I should have my place all to myself before I know it.

They have also decided to order a Mercedes-Benz through the European Delivery program. However, only my mother will travel to Germany - her first European trip - for the vehicle pickup. Since there is no way she will confidently travel through Europe on her own (not to mention having the nerves to brave the Autobahn speed demons), I will be joining the trip. While my friends on Facebook are jealous that I get to become an Autobahn speed demon myself, I think that'll be the most mundane part of the trip. A bit more interesting will be finding that every Autobahn exit leads to the town of Ausfahrt (of course, Ausfahrt is simply German for exit), and far more priceless will be learning the quirks of European automotive culture, similar to my Korean road trip experience last year. I'm also happy because my trip will have to be on Lufthansa, offering a 2-for-1 special in conjunction with the car order, and this means my elite status at United Airlines will renew into next year.

While it'll be well into autumn before I head for Germany, I will be in Las Vegas much sooner than that, again. My occasion will be a Mariah Carey concert. This is my second Mariah Carey concert in Las Vegas, my fourth overall, and adding an autographing session, my fifth Mariah Carey encounter. This will be one of four special intimate concerts done at a cozy theater at The Palms. I chose to splurge on a mid-priced ticket ($200 after taxes/fees). I hope this will be an even better experience than the 2006 show at MGM Grand, which was a standard arena show and part of a nationwide tour. This trip will also mark the first time I am actually using my timeshare privileges; I can do 7-8 of these weekend trips to Vegas per year with my timeshare, though I prefer to use some of my privileges at affiliated properties elsewhere as well.

Looking forward to everything.