Zion Hire, Last Day, Time Paradoxes

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to say that I've been hired on with Zion Helitack through Cedar City BLM. It sounds weird when I say it but for some reason it's a dream come true. Just receiving that bit of news made everything else that has happened to me this week seem trivial and mediocre. Now I'm the type of person that likes to fill out paperwork for new jobs and learn when and where I have to report for work, what gear I get and when, etc. but I've yet to get all of that information. For now, I just know I've been hired on.

In a celebratory fashion after receiving the news that I got hired, I got incomprehensibly drunk last night in downtown Christchurch...one of the first times I've ever drank to celebrate. It was also a celebration of one of our last nights to go out and have a good time before myself and the last few firefighters split ways and headed home. Today is my last full day here in New Zealand. Tomorrow, I fly home. It's a funny thing international travel is, soley because of the change in time zone. Heaven forbid you cross the International Date Line. Example: tomorrow, I am flying from Christchurch to Auckland, Auckland to LA, and LA to DC. I leave Auckland for LA at 1940 hrs on 3 March. I arrive in LA at 1020 on 3 March in Pacific Coast Time. I leave LA for Washington at 1450 on 3 March and arrive at Dulles around 2230 Eastern Standard time. What does this mean? It means that by the time the "day" is over tomorrow, I'll have travelled from Christchurch to Washington D.C. within 7 1/2 hours on 3 March. Let's not forget the paradox of 25 hours of travelling between 1500 and 2230 hrs on 3 March. Tomorrow is going to suck ass...