I Miss Ice and Other Random Thoughts

I've been in Rome now for a week.  I'm not really in the mood to blog about Rome at the moment, though.  I'm over halfway through the trip, so here are a few things I've been thinking about:

Living on $30 a day (after accommodation expenses obviously) is more difficult than it sounds.

Despite using sunscreen every day, I am more tan than I have ever been in my life.  This is not saying a lot as I'm still more pale than most of you are during the winter. Also, my hair is starting to turn red, but this is par for the course for me when I spend time in the sun.

I can't wait to see my dad in Amsterdam in a little less than two weeks.

I have not driven a car in nearly two months, and I have only worn heels once during that time. Am I going to forget these very important skills?

Speaking of driving a car, I have toyed with the idea of renting a car to drive the Autobahn in Germany when I'm staying in Salzburg, which is right on the border.  I can't remember which of you told me I couldn't drive the Autobahn without a special license, but I checked and all I need is my TN license and to fill out some paperwork.

One of the best things I have done on this trip is to ship clothes back home - not once but twice! (And yes, they made it.)  I simply brought too much stuff.  Surprise surprise!  I also downgraded to a much smaller rolling bag and dumped my large bag in the hallway of an apartment building since I didn't know what else to do with it.  So on travel days I'm a much happier girl for not having to pull all that weight around, but on the other hand...

I'm going to burn every single item of clothing I have with me on this trip the moment I get back.  One pair of jeans, one pair of cargo pants, two skirts, six tank tops, one jacket.  Those are pretty much my choices.  Oh and a few dresses, most of which will never be worn because they aren't practical but apparently seemed to me like they would be when I packed them!  You would laugh if you could only see all that I shipped home that I thought I would need.   

Is $100 too much to pay to see Madonna in Milan?  Maybe so, but it's Madonna!  In Milan! Add her to the roster of shows I'll see this summer starting with Depeche Mode in Prague next week, which will be awesome, though I'm really hoping to catch them in the States too when I get back.

Other than Kelly keeping me posted about the Obama/fly/PETA controversy, I really have no idea what is going on in the world right now.  I can't read headlines when I walk past a newsstand (at the moment in my life they are all in Italian), and I don't watch TV here.  I'm typically a pretty avid news follower, but I think there may be something to the whole ignorance is bliss thing.

World news aside, I do, however, keep up with people's Facebook statuses.  And from everyone's statuses about the thunderstorms in Knoxville, it sounds like Armageddon at home.

I miss ice.  They don't believe in ice in Europe, which I remember from my two previous visits. During those short trips of nearly two weeks each I started craving ice, so you can imagine how I'm feeling nearly two months in.  One of my favorite things when I've had an apartment is to freeze a bottle of water almost to the point of being frozen and then drink it.  You have no idea how good that is when ice is not otherwise an option.

I miss going to the gym.  Very strange, I know!  Out of desperation I've taken to using a 2 Liter water bottle as a weight.  I am seriously doubting its effectiveness, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something.  I walk at least a couple of hours a day, but I still don't really feel like I'm getting a good workout.  

On the flipside, though, walking in the sun wears me out, and I take naps almost daily - a habit that will need to be broken once I get back and start working again!

And speaking of working, I most decidedly do NOT miss work.  Or rather, I don't miss law.  I'll be excited to land some sort of a writing/editing gig.  I just need to find it...

I also miss, in no particular order: my family and friends, both of my book clubs, my Bunco gals, YPLC and my daily emails with Tiffany, sugar-free mojitos at Sapphire, going to Barnes & Noble to sit with books and magazines for a couple of hours, guac and chips and a Tequila Sundown at La Costa, TC, lunch with Honey at Trio and all the happenings on Market Square (though I don't miss the teenagers at Sundown).  I'll have to get my fix of these things once I get back in August before I take off again. 

I love all the emails and blog comments - keep them coming!