sometimes i amaze myself

Two whole days before I leave for Pisa, and I've finished packing. How does one pack for 2.5 weeks on a continent where the weather can range from 100 degrees in Sevilla to 50 degrees in Berlin - in a single carry-on suitcase? Travel with me and prepare to be educated.

OK, so maybe it doesn't hurt that I'm a small person and a majority of my clothes can therefore be rolled up into the size of a lima bean. That in combination with the fact that I dress like a ho.

Words cannot describe how excited I am to escape from Corporate America. I hope to get out of this trip what everyone else seems to have done during their semester abroad or after graduation - what I missed out on by going directly from the Hill to 2650 Lou Menk Drive. The plus side of doing it at this point of my life, however, is that I now have the financial means to do it. You know, the financial means that would probably be better spent investing in my academic future.

Mehhhhh... fuck that shit.

I am going to steep in an Italian mud bath in Tuscany, climb the Tower of Pisa, gorge myself on pasta and gelato, wave to the Pope at his General Audience, enjoy tapas and flamenco in Sevilla, visit Alhambra in Granada, play in Barcelona's Olympic Village, catch the semifinal World Cup match over a pint at the Hofbräuhaus, stroll down Unter den Linden and catch up with an old pen pal over curry in London. I'm hoping that the nonstop sightseeing will somehow counteract the constant flow of local spirits and other epicurean delights to be consumed during my sojourn across the pond.

Email me your addy by Wednesday if you want a postcard!

storm before the storm

about to embark on whirlwind 2.5 week adventure in Italy, Spain, Germany & London. frantically trying to tie up loose ends before departure on Wednesday. will try to update before I leave.........

what the...

911: "Southlake 911, where is your emergency?"

Me: "114 and White Chapel."

911: "Is there a cow on the loose?"

Me: "Uh - yeah...!"

911: "We already have it on record. Thanks for calling!"

car woes

In other news, I took the MINI to Carmax for the third time. For those of you who haven't sold a car to them before, a word of advice: take their first offer. Each additional time you go back they will see the sheer desperation in your eyes, your need to be relieved of hefty car payments.

If you decide NOT to take my advice, however, head directly to a lavish happy hour with an assortment of delicious appetizers, get hit on by a delicious gay waiter, schmooze with brilliant future classmates and realize that, all things considered, $1,000 lost on a car is a drop in the bucket.

my progress in the fight against global warming, part II

Picked up 2 more discarded water bottles on run last night + 2 flattened cans. Wonder if recycling company will still take those...

Finally brought home bottle retrieved from the company trash.

school-related rant

And by the way, to the monkeys who have set up the McCombs secure website:

Damn you all for creating a password protected website with HIGHLY pertinent information that I need for my matriculation at UT this fall, not to mention the webpage for mandatory orientation registration, all of which I CANNOT LOG INTO.

Now it has been previously noted that I am a technology afficionado. I am not used to being outwitted by a piece of machinery. When such a thing happens, I am inclined to think it is someone else's fault.

Furthermore, being told that the root of my problems is a firewall - apparently enabled on 4 different machines in 3 different locations, one of which is OUT OF STATE - is UNACCEPTABLE.

Thank you.

my progress in the fight against global warming, part I

Monday, 4:13 pm - on way to restroom, witness coworker carelessly throw away highly-recyclable Diet Coke bottle

Monday, 4:15 pm - on way back from restroom, with coast clear, quickly dig reach into industrial-sized trash can to retrieve plastic treasure for future recycling

Monday, 7:55 pm - during evening 2+ mile run (go me!), see half-empty discarded water bottles on major thoroughfare, one filled with questionable orange liquid. pick up bottles and continue furtively home, slightly embarassed at odd appearance.

Tuesday, 5:30 pm - purchase 2 new tires to improve MINI's gasoline consumption (& improve resale value)

I titled this entry with the hope that my efforts will at the very least continue in this paltry and slightly bizarre fashion. Hey, at least I can sleep at night.

brought to you by Al Gore

This weekend, I paid $9.50 to attend a lecture. Actually, a recording of a lecture, 30 miles from my house. It was a downer, really.

And totally worth it.

To some extent, the film is preaching to the choir. I would say that most people who cared enough to see the film opening weekend are already environmentally conscious to some degree. But there are things that we can all do better. And as this film gets more publicity, the more impact it will have on those who are currently unaware. Those who need to know. Those who have the power to enact substantial and effective change.

Please go see An Inconvenient Truth.

senioritis

So when you decide to quit your job and go back to grad school, I have discovered that several things happen:

• you become incredibly unmotivated at your place of work
• you spend obscene amounts of money on expensive food, alcohol, fantastic vacations and just about anything else you can think of
• your blogging skills suffer even more than they did before getting into school

Yeah, um... sorry about that last bullet, btw.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes... For those of you that were late or forgot entirely, it's so not a big deal. I always thought my 25th would involve something like an extravagant black-tie party, big enough to rival those New Year bashes in When Harry Met Sally. I mean hello - we're talking quarter century here! Turns out all I needed was a long weekend involving nothing fancier than jello shots, tiki torches, a pony keg and tubing down the Comal. (A word of advice to those who plan on tubing in TX anytime soon - avoid the Comal at all costs and get your ass down to the Guadelupe. Unless, of course, you're into the whole drunken obese white trash scene.)

Which brings me to my present state of anxiety-ridden European vacation planning. How in the world will I get from Barcelona to Marseille to Paris to Munich to London in 6 days without killing myself? Only time will tell.

Travel tips are more than welcome, by the way. Anyone?