and then the world went splat!

You know you spend too much time out of the country when you're staying at a hotel in the states and get surprised when people talk to you in english without an accent.

I've also realized that all the Italian I knew 7 years ago has disappeared and the only two words I remember are the words for "excuse me" and "beautiful." Sure beats "I am a pedophile" which is the only phrase of Russian I know (long story. I'll get around to telling it someday.)

Naples tomorrow. Military boys today. Life could be worse.

I was lured here under false pretenses!

Here being Colorado, and when my parents told me what we'd be doing it involved camping - which I am more then okay with. Our initial conversations involved me having the tent with the sleeping bag. When I arrived, sometime between departing and arriving, the plans changed and I ended up in my grandparents trailer. I was not too pleased.

There's a huge difference between a trailer and a tent. In my mind, there is nothing like waking up in the morning, all warm and snug in a sleeping bag, poking out your head and feeling a cold blast of air, sunlight filtering through the tent, condensation on its sides, the sounds of the early morning creeping in. It's amazing and I love it but I hardly ever get to experience it anymore. It seems these days that camping seems to be more and more tied with trailers and campers. That's not the way it should be! *sob*

I was tempted to be all defiant and to just lay a sleeping bag out under the stars and shun the trailer completely, but my jet lag got the best of me and I succumbed to the sweet temptation of a bed. I'm so weak.

Living in New York this past year and then coming home to Colorado, which is the state I am originally from, was like a breath of fresh air. I didn't realize just how much I missed the West (and the South for that matter) I can see here - there are mountains in the distance, clouds in the sky and stars at night. Manhattan is stifling by comparison. I'm glad I experienced living on the East Coast though - it made me appreciate where I'm from and made me look forward to going back someday. I don't know when, but someday. I'm having too much fun traveling around the world right now and I don't want to give that up. But I think ultimately, I'll be much happier in the West or the South.