[	mood	|	PENIS LOL	]
[	music	|	Aqua - Cuba Libre	]

Sorry for the lack of updates, but upon arriving home from Greece I was so jetlagged that I slept for 72 hours straight. Why didn't I update after those three days, you ask? Well, that's just because I'm lazy.

My trip was pretty amazing, let me tell you. The first couple of days were spent in Venice, where we had a psycho tour guide named Illiana (however you spell that.) She dashed around like a mad impala on crack leading us from place to place as we pathetic, out of shape Americans ran to catch up. Ever walk so much that your feet still hurt the second you crawl out of bed the next day? I certainly did. We did the touristy thing and took a gondola ride, which was really nice. We would have had more time to spend in Venice except that Illiana had a free meal at a fancy restaurant on her mind. She asked if we'd like to have a six course meal for $35 each, and we agreed because we had just gotten there and our pockets and purses were still full. What she failed to mention was that the restaurant we were going to was on a completely different island... one hour away by water taxi. So we wasted roughly three hours on one meal (one hour getting there, one hour eating, one hour going back) because Illiana got to eat free for dragging the group all the way there. I'm not complaining, though. We ended up paying $3 each to take a later bus back to our hotel, and made up for all but one hour of that lost time.
When we got to Rome we received a new tour guide, Francesco. He was 37 but looked 27, and I spent vast amounts of time staring at his attractive Italian backside. I'm pretty sure he was gay, but that makes him no less fun to look at. Rome was disappointingly like any other big city you'd expect to find in Europe... a strange mix of old and new architecture, combined with a lot of stray animals and trash. We went to the Vatican where every wall and ceiling was gorgeously decorated, and saw a nifty mummified clergyman. The side trip to Florence was optional, technically... but as determined as I was to see the city, it was a requirement for me. The first place we visited in Florence was a beautiful old church... in which I got "lost". In actuality I knew exactly where I was; I just didn't know where the rest of the group was. I had expected them to tour the whole church, but they only went through two rooms! I'm actually very happy that I got separated, since I saw the entire church when no one else did. They missed at least five rooms, one of which was underground and filled with marble statues.
Following Rome was a visit to Capri, where our tour guide lives. Lucky bastard.
Later we went to Pompay. I couldn't tell you exactly when, since this is the point where my days started to smush together and get confusing. Pompay wasn't as great as I thought it would be, but I did see some amazing frescos, and the plaster casts of victims of the volcanic eruption were eerie. The walk by an old whorehouse was the highlight of the trip for me. Inside the building, the walls were covered in frescos of various sexual positions... much like a menu at a restaurant. The cobblestone street outside had deep ditches worn into it where the wheels of carts and carriages had passed frequently ages ago.
Obviously the whorehouse was a popular establishment in its day.
On a side note, Pompay is also where I bought my favourite souvenir... a four inch tall penis angel.

The day after we left Pompay, we hopped an overnight ferry to Greece. My dear, sweet roommates decorated our bathroom with chocolate pudding, and I was forced to dance at the disco. Some crazy Roman guy I danced with took me for a walk around the ship with his arm around my shoulders the entire time, obviously hoping that it was his lucky night. I laughed to myself as he looked out over the pitch black sea and said "bella... bella." Then he leaned in with the intent of kissing me... sorry son, but no cigar. I would have needed at least three more glasses of wine for that pathetic attempt to have worked.

Athens was nice, but there was a lot of construction going on thanks to the upcoming Olympics. The shopping was great though, I must say, and our hotel served batida de coco with peach juice at their rooftop bar. Oh God yes. We toured Delphi, which was very interesting... and unfortunately also very hot and sunny.
After a couple of days in Athens we were off on our cruise of the Mediterranean islands! We were treated like royalty on the ship... one could order everything on the dinner menu if one wished, and room service was free. Our first stop was Mykonos... and yes, I am making every effort to spell this shit correctly. There I opted not to pay for a $6 bus ticket into the city and just walk instead. I walked and walked and walked... and walked... and walked. After thirty minutes I finally arrived at my destination, where I shopped around for a while and didn't end up buying anything. Then I made the thirty minute trek back to the ship. Wow, how exciting.
The second day, Rhodes, was much better. I really enjoyed that tour, though I can't exactly recall why. I do remember that the shopping was good there and I found an internet cafe.
On the third day we made two stops, but I opted to sleep late and only got off at the second one, Ephesus. We went to the (probably fake) house of the virgin Mary, toured the ruins of the old city, went to a fancy Turkish rug shop where we were given free apple tea, and then had an hour of free time. I spent that time finding and purchasing the most wonderful candy ever created: rose flavoured Turkish delights.
The next morning we arrived back in Athens, where my precious roommates went directly to the airport and home, leaving me with a night in my own room. There is a God after all.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I went and got some awesome gyros for lunch, and had another round of batida de cocos with a girl from our group.

As wonderful as the trip was, it was also the first one I've been on that I was actually happy to get home from. That was in part because I missed being able to talk to Nis daily, but mostly because the other tour goers, my companions, were the horrific spawn of the devil himself. I didn't mind the four others from Nacogdoches... Mrs. Blount, her daughter Sarah, Mrs. McGown, and her son Simon... but I certainly did mind my roommates. They were two girls ages 12 and 13. The 12 year old seemed to have a head on her shoulders, but in the company of her retarded hyperactive friend, she became equally as moronic. The 13 year old had the habit of singing "I Believe I can Fly" (with her own personal revised lyrics, including "I believe I can sit, especially when I'm taking a sh__") in a purposefully annoying voice while we were crammed into the bus and there was no hope of escape. The both of them were horribly inconsiderate, and their shit was constantly scattered all over the room. There is not a single hotel in which they didn't accidentally leave something behind.
There was also a 14 year old girl and her 11 year old sister. The 14 year old wasn't so bad, even though she kept asking me various questions regarding sex and whining about missing her beloved friend Ryan, whom she referred to as Rhino. Her sister was cute as a button and made me consider the possibility that I might actually be able to like children... but no, that didn't last long. Her cute antics quickly became tiring.
There was an 18 year old girl who I didn't start talking to until the trip was already half over... if I had met her in the beginning, my trip might have been more enjoyable. She was extremely nice.
The rest of the group was comprised of women over 40 and a couple of their husbands. One woman, Norma, was hilarious! She was at least 70, but kept up with the group as though she were 30. She went dancing with us on more than one occasion, and one night on the cruise she ordered every dessert offered on the dinner menu. They brought her three huge pieces of cake and a bowl of ice cream... and she ate every bite of it! I hope I'm like that when I'm her age.

Also, look at this nifty close-up of a statue in Florence.
... and this freaky spider.

This is just to let you guys know that yes, I am indeed still alive. I'm currently on a cruise (docked in Rhodes) and don't have much internet access, but I'll be home in a few days. I've got a tan, but since I never wear shorts and haven't gone to the beach, it's only on my face and arms. Talk about a farmer's tan!
The food here is great, the landscape is beautiful, and the people are nice... but I still prefer Spain.

Running low on webtime now, so:
Luggage came
Went on gondola (sp?)
Mom has bad galbladder, went to surgery
Really fun, lots of pictures.

Hi Nis! I tried to download Yahoo but that is apparently blocked on this computer... hoping you're reading this so you know I'm thinking about you.

I'm currently updating from an internet cafe in Venice, so forgive me if my typing is a little off... The keyboard itself is a little off, after all. So far all I can say is that, even though I don't speak the language, I feel more at home here than I do in Texas. The culture is just much more my speed, and the people are so alive. My mom got sick and couldn't make the trip... and as bad as I feel for her, it also offers me a bit more freedom. I was lucky enough to get a hotel room by myself for the first couple of night, but soon enough I'll be rooming with complete strangers, yay. That's all for now... limited amount of time per € you know.

[	mood	|	sleepy	]
[	music	|	Rasputina - Gingerbread Coffin	]

I'm leaving for a two week tour of Italy and Greece tomorrow, w00t! I can't wait. The flight is actually on Monday, but I'll be spending Sunday night in Houston to avoid having to wake up super early Monday. I'm looking forward to it, though I think it would be much more fun if my mother weren't going. It's not that I think she'll keep me from doing what I want to do... no, but I think she'll do her best to drive me up the wall. She's awfully good at bugging the living poo wasps out of me. She worries way too much, whereas I'm extremely mellow. A good example of her making a situation more stressful than it has to be is when she was worrying about what I -- yes I, not she -- was going to pack for the trip. There's a four day cruise of the Greek isles involved, and I needed something semi-formal to wear to dinner on those nights. I don't even own a dress and, thanks to the God-awful fashion trend lately, was unable to find a nice dress that didn't have the colour pink on it somewhere. Actually I did find one, but mom said it was too formal so we didn't buy it... There's no such thing as too formal. I used to wear suits to school. Anyway, the decision was made that one of my suits would do for the cruise dinners. Mom started fussing over how wrinkled it was going to get in the suitcase. Good God. Why even waste your breath on something like that when there [i]is no other option[/i]? There was no way in hell I was going to take a clothing bag for one suit, and I'm sure our rooms will have ironing boards. The fact is that I really don't care what I look like anyway. I'm going to be there to enjoy the sights and the culture, not to show off my fancy new clothes. Nevermind the fact that I already dress 10 times better than the majority of the American public, if I do say so myself. That's the fortunate side effect of my love of formal clothing styles.

I won't be back until the 21st, but I'll try to update while I'm gone... I'm not making any guarantees, though.

Just stopping in to post pictures of my new kitty. Isn't he cute??

[	mood	|	happy	]
[	music	|	Silence	]

Yay, I got my kitten in a jar today!! He's so cute and cuddly. Well... maybe not cuddly... but certainly cute. I'm currently at Tristan's house and decided to write a quick update while he's on the phone. We just got back from seeing The Day After Tomorrow with Megan, and all I have to say about that movie is that it made me feel cold. I'll be leaving for Italy on Sunday, and seeing those planes crash in the movie doesn't make me feel very good about the long flights that await me. Okay no, I'm not seriously bothered. I would fly to Italy even if I had to let some box-cutter carrying terrorists sit in my lap.