Bees, Backpacking, Battlestar Gallactica

Having two days off from work has been absolutely phenomenal. Glorious, even. I think my body has had an overload of Twinings English Breakfast tea and the proper dosage of staying up late and sleeping in. I feel young again.

My days are kind-of running together at this point, but one morning I found myself completely sucked in to some show on the Travel Channel. Okay...seriously, that channel is addictive. Before I knew what was happening, I was taken on a tour of Italy. Sipping coffee out of miniature cups, tossing coins in the Trevi fountain, and "getting drunk while having my shoulders rubbed"...(recent joke made by the great, David Lankford...ask me for the story). Yes, that's right. All this from the location of my living room. It was amazing. And I place all blame on extended-basic cable. Watching a show about a foreign country is absolutely inspiring. Watching the "travel-channel-lady" maneuver about the city made me want to be there so bad. Having gone to Africa this past summer and to Mexico a few summers back, I had reminiscent feelings of what it's like to get out and travel. I miss it and my travels weren't even that long ago.

When I graduated college, I set a goal for myself. Each year, my aim is to visit at least one place I've never been to before. Of course, I would love for that place to be over the pond or in some other country, but even if I'm able to explore another state...that's what I'm going for. I've stuck to this goal so far. One thing I really gained from my trip to Kenya was the realization that our world is relatively small. You can get to another country within a days travel. I am humbled by the interdependence we have with one another. (That one sentence is worth another post at a later time). No matter if I'm from East Texas or East Africa. I believe that one of the most addicting parts of traveling is the interaction you have with everyday people. There's something about those small encounters that increase your awareness about yourself and the world you're apart of. Addictive...just like dark chocolate.

So, bees. I had lunch today with my some friends. $5.95 soup, salad, and bread-sticks at The Olive Garden. Italian food. I'm telling you...I was seriously influenced by the Travel Channel. On the drive there I heard this buzzing in my car. I couldn't tell if there was a bee stuck in one of my air vents or if this life-draining insect was flying around the car unnoticed. The sound dwindled for a few moments, but quickly resurfaced almost as if the bee was eavesdropping on our current conversation about him/her. To make this short story, shorter...the bee was in my pants! Exclamation mark and all. I have had a bee stuck in my hair before, but never my pants. I mean, what do you really do? I took the wheel at 10 and 6 and whipped into a local gas station and thought I was going to have to drop my pants right then and there. However, I was able to release this animal of venom successfully out of my pants and back into the only part of the world it belongs to. Sheesh.

Battlestar Gallactica. I'm not quite sure if anyone really knows what Battlestar Gallactica is. Anyone besides sci-fi loving kiddos(to each his own), but all I know is that it reminds me of The Office. And we have 9 more days, count 'em, 9 until we are graced once again by Jim Halpert, "that's what she said" jokes, and inappropriate watermarks.

I can't wait.



Trevi Fountain