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Here it is, 2 a.m. and I haven't updated in six months, seven if you're looking for a post with substance. I can't sleep, and it has become my part-time job to replenish the liquids I'm sweating out in this 90+ degree apartment and I'm doing a horrible job. As you may have gathered from previous entries, I read a lot. It seems as though I spend more time reading than any other activity, including eating, sleeping, and my 40-hour-a-week job. I've lately been on a nonfiction kick and have enjoyed books by both Sarah Vowell (Partly Cloudy Patriot) and Sloane Crosley (I Was Told There'd Be Cake), and these books sparked the dormant creative writing portion of my brain. Thank you Sarah and Sloane for reviving my livejournal.
In 22 days I'll be on a plane heading toward Europe. When I was in the 6th grade my parents decided to take me, my brother and my sister on a family vacation to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary by visit my mother's sister in Frankfurt. I don't remember a whole lot from the trip as I was 12 and am now 23. At the time my siblings and I had never been out of the Midwest, let alone the continent (I don't think I had been in an airplane before...). We traveled over Thanksgiving so we wouldn't miss as much school, not that any of us really cared. I remember this because my mom and aunt prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for us and her German neighbors (my aunt's family lived in a village just outside the Air Force base where she and my uncle were stationed) and it was a blast. There was enough food to feed the Third Reich and enough schnapps and gluhwein to humble an alcoholic, and amazingly, a German singing CCR in broken English. The peppermint schnapps was made my Peter and enjoyed by everyone in the family, including my 9 year old sister. Gluhwein is red wine warmed up to be enjoyed outside during the snowy season, and said snowy season began in Germany the week we arrived, which seems like perfect timing but isn't because gluhwein is fucking disgusting. Gluhwein aside, every other memory of the trip was amazing. We visited the Heidelberg castle, saw General Patton's grave in Luxembourg, ate amazing food, amassed a small collection of hand carved wooden figures and cuckoo clocks, got lost in a small village in France, and collectively drank a shitload of booze.
I don't know what Italy will bring, mostly because I didn't know about this trip 2 months ago, and after draining my savings, I'm going. I will be going with some of my family. Since I rarely if ever talked about these people on here, I'll list a short bio of each attending member:
KATHY: My father's sister, she digs music as much as I do and introduced me to the Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Free, and CSNY. She's the only family member of her generation I've been to shows with (CSNY in 2000 and Steely Dan in 2003). When my family went to Florida last summer for my brother's winging, my aunt and I went to a bar and she carved "Cleveland Rocks" into the wall. Needless to say, we get along swimmingly.
KEVIN: My father's youngest brother. He's a successful NY businessman who has a Protestant/Midwest view of the world. We haven't really spent much time together, so I don't know him well. We both know what it's like to be bossed around by older siblings, so we know how to make each other laugh. When we see each other we're in the company of our extended family, so this trip will be a chance to get to know him.
SUE: Kevin's wife. Also successful, has a Long Island/Ivy League view of the world. Our family had a personal moment of crisis because her office was alarmingly close to the World Trace Center, but she wasn't there that day. She has a slender modern beauty you see in models but she is intimidatingly intelligent. She does not like being called Susan. Sue thought of this vacation.
Anderson: Kevin and Sue's first son, 6 or 7 and a funny little kid. When he's in town he's attached to his father's hip but smiles at everything. His interests include dinosaurs, running, noises of all kinds, car symbols, and not sharing.
William: Kevin and Sue's second son, 4 or 5 and a funny little kid. His attempts to convey his educated opinions are too adorable to hear straight-faced. He's a bit of a hellion but his smile is so genuine he tends to be forgiven. His interests include trains, swimming, visiting museums, flying AirTran, and reading (being read to, or making up stories from looking at pictures).
Dot: Sue's mother. Her husband recently died and she wants to spend some time with her daughter and grandsons. I met her once before about 9 years ago when Kevin and Sue got married. I remember liking her and her husband John, but not much beyond that. Dot chose this time for the vacation and handled buying our tickets to Vatican City and our hotel in Rome.
We'll be taking the same transatlantic flight to Rome, arriving on July 31. We rented a villa in southern Italy for a week and we'll relax and soak in Italy passively. At some point I'm very happy to say we'll travel to Pompeii. We will then stay in Rome for a few days and speed sight see. Everyone else will return on a flight that takes off at 8a.m. on August 8th. Not me. My flight begins at 8p.m. on August 8th and I'll have a 9ish hour layover in Amsterdam. I'll be alone so I'm nervous to venture out, especially since I can't afford another flight if I miss mine and I don't want to be stuck in Amsterdam. I will arrive back in Columbus 24 hours after I begin my journey home.
I am excited this is happening although it hasn't yet hit me this is happening. I still need to get a few Euros from the bank, but aside from packing I'm ready to go. This is going to be something I'll remember and I'll be sure to be one of those annoying people who take a million pictures and post them all on facebook.
I was hoping for more, but I'm beyond uncomfortably sweaty right now, so I'll call it a post and keep reading A Million Little Pieces. Goodnight and have a pleasant day.
In 22 days I'll be on a plane heading toward Europe. When I was in the 6th grade my parents decided to take me, my brother and my sister on a family vacation to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary by visit my mother's sister in Frankfurt. I don't remember a whole lot from the trip as I was 12 and am now 23. At the time my siblings and I had never been out of the Midwest, let alone the continent (I don't think I had been in an airplane before...). We traveled over Thanksgiving so we wouldn't miss as much school, not that any of us really cared. I remember this because my mom and aunt prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for us and her German neighbors (my aunt's family lived in a village just outside the Air Force base where she and my uncle were stationed) and it was a blast. There was enough food to feed the Third Reich and enough schnapps and gluhwein to humble an alcoholic, and amazingly, a German singing CCR in broken English. The peppermint schnapps was made my Peter and enjoyed by everyone in the family, including my 9 year old sister. Gluhwein is red wine warmed up to be enjoyed outside during the snowy season, and said snowy season began in Germany the week we arrived, which seems like perfect timing but isn't because gluhwein is fucking disgusting. Gluhwein aside, every other memory of the trip was amazing. We visited the Heidelberg castle, saw General Patton's grave in Luxembourg, ate amazing food, amassed a small collection of hand carved wooden figures and cuckoo clocks, got lost in a small village in France, and collectively drank a shitload of booze.
I don't know what Italy will bring, mostly because I didn't know about this trip 2 months ago, and after draining my savings, I'm going. I will be going with some of my family. Since I rarely if ever talked about these people on here, I'll list a short bio of each attending member:
KATHY: My father's sister, she digs music as much as I do and introduced me to the Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Free, and CSNY. She's the only family member of her generation I've been to shows with (CSNY in 2000 and Steely Dan in 2003). When my family went to Florida last summer for my brother's winging, my aunt and I went to a bar and she carved "Cleveland Rocks" into the wall. Needless to say, we get along swimmingly.
KEVIN: My father's youngest brother. He's a successful NY businessman who has a Protestant/Midwest view of the world. We haven't really spent much time together, so I don't know him well. We both know what it's like to be bossed around by older siblings, so we know how to make each other laugh. When we see each other we're in the company of our extended family, so this trip will be a chance to get to know him.
SUE: Kevin's wife. Also successful, has a Long Island/Ivy League view of the world. Our family had a personal moment of crisis because her office was alarmingly close to the World Trace Center, but she wasn't there that day. She has a slender modern beauty you see in models but she is intimidatingly intelligent. She does not like being called Susan. Sue thought of this vacation.
Anderson: Kevin and Sue's first son, 6 or 7 and a funny little kid. When he's in town he's attached to his father's hip but smiles at everything. His interests include dinosaurs, running, noises of all kinds, car symbols, and not sharing.
William: Kevin and Sue's second son, 4 or 5 and a funny little kid. His attempts to convey his educated opinions are too adorable to hear straight-faced. He's a bit of a hellion but his smile is so genuine he tends to be forgiven. His interests include trains, swimming, visiting museums, flying AirTran, and reading (being read to, or making up stories from looking at pictures).
Dot: Sue's mother. Her husband recently died and she wants to spend some time with her daughter and grandsons. I met her once before about 9 years ago when Kevin and Sue got married. I remember liking her and her husband John, but not much beyond that. Dot chose this time for the vacation and handled buying our tickets to Vatican City and our hotel in Rome.
We'll be taking the same transatlantic flight to Rome, arriving on July 31. We rented a villa in southern Italy for a week and we'll relax and soak in Italy passively. At some point I'm very happy to say we'll travel to Pompeii. We will then stay in Rome for a few days and speed sight see. Everyone else will return on a flight that takes off at 8a.m. on August 8th. Not me. My flight begins at 8p.m. on August 8th and I'll have a 9ish hour layover in Amsterdam. I'll be alone so I'm nervous to venture out, especially since I can't afford another flight if I miss mine and I don't want to be stuck in Amsterdam. I will arrive back in Columbus 24 hours after I begin my journey home.
I am excited this is happening although it hasn't yet hit me this is happening. I still need to get a few Euros from the bank, but aside from packing I'm ready to go. This is going to be something I'll remember and I'll be sure to be one of those annoying people who take a million pictures and post them all on facebook.
I was hoping for more, but I'm beyond uncomfortably sweaty right now, so I'll call it a post and keep reading A Million Little Pieces. Goodnight and have a pleasant day.