Tomorrow Is Another Day...

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #28

1) If you were a famous movie star, what types of movies would you star in?
Historical dramas, no doubt.  From the moment I fell madly in love with Gone with the Wind to my weakness for BBC costume dramas, I have dreamed of playing a beautifully dressed woman of days gone by in a film with an astronomical costume budget.  Of course, with my luck, I'd probably end up cast as the hard-luck guttersnipe dressed in dirty rags. 

2) What is a vacation you would like to take if money were no object?
This is tough, because there are so many places I want to go.  Just one of my many dreams is Paris.  I would take a first class flight direct from the East coast to Charles De Gualle airport, where I would be met by the driver of a fancy limousine who would spend the next weeks driving me everywhere I want to go.  I would spent the next week in a Frenzy of Parisian delights, then set off for a 2-3 week tour of France stopping at Giverny, Normandy, the Loire Valley, the Champagne region, and the French Riveira.  And of course staying in nothing but the finest establishments--The Ritz in Paris and a swanky castle in the Loire--and eating the creme de la creme of French culinary delights!

Um.  I'm ready to go now.

3) Did you have pets growing up?

Tinkerbelle "Belle" Kriger
July 1994 - November 2010 

4) What do you do for exercise?
Run slowly.  I really like Jillian Michaels and Insanity for building up my manly muscles. 

5) What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received as a MilSpouse?
Whatever you do, always make sure there is a bottle of wine standing by.

The Unsinkable Maltese Falcon

How could I have forgotten to include this bit of information in yesterday's post??  Check out the beautiful piece of art we discovered on the landing between the 5th and 6th decks while we were forced to climb about 30 flights of stairs per day due to the elevators being shut down during the horrible weather.  "They say this ship is unsinkable!"

I mean, seriously.  Even Kate is like, "Leo, shut the hell up!"Aaaaanyway.  When we finally docked in Malta, after three rough days at sea, stepping out onto dry land was one of the most incredible feelings in the world.  At first, we were a bit put off by the idea of staying in Malta for two days rather than one, just because we knew nothing about it as a country, but we all ended up falling in love with the beauty of this tiny, little known island.

Part of what was so fascinating about Malta was how it has taken its history of Roman, Arab, and British rule and fused it into its own completely unique culture.  The country only received its independence from the British following World War II, and they are so fiercely proud of their history and eventual independence. I've never been anywhere quite like it, and particularly fell in love with the tiny town of Mdina, the original capitol of the island.  We wandered the winding streets, visited St. Paul's Cathedral, and peeked into some of the many miniscule chapels that were scattered throughout the town.

We made our way back to the port city of Valletta where we first stopped at the Upper Barracca Gardens, overlooking the Mediterranean and the Naval Fort.  In the mid 1500s, the same Knights of St. John who built the English walled city of Rhodes, came to Malta and assisted in defending its people against the Turks.  Once the siege was over and the Knights were victorious, Jean Parisot de la Valette planned the city of Valletta, and noting the fact that fresh water was hard to come by in its dry climate, ensured that there was one very large garden to be shared by all of the residents.  Hence the Upper and Lower Barracca Gardens.  We then went to the National Museum of Archaeology which houses artifacts from stone structures older than the pyramids of Egypt, and St. John's Co-Cathedral where the famous Carravaggio, The Beheading of St. John the Baptist is hung in a chapel.

Our second day in Malta greeted us with grey skies and drizzling rains.  We waited as long as we could, hoping the weather would pass, then braved the day with umbrellas in hand.  We had a delicious lunch in the city, then made our way to the Casa Rocca Piccola, one of the few palazzos still remaining as a single family dwelling.  We even had the pleasure of meeting Marquis de Piro as he was setting out Christmas cards in his living room, and his wife the Marquisse who served us hot mulled wine!  My mom and I were then sucked into The Silversmith's Shop where we scooped up loads of stunningly beautiful silver jewelry for astoundingly low prices.

Unfortunately, shortly after that, as we were making our way back to the ship, my poor daddy BROKE HIS FOOT.  Yes, walking down the sidewalk, I suddenly heard a loud popping noise, thought he had stepped on a rock, but in actuality that was the sound of BONES BREAKING.  And we still had about 20 minutes of walking ahead of us, and not a single cab to be found. Remember how all the x-ray machines were broken in the storm? Yeah, when we tried to see the ship's doctor, we were told that if he thought his foot was broken, we'd be disembarked in Malta to receive medical care there. So, we decided his foot was not, in fact, broken.

We had one FINAL DESTINATION ahead of us when we returned to Barcelona, and still the Universe was not done having its sadistic way with us...

When Vacations Attack!

Up to the time on our trip when we left Rhodes, the whole vacation had been pretty magical.  The weather was beautiful--cool, but sunny--we'd seen amazing sights, and we were really enjoying the cruise experience.  Then, the rains came.  And near-hurricane force winds.The day after Rhodes was a day at sea as we made our way toward the port of Alexandria, Egypt.  The skies were a menacing grey, matching the swirling grey seas.  Colby and I had a room on the 3rd deck, and the waves, which on a typical day had been about 15 feet below our window, were now breaking over the top of the window on a regular basis.  On my parents 7th deck balcony room, the motion of the ship was so severe, that even Colby with his iron stomach couldn't handle more than a few minutes at a time without feeling sick.  At lunch in the cafeteria, stacks of plates and dishes from the bussing stations were tossed across the ship as the waves rocked us pretty violently a few times.  At dinner, a huge percentage of glassware was lost when there was another violent sway back and forth.  Still, we were assured that all was well, and we continued our progress toward Alexandria.Around 2 o'clock in the morning, I jerked upright in my bed, thinking I had heard a sharp crack of thunder.  I opened the curtains, and peered out to see the waves still breaking over our window, but didn't hear any more thunder or see lightning.  The ship, however, was still tossing violently.  Colby woke up and asked what was wrong.  As I was telling him, the ship suddenly began to groan, and before I could even finish talking, we felt as though the ship was capsizing.  Our bed rolled rapidly away from the wall, stopping when it hit the sofa, then rocketed back toward the window as the ship snapped back in the other direction, slamming us into the wall.  I was facing away from the window, but saw Colby's eyes widen.  I turned around and saw nothing but the dark grey and black of the cloudy sky, then suddenly we were listing back toward starboard and our window was plunged into the inky black sea.  At this point, I completely lost my fucking mind and descended into hysteria.  I was clinging to Colby like a spider monkey on ecstacy, and expecting a gush of water through our window at any moment as the ship continued to whip back and forth.

Honestly, this probably all took a total of maybe 4 or 5 minutes.  If that.  But it seemed like the longest moment of my life, and I honest to God believed that we were all going to die.  Eventually the violent listing stopped, and we sat rigidly where we had been tossed off the bed, onto the floor.  The first thing I did when I regained my faculties was locate the phone and try to call my parents.  Of course, they didn't answer, and Colby and I began tossing on boots and jackets, expecting any moment to be told that we were evacuating to a central area.  My dad called back, what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes later, and I finally just started sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.  He assured me they were okay, and I pulled myself together enough to tell him that we were fine too.  Colby looked out into the hall as we were trying to decide what to do, and finally Captain Erik came over the intercom to tell us that we had experienced high winds while attempting to enter the port of Alexandria, and we were now heading back out to sea while he came up with an alternate plan.  Our stateroom attendant came to check on us, looking just as terrified as we were, and eventually we were able to fall back into an uneasy sleep.

What we determined later was pieced together based on what few details we got from the Captain, various news sources, speaking to fellow passengers, and our own observations and experiences.  On the night of December 12, we attempted to enter the port of Alexandria in 80 mph winds, and for some reason that is still a mystery to us, we had slowed down to less than 5 knots, far below the minimum speed needed for the ship's stabilizers to function properly.  At that point, we were at a near stop in high winds, with 30-40 foot seas hitting us broad side, which led to the increased listing that the Captain claimed was 10-15 degrees in either direction.  In all actuality, we were never in danger of capsizing, but I guaran-damn-tee you, in that moment, I'd bet more than 70% of the passengers on that ship were making peace with whatever god they believe in.

There was a great deal of cosmetic damage to the ship.  TVs had been hurled out of the shelves they were bolted onto.  The X-ray machine and copiers at guest relations were ruined.  The gym and salon were wrecked.  Huge planter pots and heavy furniture, none of which was bolted down, had been flung across the ship, shattering the glass paneled elevators and balconies.  Refrigerator doors were flung open, ruining most of the perishable food.  Drink machines and bottles were shattered, leaving us with a minimum of alcohol to soothe our mangled nerves.  60-70% of the glassware in the dining rooms was broken, and only two of the six or seven eating establishments were open for the thousands of passengers to make their way through refugee-camp style.

Of course, we didn't go back to Alexandria.  We later found out that when the weather conditions are such as they were the night of the "incident", ships pull up their anchors and bob around the harbor where ever the waves take them.  My personal theory is that there may have been a ship bobbing unanchored in our path, leading the Captain to slow the ship to the near halt so that we wouldn't hit it.  I don't know.  These are just speculations on my part.  But we did hear that a ship did sink in the harbor that night and 28 buildings in Alexandria collapsed.  We were hugely disappointed to miss out on the pyramids, but happy to still have our lives.

We were at sea for three days straight, and things started turning Lord of the Flies reeeaaaal quick.  Following the decision to skip Egypt and go straight to Malta, we were told that each stateroom would receive a $200 credit.  Okay.  That's fine.  Until rumors started swirling that some of the swanky staterooms were receiving $400 credits.  And all hell broke loose.  I know I have a tendency toward hyperbole, but when I tell you that this discovery started a riot in the atrium, I AM NOT KIDDING.  There was anger, there were signs, there were petitions, there were curses being hurled, there were armed security guards.  And later that day, Royal Caribbean issued everyone on board a full refund for the cost of the cruise.

And that, my friends, is just the beginning of how our adventures abroad went from Vacation of a Lifetime to Oh My God, Just Kill Me Now and End the Madness.

The Anti-Announcement

There are approximately 6 million pregnancies ever year in the United States.

2.1 million women of the same age range are considered “infertile” (unable to become pregnant naturally over the course of 12 months).

An average woman in her mid-20s with excellent reproductive health has approximately a 20-25% chance of becoming pregnant each cycle.

The average couple in their mid-20s will try for five cycles before conceiving.

On average, 20% of couples do not get pregnant in their first year of trying. 95% succeed within two years.

If you had asked me six months ago how a woman conceives, I would have told you step 1) toss out the contraceptives, step 2) get it on till the break of dawn with your main squeeze, step 3) pee on a stick, step 4) baby.

Today, I could give an impromptu presentation on Basal Body Temperature, cervical mucous, various positions that could increase the odds of conceiving, how charting can improve a woman’s understanding of her cycle, what supplements can prolong the luteal phase, and the evils of a blue dye pregnancy test.

Essentially, now I realize how absolutely ignorant I was about how the reproductive system actually functions and what a miracle it is that anyone gets pregnant EVER. If you think you learned anything in that 2-week long unit on Human Reproduction in your high school Health class, I expect you’ve also got a lot to learn.

Six months ago, I thought you either got pregnant or you were infertile. I didn’t think about this secret group of women who were on a long journey of just “trying”. That despite the informal poll I conducted in my head of all the people I knew who went off birth control and got pregnant overnight, statistics show that there is a silent majority who spent months and months on the process before they finally got those two pink lines. It’s just that no one likes to talk about that part.

After one month of trying unsuccessfully, we were disappointed, but still optimistic. Two months in, and my optimism began to wilt. Three months in, I was charting my brains out and “trying” was verging on a military operation. As we enter the fourth month, it’s becoming increasingly difficult not to obsess, and the beginning of every cycle has become an enormous kick in the gut. Particularly when my body has decided to get its jollies by faking pregnancy symptoms like the past three months of near constant nausea and the joys of tender and swollen boobs post-(alleged) ovulation.

I’ve struggled with how much I want to publicly share this journey. It’s certainly a very private struggle for most women, and I think every woman who wants to have children, has this dream of blushingly and joyously announcing to an unexpecting world, that she is pregnant. That biology hasn’t failed her. That conceiving was a magical, dreamlike experience. Not that she cried every time she had to mark the start of a new cycle on a new chart. That she peed on seventeen sticks over the course of a particularly promising week. That she choked down horse-tranquilizer sized supplements on a daily basis. That she spent almost every evening with her hips elevated, hoping fervently that this time it would take.

That every month it didn’t work, and another friend announced her pregnancy, she bought a gift for a baby shower, or held an infant in her arms, she didn’t feel like a complete failure as a woman. Knowing that others have had to endure much greater trials, but recognizing that at a certain point, they probably also clung desperately to the same dwindling hope as she does that this month will be different.

But I feel compelled to share this experience. That there needs to be a voice saying, no, not every woman gets pregnant just from being in the same room as her husband and that is normal. Sometimes it takes time. If you are feeling this sense of defeat, and the world is telling you to “just relax”, you are not alone. I am not alone.

I would never equate what we are going through right now to the struggles of infertility. I know, and hope against hope, chances are good that we just need a few more months and we too will be making our joyful announcement. If it’s true that the average couple spends five cycles trying to conceive, we’re still well inside the window of “average”. But I also know that every month that ticks by puts us closer and closer to a frightening diagnosis. That something real might be wrong. Something that might not be fixable. Something that I’ve been afraid of since the moment I realized some women just can’t make babies.

I’ve spent so many years doing everything within my power to not get pregnant—cooing over other people’s little bundles of joy, then returning thankfully to my child-free life with my freedom to travel, plan a last minute date night, sleep in all day on a weekend, spend a rainy day with a book and silence. I don’t regret a single day of the past years that Colby and I have had to be selfish and to worry only about our own wants and needs. I treasure that time, and every day that goes by without a baby is another day that we can focus on strengthening our own relationship and relishing that freedom. But there is a bitter irony in the fact that for so long we tried so hard not to have a baby, and now that it’s what we want it has become such a struggle.

In a perfect world, this week I would be sitting down right now to write a sappy, but heartfelt, post announcing how thrilled Colby and I are to be entering the second trimester of a pregnancy. Instead, there is this. My truth. Still somewhere deep below all of the pessimism, there is that belief that our time will come. Maybe this month. Maybe next month. Maybe in a year. And the slimmest of silver linings is that now we know for certain, when our time comes, we will be two of the happiest, most thankful, and excited future parents the world has ever known. And I know in my heart that all of this sadness, frustration and disappointment will have been so worth it.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #27

1) What do you usually want to know about someone when meeting them for the first time?
There's not really one specific thing that I wonder when meeting someone for the first time.  I would say that I'm looking for whether they have a sense of humor.  That's really the most important thing.  Oh, and if they're one of those Facebook caps lock abusers. 

2) Would you rather know everything about your spouse, or be regularly surprised?
After nearly ten years together, there are very few surprises, and I'm really okay with that.  But every now and then, something will come up and I'll discover that Colby doesn't like mint (WHAT?!?) or he puts pickles and mayonnaise on his grilled cheese.  Evidently all of the surprises are food related...  Anyway, those little surprises sprinkled lightly throughout life make it more interesting.  But knowing each other REALLY well is kind of awesome. 

3) If you could live in one city for the rest of your life, where would you live?
You mean if I had to live in one city?  Honestly, I have no idea.  I really love where we're living right now just outside of Charleston.  But I'm still enjoying the adventure of moving from place to place and we're nowhere near making a decision on our "forever home" yet. 

4) When you go out of town, what one material thing do you ALWAYS take?
Underwear. 

5) Using no more than 10 nouns, and ONLY nouns, describe yourself.
Books, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Travel, Internet, Friend, Sarcasm, Author, Mascara

American Idol! Woo! Right?

I haven't watched a full season of American Idol in... oh, two years if my blog is any indication.  The last contestant I remember getting vaguely excited about was Alexis Grace.  And I'm pretty sure she was kicked off early in the season.  And actually, I think I might have stopped watching at that point.  Who won that year?  Was that David Archuleta?   Clearly he has done well for himself.

Anyway, point being, I was pretty much over it.  Even my love for Ellen couldn't bring me back.  But if there is one thing I love, it is a trainwreck.  If there is another thing I love, it is something awesome.
I figure, with these clowns gracing my screen for the 2011 AI season, I am bound to be treated to a trainwreck.  If by some miniscule chance they bypass trainwreck and stumble headlong into awesome, well, all the better for me!

So, prepare yourself, because I am about to get super pumped about some mediocre singers, vaguely Mormonesque crooners, punk-rock wannabes, and if I am a very, very good girl, maybe a J Lo/Steven Tyler twinsies duet.  Fingers crossed, y'all!  

Anyone else sheepishly returning to the fold now that Snarky Simon and Boring Kara have jumped this sinking ship?

Oh, What A Beautiful Weekend!

Have I ever shared my theory about how much nicer the world would be if everyone just worked slightly longer days four times a week, and the weekend was three days?  I mean, I don't really care--there is very little difference between a week day and a weekend when you are a super hard-working stay-at-home-wife (This house doesn't clean itself!  I got an email about what a stay-at-home-mom's salary should be, so I estimate my take-home should be about 75% of that four trillion dollars or whatever).  IRREGARDLESS, it makes such a big difference to Colby's level of happiness and relaxation, and by extension, MY happiness and relaxation.  Anyway, this is my way of announcing that I will be running for President in 2012 on the platform of 3-day-weekends.  Voting is sexy!

So yes, we had a three-day weekend, and it was indeed splendid.  One of my very lovely, talented friends gave birth to her second equally lovely and talented child last week, and Colby and I were immediately pulled in by the tractor beam of adorableness.  We met the little princess when she was just one day old, and the tiniest, brand-newest baby I have ever held in my quivering arms.  I was terrified I was going to crush the little bundle of delicious baby, but still managed to fall totally in love.  We brought dinner over on the 4 day anniversary of the baby's birth, and it was amazing how much she had filled out in just those few days.  She was still as delicate as an expensive brazier, but riding the wave of confidence based on the success from our first day together, I was less afraid of crushing her and could focus all of my energy on not dropping her.

Sunday, we got together with our friends who moved here from Washington at the same time we did, and headed downtown to celebrate the fact that no one had to wake up early the next morning to go to work, whether that be in an office or in the kitchen washing dishes from the night before, BECAUSE THAT IS WORK TOO YOU KNOW.  So, we went to Amen Street, and enjoyed the 3 for $30 menu.  The shecrab soup was one of the best I've had, but sadly, I was not a fan of the shrimp and grits.  Things ended on a happy note with the chocolate terrine, a delicious mousse-like flourless chocolate cake with cream and blackberries.

Monday was a bit more low-key as the weather was gloomy, and we weren't inspired to actually get dressed.  Colby, the handyman, whipped together some sturdy wooden shelves in some dead space in our garage and WALAH, instant storage for all of our Christmas crap that was slowly taking over our entire second floor.

So, now it is Tuesday, which feels like Monday and the week will creep by slowly because everyone always expects a four-day week to be short, but they never are.  Unless the four days are Monday-Thursday.  This is my theory based on science.  And why I will specify in all of my Presidential race debates that the weekend will begin on Thursday evening and go through Sunday.  So, Mondays will still suck.  But that's as it should be.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #26

Yay!  Today marks my triumphant return to the MilSpouse Friday Fill-In over at Wife of a Sailor!  If you are a military spouse or significant other, feel free to play along as well!
What are you looking forward to most in 2011?
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!  Whoop!  Alohomora, bitches!

What is something random you do on a boring night when your significant other is away?
Hm... I don't really do much differently when Colby is here or when he's not.  My average boring night is spent on the sofa either reading a book or watching tv.  I am a thrilling individual! 

What has been your greatest adventure as a MilSpouse?
Can I just say "All of it"?  Seriously, every day is a new adventure.  I've lived in three different states in four years.  My husband is gone on average 200+ days every year.  We frequently find out mere days in advance that he'll be leaving for a 2-3 week trip.  Airplanes break and plans have to be cancelled or rescheduled.  Buying tickets for anything more than a month in advance is either foolhardy or a guarantee that I'll be going with a friend.  Still, with all of that, I've got to say, the Air Force has given us a really good life and I wouldn't take a day of it back. 

What is the ugliest fashion trend you ever bought into (I’d like to make fun of you, so can you please provide a picture as well)?
Hm, well, I'm not sure if the bike shorts, mismatched Keds and oversized puff-painted t-shirts of my childhood count since I had minimal control over my attire.  So, I'll go with the high school phase of huge, clomping Doc Martens with the big flannel button ups over jeans.  Either that or over-alls.  I'd attach a photo, but I'll be honest, that's just way too much effort.

What was the high point of last month?
Though there were some unexpected drawbacks, I have to say our Barcelona/Cruise vacay.  I saw such amazing places, and even though we missed out on the Pyramids, it was still an incredible life experience.

Greece Is the Word

After a day at sea, we made our way from Sicily to Piraeus, Greece.  We headed off the ship with our tour group to begin our journey toward one of the main highlights of the trip:  THE PARTHENON!

It was such an awe-inspiring moment standing before those ruins, thinking about all of the history that has occurred while they stood, slowly crumbling, but still standing after thousands of years.  What saddened me most is that a huge part of the Greek culture is held captive in the British Museum.  On the one hand, the Brits got hold of the ruins fair and square when Lord Elgin struck up a deal with the Turks who were controlling Greece at the time of the sale.  However, when the Greeks were told that they would get the marbles back if they had an appropriate museum structure to house them, then poured millions of dollars into a modern state-of-the-art museum, and have yet to receive the marbles... well, it's hard not to cry foul.  Still, the Acropolis is beautiful in its own right, my favorite aspect being the elegant Caryatids, modeled after the most beautiful women in Athens at the time that the Parthenon was built.

After spending the morning at the Acropolis, Colby and I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Piraeus.  We visited a couple of stunning Greek Orthodox churches and were blown away by the elaborate icons, chandeliers, and opulent domes and stained glass.  Right up until we got the evil eye from a woman who began yelling at us in Greek to stop taking photos.  We think is what she was saying.  Hard to tell seeing as we don't speak Greek.  Either way... maybe we brought what happened to us later in the trip on ourselves...

We spent that night sailing from Piraeus to the largest island of the Dodecanese, Rhodes.  We took a bus from the port of Rhodes to Lindos, a tiny white-washed village at the far end of the island.  We visited their Acropolis, which was initially built as a Greek temple thousands of years ago and was re-appropriated by the Knights of St. John who came through Rhodes following the Crusades to set up hospitals.

We wrapped up our time in Greece with a rainy afternoon in the port city of Rhodes.  The town was completely overhauled by the same Knights who turned the Acropolis of Lindos into a fortress, and so this little Greek town felt like a medieval English city.  Greece has been in the hands of ancient Greeks, the Turks, and the English, so there was a striking fusion of Greek artistry such as the remarkable white and black pebble mosaics, the imposing limestone city gates left by the English, and the towering minaret of the mosque.Back on the ship, we dressed for a formal evening and as we sailed into the ocean, the waves became much higher and more turbulent.  Before we dressed, I perched in our porthole to watch the waves, and was struck by this container ship out in the distance that was pitching fore and aft into the waves.  It may look like a trick of perspective, but that truly is the front of the ship crashing under the waves.  Things were starting to get a little scary, but we soldiered on into the Mediterranean, seasickness patches firmly in place and towel animals anchored securely in case of emergency.

Wicked Casting Couch Take 2

Taking a day off from trip recapping to flip out about some Very Exciting News.

Sources confirm that the actress-producer [Salma Hayek] is teaming with ABC to develop an eight-hour miniseries adaptation of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the Gregory Maguire bestseller that spawned the Broadway phenom. The insider stresses that it would be based on the novel and not the musical.
Via 

I've gotten excited about a Wicked moving pictures treatment before, but that was for a big screen adaptation of the musical, which is amazing in its own right, but a VAST departure from the dark, thought-provoking, more than slightly perverse story told in Gregory Maguire's novel.  The actresses playing the roles of book Elphaba and Galinda have to have very different capabilities than the actresses playing musical Elphaba and Galinda.

My choice for Galinda came instantaneously.  Dianna Agron has the innocent, beautiful look with a proven track record of playing a syrupy sweet bitch.  Exactly what the role calls for.
Elphaba was more of a challenge.  Initially I couldn't think of anyone with the right look or personality.  Of course, it's an actress's job to portray the character appropriately, but still, an undercurrent of snarkiness is necessary.  Then, while watching Pretty Little Liars a television show that is not remotely an embarrassing teen drama, it struck me.  Troian Bellisario.  She definitely has the look, as well as the necessary gravity, maturity and seriousness to play the green girl.So, anyone else out there as excited as me about eight hours of Wicked goodness?  Any other thoughts on casting?  Anybody else ready to start planning a Wicked party?

Picture It: Sicily, 2010

The second morning of our cruise, we arrived in Palermo, Sicily.  Let's see.  Sicily.  It was... I could see how... Well, Palermo is like that really smart straight-C/D student in school.  So much potential, but just no ambition.  Beneath the dirt, the cramped apartment buildings, and graffiti, there was a lot of beauty.  It was just hard to find.  I think if we'd been able to get away from the port city, we would have been far more impressed with what Sicily had to offer.  But that's the problem with cruises, and a main reason why I wasn't overly impressed with my very first cruise experience.We had booked tours through Royal Caribbean for all of the ports, so we disembarked with our tour group and were whisked into town for a quick overview of Palermo, then to the Capuchin Catacombs.  When we booked this tour, I had it in my head that this was going to be the catacomb lined with the skulls and bones that you see all the time on travel shows.  As creepy as that would have been, the reality of these catacombs was so much more macabre.  Starting in 1599, the monks began mummifying their brothers who had passed and storing them in the catacombs.  As word began to spread, the wealthy citizens of the town also wanted to be mummified, and soon there were thousands of bodies lining the walls of the catacombs.  The remnants of these mummies are still there today, in many cases with leathery skin, strands of hair, and tattered clothing still clinging to their bones.  We couldn't take pictures inside, but if you really want to see what I'm describing, you can click here.

Next up, we headed over to the Palazzo Chiaramonte, built by Sicilian royalty in the 1300s and later the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition.  It is now partially used by the University of Palermo, but still retains its medieval feel with the imposing stone walls surrounding a beautiful courtyard.  There are many religious frescoes on the walls completed during the Inquisition by artists who were attempting to prove their Catholic faith during their captivity.

After the organized tour, we decided to wander around Palermo for the rest of the afternoon, before returning to the ship for our departure.  We had a delicious Sicilian lunch outside, enjoying the beautiful weather and the always entertaining people-watching.He's climbin' in yo windows, snatchin' yo people up!

I'm On A Boat!

We had one full day left in Barcelona, so we packed it to the gills with cultural experiences.  We started the day by arriving to the Cook & Taste building for an expedition to La Boqueria (the market) and a half day cooking class.  The building was located in the Gothic Quarter, just off La Rambla and a short walk to La Boqueria, where we went to get supplies for our tasty Catalan meal.

Our teacher was absolutely adorable, and everyone in our cooking class was highly entertaining and enjoyable.  There were only about 12 of us, and by the end of the day and copious amounts of wine, we all felt like family.
 

Since the class size was fairly small, we each got lots of hands-on time behind the stove, as well as plenty of time to have fun, drink, and take photos.  And is that not one of the most beautiful meals you've ever seen?  As well as the seafood paella, we had a squash soup, potato pancakes (peeled and sauteed in part by yours truly!), and a creme de catalan for dessert.

The class ended up going until late in the afternoon, and though we half wanted to go home and sleep off our wine and food buzz, we sucked in our food guts and pressed on with the tourist experience, heading to the Barcelona City Museum where an entire Roman town had been excavated and was on display in the basement.  We then scooted over to the Barcelona Cathedral, dedicated to St. Eulalie, with its impressive flying buttresses, Gothic spires, and guard swans... yes, guard swans.

And still, our day was not complete!  After a quick stop at the hotel for freshening up, we headed out once more into the cold night for a Spanish guitar concert at the Palau de la Musica Catalana.  Manuel Gonzalez played a beautiful assortment of classical and original music, all with a Spanish flair.  It was absolutely amazing what that man could do with those strings.

The next morning, we waved a sad goodbye to Barcelona as we boarded the Brilliance of the Seas for the beginning of our 12 day Mediterranean adventure.  And an adventure it was.  But first we had a day at sea to get to know our floating home away from home, and more importantly...

NAP!!!!

El Viaje de Mi Vida

There were times on our way to Barcelona, on the cruise, and on the way back home that I honestly believed I was either going to die or commit murder.  Despite that specter of death, Barcelona managed to catapult itself into my Top 3 destinations, earning itself the great honor of being a city to which I would return without the slightest hesitation, following only Dublin and coming in slightly ahead of Tuscany.  It is remarkably clean, the architecture is stunning, and the people are incredibly kind.  The traveling trifecta!

We stayed at the Hotel Regina which was clean, comfortable, and a nice fusion of modern and traditional design, but more importantly inexpensive and amazingly located in the heart of the city steps away from the Placa Catalunya and La Rambla.  And right next door to a Starbucks.
My parents were supposed to arrive in Barcelona the day before us, unfortunately due to the horrible weather in Atlanta, the Northeast, and EUROPE IN GENERAL, they ended up arriving about seven hours after us.  While we were waiting for them, we decided to jump on board the hop-on-hop-off bus and get an overview of the city.  We saw plenty of modernisme architecture, centuries-old buildings lining the streets, cathedrals, and more and got back to the hotel with just enough time to squeeze in a short lay down before meeting up with my parents.  We went to dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant using the toothpicks to hold our eyes open, then my parents hit the hay while Colby and I went for a nighttime stroll along La Rambla.

We were warned and warned and warned again about the pickpockets in Barcelona and especially along La Rambla, but we never felt the least bit unsafe.  We kept our belongings where we could see them, were alert to our surroundings, and Colby wore the dread money belt under his shirt, and we came away unscathed.  The best part of visiting the city when we did was that all of the streets were decorated with beautiful Christmas lights and decorations, the buildings were glittering with LED lights, and pesebres (nativity scenes) were scattered around the city.  It was magical.

The next day we went back to the hop-on bus so that we could hit the Gaudi sites.  We started at Casa Batllo on Passeig de Gracia in a block of buildings referred to as "The Block of Discord".  Now granted, Gaudi architecture is a bit much, but I've got to tell you, I fell in love with the whimsy, surrealism and organic flow of his buildings.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a right angle anywhere in his design and there is so much creativity in everything from the flooring to the door handles.  We also went to Casa Mila, but as it has been converted into shops, we decided to just view it from the outside.

To continue our Gaudi experience, we continued on to La Sagrada Familia, his unfinished masterpiece.  Gaudi began construction on the cathedral in 1882, and it is estimated that it will take another 30-50 years to reach completion.  I cannot even put into words how incredible this cathedral is.  Let me tell you, this is no St. Paul's Cathedral or St. Peter's Basilica.  This cathedral is like walking into a mythical forest--unimaginably tall columns stretching up toward Heaven like towering trees, jewel toned stain glass windows cast bands of rainbows on every surface.  It is unlike anything I've ever seen, and all you can do is stand there, slowly rotating in the center of the construction chaos, pivoting slowly, head tilted back, mouth agape.

I'm not a particularly religious person by any stretch of the imagination, but standing in that cathedral, taking in the genius of another man's passion for his art and his faith, I couldn't help but think, this is a cathedral God could really get behind.

I Resolve to Stay Resolved

Oh January.  A month of such optimism.  A month when the entire world stands united in our efforts to get fit, get thin, eat better, improve our minds... before the inevitable crash back to reality in February.  When we remember how much we love pizza and how much running truly does suck.  I've almost come to find New Year's Resolutions ridiculous, but there's still a part of me that enjoys the idea of a challenge and a fresh start.

So yes, I have some resolutions.  Though none of them involve food or exercise.  That's just setting myself up for failure.

Resolution #1:  Create a monthly housekeeping chores chart.
I do a fairly good job of keeping the downstairs of our house clean and organized, but the upstairs is a depository of vast amounts of random crap.  I also find that I do all of my cleaning in marathon sessions that leave me grumpy and frustrated.  So, I'm working on making a chart that breaks chores down by week and month and divvies them up so that I'm doing just a little bit every day.  We'll see how this goes.

Resolution #2: Complete half of my 30 Before 30 List.
I need to update the list with some of the things I've already finished.  In an effort to knock the two writing items off of the list, I'm instituting a one hour per day writing rule.  I'm finished with school, so I'll just devote the time that otherwise would have been spent reading textbooks or writing papers to working on my books or short stories.

Resolution #3: Read 50 books.
I thought about aiming for 100 books, but after reviewing the sheer length of many of the books I have on my list to read (many of them over 1000 pages), I've decided 50 is a much more reasonable challenge!

Do you have any resolutions for 2011?