I'd go to the bridge and ask if I could steer the ship for a while....

edit for confusing typo

You can't download books at sea. That's the other truly annoying thing about those sea days.

I suggest the gym! Yoga! What?

Today was a drive around Tuscany, through Montalpuciano, Montalcino, and Montoriggiano. Our lunch was a Very Tuscan picnic of fresh crusty artisan bread, a Montalcino salami, a peccorino (ewe's milk) cheese, some cherries and some peaches, eaten on a hillside overgrown with wildflowers.

The only downside to this incredible picnic is that it with my father, instead of a girlfriend (not that I have one).

Which is not to say that having a picnic, or any part of my trip, with my father is a downside, it's just.....

Well, I'm sure you get it.

For the Assassin's Creed 2 players following along at home, Montoriggiano is actually even SMALLER than it is in the game, and there is no large Tuscan villa overlooking the town from the north wall. However, it does have a medieval arms and armor museum, wich allows you to touch and wear the arms and armor.

There are many pictures of this, and everything else I've done (including VIDEOS!), but those will all have to wait until I get home, as I did not bring my laptop with me, and our ability to get on the internet has been spotty at best.

Yes, every chance I get to get online involves me checking in here.

Because I love you all that much.

Montepulciano! Drink lots of red wine for me!

Also, birthday happies to Hec and JZ, and YAY JESSICA!

Also, --ma to Maria, Aims, and all else who need it (sorry, I can't find the tilde on these darned Italian keyboards).

Drink lots of red wine for me!

Oh yeah. The picnic also included a Montepulciano red. YUM!!!!

Sean your updates are gorgeous.

I want Sean's Monday. Day-um!

We love you too, Sean! And it's awesome hearing about your trip!

Speaking of trips. I need some advice. A little more than a year ago, Jon's boss gave him a $5000 go-anywhere-you-want travel thing for being at the bar 10 years. He decided India, so we planned a trip for that November. A month or so later, I got my current gig. I am contracted here, and am likely to stay contract for another year (On 7/27 I will have been here a full year). I absolutely love it here, and love everyone I work with. We put off the trip because I would have only been here 6 months.

November is rolling back around and we're looking at a use it or lose it thing with the trip. I do not know how to broach this with work. Jon can go himself, but it's three weeks (I can see Pix rolling her eyes at me as this is nothing to her and ND's time apart). Also, it's a life-changing trip, and I think after a lot of the things we've been through in the past few years, we need to do that life changing together.

I don't mind not being paid for any of those weeks, and being in November, I could even use some of the holiday. I just have no idea how to bring this up and make it work for everyone.

I can't wait to share the pictures.

The only other downside (this word is far to strong for my uses of it) to this trip is that Italy is MUCH MORE HUMID than I thought it would be.

I'm starting to miss my semi-desert just a little bit.

But I could totally live here. With AC.