Anyone Out There?

I might start this up again...provided the Republic of China allows this type of expression (or access to it).

20 days in China...imagine the blogging possibilities!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Craigslist is FUN

I've been in the habit of checking Craigslist every so often when I'm bored at work. I have recently started looking at the "FREE" section just to see what oddball things people are getting rid of. This is the best posting yet. I've included the whole posting with the contact # in case someone is interested. Honestly, this poster could either be my best friend (if given the chance) or they are absolutely crazy and are going to be starring in an episode of "Hoarders" soon.

I have a remaining bag of cat food our picky cat wont eat any more.
FREE
We tried to change his food to help him lose wait and he lost it alright, because he barely ate it.
FREE
We tried to disguise it by adding it to his old food and it sorta worked till he learned to separate each individual nugget all over the floor.
FREE
So this is what's left. There's about a quarter of a bag left.
FREE
It's yours if you want it. Call for pick up time.
FREE
586-207-0016

2010

It has been a pretty strange start to 2010. Between my neverending tooth drama and things going on with friends, there is so much to discuss.

I am looking forward to a great 2010. I'm getting married, great job prospects, wonderful friends & family. I am a very lucky girl.

A "real" blog should be coming soon. In the meantime, here are some recommendations.

Music: Cobra Starship
Movie: Up in the Air
TV Show: Modern Family

Last Day in Brazil

Today is my last day in Brazil. I have absolutely loved it, especially the time spent in the South of Brazil. Considering I had to work the entire time I was here, its not often I get to say that I truly loved it. The location, people, food, work experience has all been fantastic - I have never been treated this well by any previous clients.

I feel somewhat guilty and ridiculous saying this….but I do believe I have a stalker... a single-white female to call my own. Let me start by saying that she is nice, but it crossed the line into stalkerville a while ago. This woman has been glued to me from the second I got into town. She has had every single lunch and dinner with me…and she jockeys to sit next to or across from me. She brings me Cokes, pineapple, tells me how nice I look (except today she said I looked tired – grrrr), and literally is at my beck and call. She scheduled a wine tour and literally lurks outside of my cube to be with me. She showed me airfare prices to come visit me in Detroit next year.

At first, I loved the attention and probably even encouraged it. I was helping her with her English. Now…I am a little distressed. Last night she asked me to go to dinner (with a couple of others) and when I said no, she literally looked like she was going to cry and quickly left the table. Tonight, we are having a big end of the audit dinner with the entire audit team and our clients (probably 20-25 people). It is at a fancy restaurant and we decided as an audit team to go to a club afterwards to celebrate a job well done. My stalker found out and said, “I am coming with you”.

I feel like this is such a burden and I’m on the verge of lying about going so that I might have my last night to my team and myself. Honestly, how big of a jerk am I? Feel free to tell me I'm a jerk.

To answer some of the questions that have already been asked – yes, she’s hot and yes, I’m sure I could land her. J Ha ha. :)

Seen on the Bus in Brazil

ASS Tours - call xxxx-xxxxx

made me giggle

Keep it in Your Pants

Ok, I've made it to Caxias do Sul, Brazil. The land of Gisele Bundchen and other drop-dead gorgeous people, in general.

I'm with a few co-workers (all male) and I have to say that I am so surprised by the 13 year-old boy mentality. Honestly, my co-workers are 28, 39 and 44 - at the sight of a pretty girl on our team from a local firm, they practically wet themselves. Eyes popped out of their heads, I see them make comments to each other about the hot girl. The 28 year-old is the pride of my all male staff (in addition to my team) in that every other guy (meaning the married ones) can live vicariously through him.

Here's my problem
1. 28? You're no longer 22 years-old dude and if you don't watch it, you'll become that "creepy guy"
2. The 28 year-old has a girlfriend and is constantly looking for praise for the fact that he is faithful to this girlfriend. Again...you're 28 - being in a relationship is expected - it is NORMAL behavior.
3. The ease in which my co-worker is praised and lauded for his sexual prowess. Kind of gross and totally inappropriate at work.
4. The co-worker has prior sexual harassment complaints filed against him by two girls in Sweden for his behavior. Yet, he continues on this path and is again encouraged repeatedly at every level in my dept. If it were me, I'd be scared silly and would be nothing short of professional.

It really irks me and over the course of my two audits here in Brazil I've called everyone out on the team for their behaviors and input into this scenario. Sometimes its in a joking way, but I've also pulled certain people aside and told them they'd better watch out if they want to be taken seriously down the road, etc. I've even cursed one co-worker into having girls that are cheated on by their boyfriends because "they're not married yet, live life while you can" (that was his quote and he didn't appreciate me calling him on it. He's a VERY conservative Catholic, if you couldn't guess...how dare I.)

At the end of the day, I shouldn't be surprised by this, nor should I let it work me up. However, its the same story every single day. A pretty girl walks by, same story every single time. At what point does this behavior become acceptable and even encouraged? Why do men do this? I don't buy genetic disposition, but its used as an excuse. "Its what guys do.". "Its how guys are wired." Personally, I think its a lame excuse to act like a pig. While I've never been a man and truly don't understand this, I do know lots of men that go through their lives without being a walking billboard for random hook-ups.

Guest Blogger - Lanae

"Only on my terms" -

The last two months has been about as up and down of a time as I've ever experienced. The love of my life swept me off my feet and we anxiously began planning the rest of our lives. We were only engaged for a day when we started making the guest list, talking about our wedding party, and sharing our dreams for our special day. We started telling people and thus began the down of the happiest time of our life. So many of our friends and family are elated for us, just the same as they would be if I were marrying a man or if Kam were marrying a man. They see our love for what it is and are honored and excited to share in that. But that's certainly not everyone.
I told my best friend and had to wait for any sort of reaction and only got that when I asked for it, and reminded her that she hadn't responded. "I'm happy that you're happy." That may very well have been said with the best intentions but imagine saying that to your friend or sister when she tells you she's getting married. Or imagine your sister or friend saying that to you when you share your news. It doesn't actually feel like you're happy. And what about the fact that she is "leaning towards not being there on your wedding day." That doesn't feel like happiness either. And just as you're about to say that you're not interested in their conditional love, you remember how they were by your side when your best friend died suddenly in college, you remember how you were there by her side as her dad lie in the hospital during her senior open house, and how you fought over petty things but always had each other's back when it came down to it, how you always ended the fights because she was too stubborn to say she was sorry. These are the things that make her conditional love better than no love at all. And why I'll continue to pray that she'll be leaning the other way by July 10.
I've wanted to tell my Grandma for a long time but I haven't simply because I wasn't sure how my parents would feel about it. I've never doubted how Grandma would react and there's reason for that. Because, grandmas don't know conditional love. They are wiser than that. Maybe it's because they experienced conditional love at some point of their life, maybe it's just because they are smarter than the rest of us. I'm not sure why it is. My parents told my grandmother about me and Kathy the other night. And her response was just as I imagined. Sure, she probably doesn't fully understand all things lgbt, but she certainly understands me and knows me. For her, it's all about love. Her love for me and the love that I have to share with the world. Simple.
And so for every moment of pain and every "I'm happy that you're happy"s, there are so many more people that are happy with us, sharing our happiness with us in the most pure ways. Like when another best friend literally jumps up and down and hugs you so tight when you ask her to be a part of your special day. Or when your sister can't stop talking about the wedding and she's thousands of miles away. Or when your parents or aunts and uncles put aside whatever it is they don't understand to share in your happiness and ask all about the upcoming day. Or when Kam's nephews love me like my own niece and nephew do. For some reason, somewhere between 10 years old and 80 years old, we find ourselves so important that we begin to love others on our grounds and on our conditions, regardless of how that makes them feel. Instead of being happy for those closest to us, we make it about us and we distance ourselves. Why is it that young children and our grandparents love so much better than the rest of us? Perhaps there is something we can learn from them.

Are You There God? Its Me...KAM

I spent last night wide awake until 3 a.m. What was I doing, you ask? I couldn't sleep, so I was outlining my life from 2004 until the present for the book I'm going to write. No lie! Actually, I see the book ending in July 2010, when this whole chapter (no pun intended) of my life, I mean JOURNEY, ends with a wedding.

That's right! Save the date - July 10, 2010. There's going to be a wedding.

Back to the book. I was up last night experiencing every emotion from hatred to bliss. Reliving lots of events that have triggered a wide-range of hijinx and stories. I went from bouts of crying to hysterical laughter (my hotel neighbors think I'm a nut, I'm sure). And when I think about all of the crap and funny things I've been through since I came out, I've got quite a story to tell...I think.

The good and the bad news is that all of my faithful readers will be part of the book - Marla Makins, Kacia Larbee, Lange Grill...and so on. Start thinking about who you'd like to play you in the big screen version of the adaptation - I've already picked Minka Kelly for the young KAM and Kate Winslet for the more mature one. :)

Any good titles for the book? Or individual chapters you know need to be included?

Chapter 1 - {sing} You picked a fine time to leave me Lesley...you bitch, you slut
Chapter 11 - DeAnnoying, DeDumb, DeDrivamecrazy DeAlmostsisterinlawifyougaveourrelationshipanycredence
Chapter 15? - Best Day of My Life - July 10, 2010

Who knows what will happen, but I've always wanted to write a book and I feel in some way I've gone through all of this stuff for a reason...(outside of you, Lanae).

Today's Topics

Today I am going to write about random stuff – it has been a while since I blogged. This coupled with my travel to Sao Paulo has left with lots of time to think…and anyone that knows me knows that this means lots and lots of randomness. Here’s what I’m thinking about today.

Wedding stuff – let’s get this out of the way, since I don’t want to be that girl that has nothing outside of her wedding to talk about.
· This stuff is pretty easy, outside of the fact that we can’t get our church to commit to July 10th. I (we) have pretty much everything else ready to go. Dress – done. Flowers – done. Photographer – done. Reception – done. I have to ask for bridesmaids still and a DJ.
· Guests – I have to say, I think I speak for Lanae on this as well, but I’m going from one end of the spectrum to the other with the guest list and peoples reactions/responses. Overall, this has been such an affirming “thing”. Such an outpouring of support, kind wishes, genuine excitement, curiosity, etc. from my friends and family. It makes me feel that I did a very good job of picking my friends (maybe they picked me?). Then…I’m as equally surprised by the stupid and inane reactions, comments, and questions that are coming from some people’s mouths. At this point, I’d rather someone not come than have to hear about how OUR day is going to affect them. I have no doubt that once we get through the BS of people thinking it really matters if they show up, or not, the people that are going to be in attendance are going to make the day a blast. That is all I’ve ever wanted out of the day.

The best story of the month has got to be my sister’s recounting of my nephew’s reaction to finding out about Aunt Kathy and Lanae. If only everyone responded in this way. Trevor was very happy to know that Lanae was going to be part of the family. Colin was most worried about if he was going to get to wear a tux to the wedding…and if it was going to be around my pool. Kiernan hasn’t got the official “talk” yet I don’t think, but every time we see him he screams, “LANAE!!” and runs to her.

Sao Paulo:
- My first impression is that it is just full to the rim of people. Traffic is crazy. Everywhere you go its swarming with people.
- Our hotel is in a really nice section of town, which isn’t always the case with my company. I’m eating quite nicely as well. I will be poolside this weekend!
- Here’s where I think I might have a defect. In our rides to/from work, we go through some of the city slums. I’ve seen little kids walking through the slums unkempt and there also are dogs roaming freely. This morning I saw a dog pawing at another dog through a fence. It broke my heart. I have come to the realization that I feel worse for the dogs than the kids.

What else:
I was watching the movie ‘Ghost’ last night. How come he can walk through things and things pass through him, but he can stand on a second floor and he also doesn’t fall through the subway car? You’d think he’d always “fall” to the lowest point. Regardless, that is a great movie. “Molly, it’s awesome. You take the love with you”

Fort Hood – what this one guy (who knows if he’s attached to an extremist organization or acted alone) has done to American-Muslim relations will be astounding. All ethnicities, religions, orientations serve our country with such honor and this one guy will taint people of middle-east decent and Muslims that love their country.

Engaged

I've been getting some questions - the cat is out of the bag.

Briefly, I am engaged. It went off without a hitch this weekend in Annecy, France. I couldn't be happier.

Pictures and stories to follow...hopefully once we're home - in person as this is so not the way I want to tell my friends/family. I am really excited though.

France - Week 1

I've been in France a week now. I'm actually starting to enjoy it. I mean really enjoy it.

I spent the day on Saturday in Cassis, France which is on the Mediterranean. A port town that is ideal for a romantic weekend away...not a 3 hour visit with a co-worker. For any of my readers to understand, you've have to be in my co-workers presence to fully appreciate what I went through. Let's suffice it to say that its possible he possesses 2 out of the 3 traits that most serial killers possess, plus a dash of OCD and a whole taste of conspiracy theorist. I have officially been able to turn my frustrations with him and his actions into a form of entertainment - well, most of the time.

Back to my weekend...Lyon really is a nice city. I've been able to get comfortable with getting around on the subway, which allowed me to spend yesterday (Sunday) in a cool part of the city eating, sightseeing and I even found a movie theater.

If my boss comes into town this upcoming weekend, I'll be sticking around. Otherwise, I'll probably take a train into Switzerland or may go to Aix En Provence...on a recommendation. The best weekend is when my girl comes into town for the last week and we spend the first weekend in Annecy. I am so excited. It looks like the perfect getaway. Until then, I have to work. Work always gets in the way of my vacations. :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day. What I wouldn't do for some bbq and corn on-the-cob right about now.

I Really Am Not a Fan of Fergie

Why is she rubbing up on a bunch of women in their new video?!?!? That is so 1993.

Does her London, London, London Bridge come down...? (love that song)

I'm up to 4+ hours of MTV a night in France. Not much English on the other stations. Help!

Ugh

I made it to France…at it wasn’t/isn’t easy. I know some people have been waiting for me to give an update as to my status and want to know more. Unfortunately, I have been struggling to find internet access (since the foundry doesn’t have it!). I finally got access last night…and awoke this morning to awful news.

My good friend Foss’ dad died suddenly last night. Being so far away, I don’t know many of the details. This sucks! A really good friend of mine is dealing with such a tragedy and here I am…in France. I’ve been consumed with thinking about the Foss’ all morning…what would I do if I was there? How would I try to comfort her? I’ve figured out that all you can do is “be there” and if you’re needed, or see your spot to help out, you do it. In the instances where I’ve been close to someone or a family member of someone who died, there are always those people who make a difficult situation SO much easier by just being there. It really bothers me that I won’t be able to do that for Foss.
This is what stinks about my job. I can’t “be there”. Friends are supposed to be there at a drop of a hat to help each other out. You know someone for almost 25 years and due to a stupid job, you miss out on the really important moments. It is so frustrating to know that I won’t be able to go to the funeral of a really terrific guy, and to show my friend how much he meant to me and what she means to me. She’s got a million friends and a good support network, so I know she’ll make it through it. I just feel that this job gets in the way of my living a normal life sometimes. I’m not a outwardly caring person (I care, I just don’t always come across that way, and I’m not in your face about it), but I’m good in these moments…when I’m around. I feel awful I won’t be there. I feel worse about what the Foss’ are going through right now.

On Vacation

Will be back soon...

TMI

Why do people insist on telling you that you look tired? It is a back door way of saying, “you look like crap”. Admittedly, I don’t look my best as I was required to be at work at 5 a.m. today, but to have the Admin. Assistant insult me in such a way is a real kicker. Who does that? Who sits there and thinks that is a conversation that anyone wants to be a part of?

Next time she has one of her Friday/Monday illnesses, I’m going to have to tell her that she looks awful upon her return. Its only fair.

Meet the Parents

Our parents finally met – it was really nice.

Our parents finally got to meet after 2 years of dating and it couldn’t have gone any better. Lanae’s parents stopped at our cottage to pick-up Lanae on their way to Mackinac Island. All-in-all, they spent about 1+ hour together, which included a boat ride around our lake and some general chit-chat.

When Lanae and I checked in with each other later in the night to compare notes, I shared how my parents were thrilled to see how “normal” and “everyday” Lanae’s parents were. Lanae’s dad was explaining to the rest of their family in Mackinac how they had met Lanae’s future in-laws.

I knew it would go well. Another item checked off the relationship checklist. Only a couple of things still looming at this point.

A Kiss is Just a Kiss

OAK HARBOR, WA-- One Washington state bride-to-be is making sure she shares a lot of firsts with her future husband, including her first kiss.
Rachel Welch says she decided at the age of 14 that she wasn't going to kiss any guy until she was married.
Welch met her fiancé Todd Ritter through their church youth group two years ago and the two got engaged last December. They will be tying the knot this July.
The 21-year-old says she and her fiancé show their affection by rubbing noses and giving hugs.

I found this brief article while surfing the web today. I guess I was stunned at first glance at the headline, but after reading it and finding out she is only 21, I’m not as impressed as I was at first. Don’t get me wrong…to be 21 and never kissed is quite a feat. I understand those that want to maintain their virginity until marriage, but kissing?!?! Its one thing to not have the opportunity, but to have a boyfriend and to deny yourself the greatest thing in the world…that’s just….strange to me.

In reading the last sentence – that they show affection by rubbing noses and giving hugs, I was a little disgusted. Is that wrong? There is something unnatural about denying yourself wonderful things to prove a point (unless you are a monk, of course). Do they deny themselves of ice cream because it tastes so good? Do they deny themselves of kissing because its wrong and fills their mind with lust? Or because they (I guess its only her, since they’re mute on his past) want to “save” such an intimate moment for only each other. I get it…and I’d almost be thrilled if my kid went this track, but I’d be SO disturbed if I caught my daughter and her boyfriend rubbing noses. Gack! Plus, there are lot more things more intimate than a kiss…(side note: do I sound skanky?)

Kissing is…kissing. Its natural, fun and gives you the biggest clue as to whether or not you are compatible as a couple. It makes your stomach drop. Heck, I’m a self-professed “make-out queen” - since the mid-1980’s. If I got stuck marrying the first guy I kissed, I’d be a widow and I would’ve spent our years together with his tongue jammed down my throat moving in repetitive circles over and over. Was anyone’s first kiss enjoyable? And…I get it…they can work on it together, but why deny yourself in the first place. There’s just so much to like about kissing and its REALLY going to stink if they’re not good together. Practicing might be fun though. But still…rubbing noses?!?! I bet she goes to sleep on Holly Hobby sheets every night.

New Job

A few people have asked me recently if I could do “it” all over again, would I be a CPA/Accountant. No, I wouldn’t…although my career has afforded me lot of things and opportunities. Being an Internal Auditor as an off-shoot to CPA has worked out fairly well as far as interesting work (all things “financial” considered). Until 10 minutes ago, I couldn’t have told you something that I would’ve done instead…although I’ve always liked to think it would be something related to an entertainment-type field. However, I have finally figured out what I would love to do.

In some form or fashion, I think I’d like to be in the field of Sociology…I guess a Sociologist, of sorts. I spend so much of my days intrigued, perplexed, disgusted, or amazed by the way people act and why they do the things they do. I’m rather slow at work right now, so I’ve spent the majority of my morning today just kind of paying attention to the things going on around me. Plus, I’m always one to point out or question what people do…right, Lanae? I also REALLY enjoy a good social experiment from time-to-time.

Here is what I’ve encountered in the last few days or so alone:
1. Our administrative assistant who manages to work her health status into each and every conversation she has (in-person and phone). Its very similar to a weather update, but I think most people seem to care more about the weather.

2. A woman who entered the restroom after me today and before sitting down pulled about 15 yards of toilet paper off the roll and kind of wrapped the toilet seat in it before sitting down. (We have seat covers by the way).

3. My co-worker who has an Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (my diagnosis, of course…which would make me a Psychologist/Psychiatrist in addition to a Sociologist!). The way he interacts with our group is just amazing.

4. Blogging – why do we think anyone cares what we have to say?!? I won’t even get started on Twittering.

5. Family interactions – why do we (seem) to act different towards our families vs. society in general.

6. Hygiene habits – a full spectrum of things to make my stomach turn…I’ll spare you the details.

Bad Luck is Still Luck

My disclaimer on this post is that I know I’m a very lucky person overall. Health, family, friends, etc.

However…my life has been one unlucky break after another since my return from Australia. The first thing was that my Intrigue was d-e-a-d…had to have the battery replaced. Due to the fact that I needed a car, I then pulled the Corvette out…only to find a puddle of fluid (later diagnosed as oil) on my garage floor.

Thurs - The Corvette was delivered to the dealer on my way to work (right across the street). I got an estimate for $266 – not as bad as I thought for an oil leak – wow, things were looking up! By noon that day, I had 4 missed calls from the dealer explaining an additional $550 in repairs that were needed for things that worked prior to delivering to the dealership (I swear!). I’m convinced they ripped me off and I hate that sense of not knowing enough about cars to know how badly I was ripped off. By the way, the dealer was kind enough to provide me with an estimate of $1,900 for the “dangerous” tires I was driving on.

Back to the Intrigue. The same night I brought the Corvette home, my dad replaced the Intrigue battery. Life was back to normal and I was only out about a $1,000. I resigned myself to not buying any Stanley Cup Playoff tickets after that spend.

On Friday and Saturday morning, we drove the Intrigue around a ton - to the Tiger game with my 7 year-old nephew, to Somerset and to Kmart. That’s where the joy ends. The thing died again in the Kmart parking lot. After calling AAA and getting it towed, it eventually got repaired (along with making the a/c functional after 2 yrs.) by a neighborhood mechanic for only a couple of hundred dollars more…plus a whole lot of aggravation.

Life was great again…until Tuesday morning that is. On my way into work from Ann Arbor in the Corvette, I got an error message “Service Active Handling”, which is a computerized way of providing for racecar skilled driving for Corvette owners. (my cruise control started dis-engaging on its own as well). I don’t really need active handling (or cruise for that matter), but due to the 4 hours of searching I did on it on the internet, there was warning after warning about serious malfunctions to the car if its not remedied. And guess what, its anywhere from $500-$1,500 to fix. I promptly called the stupid dealer because I KNOW that somehow, someway, their expert service caused these things to happen to my car. I let them get away with $550, but enough is enough. As you can imagine, the dealer thought I was a nutjob for accusing them of tampering (or making a mistake, uh-huh), causing these things to all go wrong at the same time. And I quote, “you are lucky these things are happening while at the dealership as compared to on the road”. You’ve got to be kidding. The warning message hasn’t come on again, so until it does, I’m considering it a glitch. In the meantime, I’m paying $1,100 for new tires – not through the dealer.

AND Finally, last night, I had a great time at the Tiger game. The weather was beautiful, Dontrelle Willis won, etc. On the way home, we stopped for gas and I put my cell phone (flipped open) on the top of the car. I thought to myself as I was pumping, I’d better not forget that phone….and guess what…I drove off with the phone on the roof – didn’t realize until almost 11:30 (an hour later) and we drove frantically back to the gas station. The whole way there, I was muttering about what an idiot I am, warning Lanae to get out while she still could, etc. We were just hoping to find the phone so that I didn’t have to deal with Verizon last night. Well…that damn thing was literally in the middle of the intersection of 2 major roads…still flipped open. We got in the left turn lane, I jumped out and got it while people honked behind us and took off. The phone is badly chipped and looks a mess, run over a couple of times, but Lanae got it to work. I can’t see who is calling, but it works! Having to spend an additional chunk of money was averted. Boy, aren’t I lucky?

My Weekend In Sydney

I spent my final weekend in Sydney, Australia. I have to say it has the potential to be one of the best cities that I've ever been in. Lots to do, beautiful scenery, tons of restaurants and bars, and beautiful people (I guess the could have been put into the scenery category).

For some reason I took the 6 a.m. flight out of Melbourne which got me to Sydney by 8:30 a.m. How stupid am I? Needless to say, I had a full day ahead of me.

Side note: Best quote of the trip was at the gate at the Melbourne airport. "She's such a dick when she drinks. I can't stand her!". I think these girls were at the airport on their way home from the skank bar...if you know what I'm saying.

But back to my trip. I spent all of Saturday hanging around Darling Harbour. Really...nothing more than hanging around. I eventually took myself for a fantastic steak dinner overlooking the harbour. I was in bed very early.

On Saturday, I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge! It was fantastic and challenging - my legs are still killing me. It was so picturesque. Absolutely breathtaking. I spent the rest of the day walking through The Rocks and along the harbour where the Sydney Opera House is located. I took a ferry to Bondi Beach and through the harbours. There was an upscale craft/art fair/farmers market in The Rocks..and I kid you not...I ate a buttered corn-on-the-cob that was the best thing ever. I probably scared the people sitting near me, but I scarfed that down like I hadn't eaten in days.

I spent Sunday walking through the botannical gardens and found a German biergarten for lunch and again...just enjoyed the scenery. What a beautiful city. I recommend it for anyone...and it could be one of the most romantic spots. Luckily, I find myself to be pretty good company, or it could've gotten me down.

As fantastic as this trip has been, I am SO EXCITED to come home. I always say that traveling the world (especially on your own) can be exciting, challenging, lonely, fantastic...all at the same time, while also making you put your own life into perspective. Spending a month with no one to talk to, no one to eat with, no one to touch, is one of the strangest experiences ever. To spend a month in my own head is bizarre and a chance to take stock CONSTANTLY. It makes me tired. To sit at a table and order a real meal (it'd be easy to eat alone in your hotel room) and not rely on a book to keep you company while people stare at you is somewhat inspiring, while also freightening and sometimes lonely.

Another side note: I've figured out that with all of the couples that travel the world, they purposely look for the single person that would be willing to take their picture together. I must've taken 30 pictures for people. And I made it a point to take good, meaningful pictures. I should've charged them.

Anyway, in less less than 2 days I start my 3-day journey home. I'm excited because I found out I can get a day visa in Singapore, so I'll be able to explore as compared to spending 14 hours in the airport. I'm also going to look into upgrading to first class on the Tokyo-Detroit flight...15,000 miles...and I'm a cheap son-of-a-gun with my miles.

I can't wait to see my girl, my family, friends....and KATIE!!!! The only thing is you'll have to forgive me because if you recall, I haven't talked to anyone, touched anyone, or eaten with anyone. I hope I can handle the sensory overload. I've missed you all.