All the news that's fit to ... blog?

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's been a long time...

But spring is here, and I've been out living my life and spending a lot less time writing about it.  Winter breeds introspection.  Spring, heralding summer, not so much.  Or at least what I've been introspective about I can't write down here.  But, I'm having a lethargic afternoon and the grey matter isn't firing real well, so I figured it's as good a time as any to provide assurances that I'm still alive.

Since I wrote last, stuff has happened.  Major items to follow:

1)  I've located a cute little house that I will be renting and sharing with my cousin this next academic year, as we both start graduate school.  It's a cheerful yellow outside, with a big porch, new carpet and flooring, front-loading washer/drier, good insulation, and a very clean interior.  Out back, there's some lawn space, parking, annnnnd - a vegetable garden!  I'm pretty delighted.  Soooo many orders of magnitude better than the (dump) I lived in last year of my undergrad, not that there aren't good memories from that place.  "Growing up" - ie, renting, going to grad school, managing your own insurance and vehicle, etc, has to have some perks... and I think living here will be one of them.  It's a reasonable distance from the campus, but in a neighborhood not dominated by undergraduates or apartment complexes.  Perfect.

2)  Looked like my grandparents might be able to make it back to the skilled nursing facility closer to my extended and immediate family after all.  But I just heard last night that my grandfather fell and broke his good hip, so that plan may be shot to hell.  I still don't know how to deal with all of that, heck.

3)  I'M GOING TO EUROPE!!!

Seriously.

WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Transient Theorist isn't just thinking about a theoretical trip, he's packing up for some extended, real-life transience.  

For anyone previously following my life, I've been wanting to get out of the US and travel for a long time.  Casting about for travel buddies I've been largely unsuccessful, and hence procrastinated about going anywhere.

But in a bold move the other week, I threw caution to the wind (dogs?), found a plane ticket, and hit "Confirm".  Since then I've been planning how I'll attend a 4 day math/ecology workshop in Italy, then spend the rest of almost a month's time splitting vacation and travel time between Italy and Ireland.  I'm going to see some sites, learn some Italian, eat good food, WWOOF and get my hands dirty, and hopeful do a lot of hiking, wandering and riding on trains.  With a little more luck I won't get mugged/lost/imprisoned/etc.  I'm clueless and I know it, but I can be a quick learner...  

I feel bad-ass about the whole trip.  Flying solo.  I'm actually doing it.  It's not just something other people do and come back and tell stories about, I'm going to do it to.  No more listening to other peoples' stories and doubting that I have the guts to do what they've done.  I'm going to see a different place and a different life and be a stranger to it all, even the language.  And maybe come back a little less scared of the world, less sure of what is impossible, and more at ease with wherever I find myself.  Time to smash a few walls and break out.

It's heady stuff, this reminding yourself that the tallest walls are the ones that you build around yourself, and that as solid as they seem, a little bump and you can knock them all down.  So far the excitedness is out-weighing the panic..... wooo.  Although it makes it hard to focus on anything work related.  

I'm trying to pack light - I want everything to fit into my external frame pack.  Planning on taking a tent, my sleeping bag, a few changes of sturdy clothes, guidebooks, printouts and maps, a camera, and not much else.  I'll probably even leave my lap-top behind(!).  Just to prove it doesn't run my life.  So probably there won't be many updates here until after I return towards the end of June.  Don't miss me too much - I'll be out becoming a more interesting, regret-free person.  I promise I'll bring back some stories and pictures for y'all.

- Theo