Okay, okay, here I am

So it's been weeks, here I am! And with nothing deep or meaningful to say. Life is mostly back to normal after my trip and miscellaneous personal crap, so now I have the down time to write again. Unfortunately, my down time generally corresponds with me being bored and therefore not having anything especially interesting to say.

I saw something yesterday that I keep replaying in my mind, because it made me happy unexpectedly and in a weird way. So here, I'll share. I was on my way to pick my stepkids up from school. I have to drive through a pretty sketchy neighborhood to get to the freeway. I was kind of cranky in general, mostly just blah, and not paying all that much attention, when traffic stopped for no reason I could see. I peeked around the car in front of me and saw a body darting into traffic. Now, in Baltimore, idiots playing chicken with heavy traffic is hardly note-worthy, but as this person emerged on the other side of the car in front of me, I saw that it was a police officer. He was running hell bent for leather across a major road with a childlike smile of pure joy on his face, like he was really, really enjoying his pursuit. Seemed so out of place, that smile. I looked back over my shoulder, in the direction the officer was heading, and saw two teenagers pummeling each other across the street. Waves of kids flowed across the street after the cop, all with the same look of glee and excitement on their faces. It's nothing unusual to see kids excited by a fight, but the fact that the cop had the same look of invigoration was sort of unexpected and uplifting. Not that that really makes any sense, but it sort of perked me up. I like surprises.

Home Sweet Home

I'm back! I'm sure no one's even checking this blog anymore, it's been so long since I posted, but at least this time I had a good excuse, being in a country with no noticeable infrastructure and all. Not that I'm complaining (about the lack of infrastructure) - a dose of enforced planlessness was very welcome.

Italy is just amazing, and the trip was more wonderful than I could have imagined. We stayed at a villa in Tuscany, near San Gimignano, for a week as part of a destination wedding (the bride was a friend of the friend I was traveling with). Everyone was very nice and interesting and it was a really cool way to be a tourist - with a gorgeous and friendly home base. I saw Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, and Florence, and each was awe inspiring in its own way. The weather was perfect all week, and I took way too many pictures. After the wedding itself, we went to Venice, with three new friends in tow. Venice is more mind-boggling than the rest put together - it's the fairyland you imagine as a child, brought to vivid (if damp) life. I want to go back immediately.

The boys (and my husband!) did well in my absence - I think I missed them more than they missed me. I can't stop holding them or get used to the big boy's incessant talking. It's good to be home.

I have a million little Italy stories that are probably only funny to me, but they'll have to wait for a bit. Got to squeeze the kids some more.