Domesticated

You know you're in a good relationship when you actually enjoy cooking breakfast, cleaning a turtle tank, and driving 45 minutes away to go to a bead store, and you're a guy. But that's the beauty of not seeing your girlfriend but once a month: everyday tasks are actually enjoyable. Moreso when you've been traipsing around countries not knowing where your next meal will come from (dramatic way of saying "eating out") and having to pay just to breathe (hello, UK).

She even surprised me with a free dance lesson (she'd found a coupon in a newspaper) and then I surprised our dance instructor by claiming to know that Germany was in Europe. Apparently "likes to learn complicated dance moves" doesn't really intersect with "knows basic geography." Go figure.

So we had a good time. We went to Jordan's (the best pizza I've ever had) twice, like we always do (even if I'm only there for 2 days) and drank Blue Moon and Sam Adams Summer Ale, cooked apple chicken sausages and watched Astro games. She made a steak dinner for me. Basically, Becka made a convincing case for what I'm missing back in the states.

I'm rather inclined to rule in her favor: I'm currently looking for consulting jobs in and around NYC, and you have to like my chances of finding work there of all places.

But I've got to get back there first. Currently, the Grand Finale has just experienced its third stage of growth and currently is over three times its original size at 7 weeks in length. I've bought my return ticket for August 11, so now I've just got to fill in the gaps.

I'm thoroughly excited about the journey and trying to squeeze the most out of it without overwhelming myself. I'm worried that travelling everyday will wear me out, but being alone, I'll need to see more and relax less. I'm trying to balance checklist sightseeing with genuine vacation, and that's hard to do.

As much as I'm looking forward to my adventure, I can't help but get excited about the little things that await my return: getting a car, finding an apartment, and of course, doing the little chores and errands with my dearest. Call me weird. But at least I'm happy.