Somewhat better now

I was sent to Milan on the 26th and was able to meet up with my high school friends. DB and DI went there well over 4 years ago with their respective families. I haven't seen them in 10 years! So we were able to go to the night mass and had dinner that night. I didn't get back to my hotel room until almost 11pm. During the day, one of the ladies I worked with was able to explore with me. We went to Duomo (thank goodness she was good at directions and trains) and we went to see the castle. We left the hotel at around 1pm (we got there at around 9:30am) and we barely slept when we went out. We went to grocery store afterward and got back at the hotel around 5pm and I met with my friends 20mins. after that.

More goodwill:
http://www.kiva.com/ is a site designed to lend loans to enterprenuers of poverty stricken country. Loans could be as low as $25 and the rewards are priceless.

Anyway, when I went home to see my family last weekend, I left one of my tote bags at my parents' house and brought my backpack instead so I can start training for my big spring hike. When I was transferring stuff from bag to bag, I found this poem that I wrote when I was jumpseating to go home last year. It was dated January 25, 2007:

In my mind, the time stands still with no comprehension of the buzzing and bustling around me. Thousands of feet above the earth, as I swim along the clouds, I find myself disconnected from everything, including my body. As I try to wake my senses and instill memories to my oxygen-deprived brain, I notice that with a dettached being comes the numbness of my heart. How I long to be free from the jail cell of my own spirit; how I long to escape the greyness of my soul. Yet the comfort of who I am always wins over the dream of who I've always wanted to be.

*

Wow, I must've been in serious funk when I wrote that. But I'd like to think that I'm somewhat better now.