In Front of the Sydney Opera House: Then and Now

Hi, everyone! Remember me?

I know, I know. I inadvertently took a week off of blogging. I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to. After France we headed to Germany and … well, have you ever tried to get internet access in rural Bavaria? It’s impossible. On the plus side, it’s very easy to get good pretzels and sausages. And now, the night before our flight, we find ourselves in an airport hotel in Munich and I finally, FINALLY have access to my poor neglected blog.

Some of you have sent me emails and tweets asking if I am okay. That is absurdly sweet. Thank you, I am very well. A few pounds heavier, and rather annoyed at the guy who sold us a third-rate SIM card at the airport in Munich, but well. And I have loads to tell you. Tons and tons of things.

About France. And Germany. And self-acceptance and patience and macarons and eclairs. So much.

But I’m not even done talking about Sydney yet. And between that trip and this one to Europe, we squeezed in jaunts to Florida and Boston, which I need to share with you as well. Time seems to be passing me by too quickly.

And should you need more proof of that, take a gander at this photo I found of Rand and me in Sydney in the spring of 2008:

–

WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE? I honestly have no idea. Look how young and pink and unwrinkled they are. It’s … weird.

Compare that to this photo that our friend Ellie took during our last trip to Sydney.

–

Note how Rand is getting absurdly handsome and distinguished and grey, and how I look like a wax figure of myself that’s been left out in the sun NICE AS WELL (I am working on some self-acceptance.)

Whenever Rand finishes a book before me, or sees a movie before I do, I always ask him to tell me how it turns out. Not spoilers, per se; I just want to know if the resolution is a happy one. And if it isn’t, I usually skip it. I know it’s kind of cliche, but I’ve reasoned that life is just too short to spend on narratives that lack happy endings.

Besides, even though I know how things will turn out, I still enjoy the story.

And, well … I know a lot of you know the story of my blog. I know the narrative repeats itself over and over. Much of what I say and what I experience isn’t new. I eat a lot of cakes. I get lost. I get yelled at. I make out with Rand. I doubt myself. I wonder if these jeans make me look fat. I remind myself that it doesn’t matter if they do or not.

Rinse and repeat.

Even though you know the story, even though you know how it turns out, I hope you keep reading. Because I still want to share it all with you. And next week, I promise, I’ll go back to doing that. But first, I need to get home.

Have a wonderful weekend, folks. Talk to you when I’m stateside.