I took J to school this morning, and then I spent the entire morning sitting at the computer reading about Italy. The walking trip catalogs have begun to arrive in my mailbox again, taunting me with weeklong journeys through the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast, and Tuscany. And that's just Italy! Then there are the trips to Spain, Portugal, France, and so on.

I'm really into the idea of the Amalfi Coast. I would like to see Pompeii and Capri, and all the rest of it. It seems like they have so many things I like: beaches, boats, great coffee, gelato, and fresh pasta. I like the walking trip idea, but of course I'm always tempted to think I could do it cheaper on my own. And then I think, "Oh, on my own. Alone. Totally alone every moment of every day." As in, poking around unfamiliar places where I don't speak the language, solely responsible for all navigation and logistics, going completely unnoticed by the rest of the world for a week. And then I feel sort of deflated. But, you know, at least I would be in Italy.

I'll do it next year. In the meantime, I should get up and do something right here.

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