I’m actually pretty happy getting back to “normal” life after Drew and my Italian vacation. As previously mentioned, I’ve been traveling up a storm, and the prospect of not having to go anywhere on a plane for months is quite exciting.

The trip was pretty great, though. We spent a few days in Venice before heading to Rimini for Paganello, then relaxed in Cinque Terre for another few days before making our way home. Our timing couldn’t have been much better, as we missed the Easter rush in Venice and the weekend crowds in Cinque Terre, while still getting a great feel for both. And Paganello – 1600 frisbee players taking over an Italian beach resort town for a long weekend – was pretty amazing, too.

Select Italy cheers (among many):

And the jeers (thankfully, not too many):

  • water damage to my phone during said rainstorm
  • the “Inter-city” trains in Italy, which apparently require a special kind of ticket that costs €15 more than usual, but they don’t tell you this at the station, and then charge you that plus an €8 penalty on the train
  • the Holiday Inn Express Malpensa, which, in spite of being at Malpensa, is a giant pain in the ass to get to and not worth the money. €20 for a 1km cab ride? Absurd!
  • the 7th floor food court at the Rinascente Department Store in Milan – way overrated and overpriced

No pictures yet, but check back soon. In the meantime, you can check out this sweet video I took of a dachshund, digging in the sand on the sidelines one day at Paganello.

I’m not quite sure yet how best to deal with my crippled phone (buy a new phone? or just a new screen?), but in the meantime, I’ve ordered a new computer. It’s been a bit over 4 years, and though my little 12″ Powerbook has treated me quite well, it’s time to retire it (perhaps it’ll become an interface to the robot arm). One of the big bonuses to upgrading is that I can now use Picasa for the Mac!

posted April 18, 2009 – 5:13 pm
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