Excuses, excuses

Hey ya'll, I apologize for this unimpressive post. I'm writing quickly from an overpriced Internet cafe in Cinque Terre, Italy, to explain the reasons behind a delayed update.

I had a very big scare a few days ago. As I went to choose some photos for the blog, I noticed a peculiar glitch in my computer files. All of my photos taken in 2007 were missing. Gone. Nowhere to be found. And of course I have no backup of my pictures from the most incredible journey of my life. Why would I do something stupid like that? It appeared all I had left were mental images, and I'm not sure technology allows for me to put those on my website. However, after a clever girl got her hands on my laptop, she figured out how to restore the photos. This would include me spending several frustrating hours in front of a computer screen, tediously placing the photos one-by-one back in their proper place.

And then I find out, due to strange Italian laws, I am not able to use my laptop at Internet cafes, nor am I allowed to upload photos through their computers. So, I decided it was best to wait and deliver the full package instead of adding photos later to old blogs.

If you don't feel sorry for me yet, I ordered an orange juice in Florence a couple days ago. I figured this would be like any other orange juice, a few dollars, so I felt no need to confirm the price on the menu. When I received the bill, it read "9.80" -- and that was in euro. I had two choices: run like hell, or dish out $15 for the most overpriced product in the history of mankind. And since I am not a thief, I was stuck with the latter. It would have been fitting had I thrown it up all over the cafe floor due to my nausea, but I could not force such a thing. Instead I told the woman that was the craziest thing I had ever been a part of. She informed me it was freshly squeezed. I walked away baffled. I hope karma kicked into action and that the place burnt down later that day without anyone getting injured.

I will be flying to England on May 17 and will have a heck of a lot of material posted for you shortly after. So, please take a break from checking the blog for a few days, and I promise to have some good stuff ready for you by the end of the week.

Thanks!

-brian