By powers unbeknownst to me I have survived my first day living in Europe WITHOUT CHOCOLATE! It’s unbelieveable, I know, but you see my mom has to quit drinking coffee for health reasons so in the name of teamwork and accountability, I agreed to give up chocolate (HUGE SACRIFICE) for 7 days to sort of try and jump start her abstinence from the cafinated substances. When I first told my colleagues that I (one of the class’s biggest choc-o-holics) would be without chocolate for 7 days, their reactions were mixed. Some expressed concern for my health; others seemed more concerned with the well-being of the class if I were denied chocolate; still others laughed, mocked and taunted even my noble attempts to support my mother’s health! I’ll not mention names, but suffice to say that there were some among the class who felt so inclined as to wave empty chocolate wrappers in my face, tell me of their plans of hot cocoa or bring me candy bars. Yet I prevailed, even making it through a shady moment where a twix bar had to be eaten so I could use the wrapper to make a roll-out party favor blower to simulate the deployment of the space habitat module we had just designed. Fabio, my faithful French-fry munching friend from the beautiful land of Sardigna, came to my rescue and at the candy despite his lack of appetite. So, here I stand at the end of the first day, feeling strong and ready for the next round. To those of you who would doubt my commitment to this cause, I would look to you and say, “Bring it On!”
Despite the epic kickoff of the chocolate fast, life goes on and other things happened today. In the midst of reading through some important material for a friend, I was happened upon by another friend. Rene from the beautiful country of Austria is unaccustomed to seeing me sit quietly alone so he stopped to see if everything was OK. This was one of those unexpected instances that turns into a lovely conversation. As I recall it was the first serious conversation we’ve had one-on-one. It was sweet and his kindness made my night.
How great of friends do I have. After leaving school, I was followed home by Nick and Cari. Cari showed up with a burrito kit that she and Nick set to making in the Kitchen while I did other things. So, in my own home my friends made dinner for me and it was Mexican to boot! That, too, was awesome and also made my evening pleasant.
Surprise, Surprise! Despite the fact that I never received a call I was anticipating, I did receive a call I was not expecting. My good friend Mr. Kevin I-work-at-a-stinking-ski-resort Thomson (note: no p) called. It was super great to hear from my former Europe-trapsing buddy! Talking with him was great except it made me miss airplanes, friends, and skiing more. I'm also a bit jealous that he's somehow managing to get paid for skiing, fly airplanes in his spare time and live in beautiful stinkin' Seattle! Oh well, guess some guys have all the luck! :) Still, it was awesome to talk with him until the inevitable evil that are cell phones decided we had talked long enough!
The evening wound down to a peaceful finale with an episode of my now-favorite-show “West Wing” thanks to the efforts of my Canadian friend Mark. It’s just another one of those nights when you realize you’ve been blessed with good friends and a neat life. G’nite.
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