A Bug...

I swallowed a bug today and not just a nat or a fly, this monster was a voting member of the neo-conservative party. What makes it worse is that I even saw it coming. I was sitting outside a cafe in Amsterdam reading this book about about the Green Zone and just embracing all the pot smoking that was going on aroundme but I was ready to go. You know how you get; you ready to go so you start fussing with stuff and drinking a bit faster.....

Well, I safely placed the book back into my backpack and lifted the beer for one last gulp....at the last second I looked at the contents coming my way and sure enough there was a moth doing the backstroke...anyway, its over now.

The Hookup That Wasn't...

During my brief stay in Budapest last week I met this nice American boy that piqued my interest. Both being from Indiana; both being current and/or former government employees; both DC residents; both living in foreign lands; and both "recovering" from the dissolution of long-term relationship had enough in common to hold a conversation. Not only that, he is pretty intelligent, disciplined, determined and confident - all characteristics I admire. After a fun night of drinking, laughing, and chatting with others in the group we decided to meet up a couple days later for some sight-seeing which was a lot of fun as well and it was a good feeling and after a bit of persuading I convinced him to let me visit him in Frankfurt on my way to Amsterdam.

No seedy details to report but in short, it was a fantastic trip. I keep telling myself that it didn't turn out the way I wanted it too, but actually it did. I wasn't looking for love or a hook-up, I was seeking that sort of connection you get from someone you are comfortable with someone you can sit in a room in complete silence and you just get it. We weren't prefect matches by any stretch of the term but we clicked and that was cool.

As I sit in the airport now waiting for my next flight and all the excitement of the visit is beginning to subside, I am replaying the entire experience in my head to try to figure out what I learned about myself from the experience:

1. I am a lot smarter than I give myself credit. The world is full of intellectual people that don't shit. However, I'll sit quietly while they pontificate but be warned morons - I know your secret.
2. I pick friends very well though I am less successful when it comes to partners. When I make friends I have a take me or leave me attitude but when I meet potential partners I find that I try to become what I think they want and I end up a mess.
3. I'm far more interesting that most people. This sounds arrogant, but in my head I have always seen myself as a small-town simpleton but as I travel the world I realize that I have far more depth to personality and character that others.
4. I LOVE people. Whether it be new friends, old friends, family, or even strangers on the metro, I thrive in a world where I have constant interaction.

Ok, plane is boarding I got to go.

Thank you E!