Haven't even started traveling yet, so if you're interested in a travelogue, you'll have to bear with the preparatory stages or wait till another entry or so. This is going to be a longish trip, so a lot of things to get done before leaving. Clothes aren't any particular problem--what I forget, I can acquire there. I'm more worried about getting enough film, the right cameras (yes, I still use film, but also have a digital camera), the right pack to carry them all in; then books/cds/dvds for teaching; then trombone, drumsticks, vibes mallets. You never know when you're going to run into drums and vibes--gotta be prepared. Then there are the house things--paint a couple of windows that I've let deteriorate for over a year, fix air conditioning for the house-sitter, the list goes on and keeps growing. Finish one thing, add two more. The only way to stop it is to get on the plane and order the first small bottle of wine, then wake up in Florence fifteen hours later. We're going through Paris, but no time to stop and sample. That will have to be for some future weekend. And, if course, have to say here: bye to all the people I didn't get a chance to see on my last day at school. Keep the faith, whatever it is--it's just important to keep one; as I've recommended in other contexts, another couple of words of wisdom: get your bills online, keep some powder dry, don't let the bedbugs bite, and stay more or less out of trouble. I'll try to get in enough to cover everyone. Wynton Marsalis says life's got a board for every backside. I say innocence is renewable, but keep a pillow in your backside anyway. More advice: rage against the machine. I've never known what that meant, but it sounds okay. If you're pregnant and you know it, clap your hands.