———————————————-

I wouldn’t mind living here for a while, on the water’s edge…

Today I’m letting all that go. Enjoying a new place, a new phase. Waking up free from all the packing and cleaning, riding my heart out. Followed by my favorite breakfast of french toast. Now I’m sitting at my desk pretending it’s simply a cabana on the beach. My socks are really just my feet buried in the sand. the computer screen is a giant ball of sunshine warming up my heart. Lunch with close friends. After this workday I’m off to a very relaxing massage thanks to my special man friend. Followed by sushi and more friends. Missing Tahoe and family however so, life is sweet. I’m walking on sunshine…

Last night I had a picnic in my dreams with my whole family. Poppy was there. He was vibrant and full of life, so excited to have everyone there together. We ate some sort of delightful Mediterranean food. It was full of smiles, laughter and love……….<3

Imagine being constrained to the walls of your empty room for the rest of your life…when you should be out exploring the world. You would go crazy too. I understand his chances of survival are slim, but at least he would be free! I’d take the risk, without a second thought. I imagine Sea World doesn’t want to take the risk because it will cost $$$. Not only to transport him back to the ocean, but then to adapt him back to the wild, then to replace him. But if they really truly cared about these animals, they wouldn’t cage them up. Set him free! A few interesting killer whale facts:

- Killer whales are capable of swimming 100 miles in a day.

- Tilikum is the largest Orca in captivity, measuring 22ft 6in long, weighing somewhere around 12,500 lbs.

- The life expectancy of a killer whale in the wild is 50 – 60 years for males, and up to 90 years for females, however, killer whales in captivity live less than 30 years.

- Wikipedia quotes: ‘Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans, although there have been cases of captive killer whales attacking their handlers at marine theme parks.’ Interesting.

Some more interesting facts & details can be found at the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society…

Check out this great article by Ric O’Barry from The Cove, expressing his thoughts on Tilly and Sea World…

Translation:

Passion. Passion. Passion. Be the forward movement. Create the momentum. Listen to your heart. Follow your soul. Chase your shadow. Be the light in dark places. Close your eyes and listen. Breathe in deep, listen to the beating of your heart. Where does it want you to go? What makes it beat faster? Every breath is another moment past, another step forward. Where is it that we want to go? Let us progress.

FORWARD MOVEMENT…Progression.

“The highest function of love is that is makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being.” – Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

My sister’s been in Rome for a few months. She will probably be here a year, or until they make her leave, hah. I basically told her that as amazing as it sounded to come visit, it is realistically impossible considering the chunk of student loans I pay off each month and the time off I already have to take. My dad bought me a ticket for my birthday…and she didn’t know a thing about it. So my adventure starts something like this…

Orlando flight out delayed. I go on time anyways and get put on an earlier flight which still gets delayed. Instead of a 2.5 hr overlay I hop off one plane right onto another. I get of the plane an wander for about an hour trying to find the bathrooms and the train, I don’t know a word of Italian. I hop on the train on the right…even though my notes say, ‘make sure to take the train on the LEFT’. No big deal, just 30mins out of my way because this was the non-stop train and I needed to stop halfway. I get off, and back on the right train and then to tram #8. I’m lugging around 80lbs of junk a backpack and my wakeskate roller bag with some clothes.

Callie moved into a new place yesterday, I flew in today. No one knew her current or new address. I have the name of the neighborbood, the street she used to live on, the name of the restuarnt she works at and her italian phone #. Unfortunatly she doesnt work till 5pm and its 10am. So I wander her neighborhood a bit looking for an internet cafe and try to call her, no luck. I sit down for a lovely cup of fresh sqeeze, a hot panini , and I finish reading The Alchemist. And as I get impatient or tired The Alchemist reminds me this is my goal right now to surprise her and I must not give up, thanks Paulo Coelho. I continue to drag my stuff around in search for internet, in hope that Callie facebooked me her new address as I asked so I could ‘ship her a box.’ No luck. I sit on the curb again on my wakeskate bag, tired of lugging it around, waiting for 5o’clock. It starts to rain so I hop into the nearest cafe for a heineken which is accompanied by Italian magazines and finally a redbull as I start to fall asleep in my chair. The sun comes out and 4pm rolls around and I continue my journey.

I almost get on the tram going the opposite direction because I am always backwards. Might have been smart of me to grab a map at some point. I get off at my stop and ask around for the Pantheon. Some fellow thinks I say Colosseum and walks with me a block in the wrong direction until he realizes I mean Pantheon. I find some building with a bowl on the top and think its the Pantheon. It’s not. I found the Pantheon itself is much more breathtaking. From what I know she works at a Trattoria between the Pantheon and the French Church on Rue de la Rosetta. I go to Rosetta Trattoria, the only Trattoria on Rosetta and the man there says no Callie works there, no Americans work there. Every other restaurant in the area has the word ‘Trattoria’ attached to it. I wander the whole area not realizing the whole area was full of churches and how was I supposed to know which one was the French one. I walk past another place called Trattoria around the bend but its closed. I figure the guy at Rosetta Trattoria must be wrong so I return there and take a seat on my board bag out front. He reconfirms. I take two more laps around in case there is another Rosetta street. It’s nearing 6o’oclock and I have no backup plan, my phone is 20% battery left and I don’t have a power charger converter. Mom & Dad keep checking in. I take a seat outside of the closed Trattoria because it’s my last hope. I call to see when they open and if Callie works there and the lady doesn’t speak English and hangs up on me. I look through the window and there is Callie putting away dishes at the bar. I knock and she double takes and tears of joy start rolling down her face.What a lovely surprise to see a familiar face in a foreign country, especially your family when you are so far away from home.

Lovely adventure today. My feet are tired and my one cone of chocolate gelatto is almost enough to satisfy my chocolate cravings for the week. My grandma, aunt & uncle will be here in a few days as well! There is a wakeboard camp and hour and a half away on Lago De Salto that looks gorgouse like Tahoe. I am going to try to make it there especially considering I lugged that board around all day.  I love the old building and the food is amazing. I wish I spoke a bit of Italian, at least. More to come…

P.s. – I miss you and I wish you were here.

Did I mention I am directionally challenged? I’m really beggining to consider that ‘L’ and ‘R’ tattoo.

I bought a small sketchbok while I was working in LA to keep me sane while my computer chugged away. I left it in my friends car when she came to visit and I just got it back…and now I share with you. Pardon my pitiful excuse for a scanner. I’ll write more things soon. Instead of just sharing pictures. I’m not sure where my writing has gone, but I’ll find it soon.

Is it the time? Welcome to the real world. I want to go back to school. I need to keep learning, someone to push me…set aside time. My to-do list hits the floor and bounces back up to smack me in the face. But life is about a healthy balance, so somehow I have to fit a social life in there, and wakeskating, and other things that keep me sane.

I need to write. I need to create. But I go to create and I have no fuel. I’m creatively drained…emotionally drained, I can’t even write. How do I shed the list and surround myself by creatives? I need more than inspiration, I need fuel.