Desperation is the stepmother of stubborness

Adventuring rule #6: Know your tools. 

     Inspired. Yes. Let's call it that. I was inspired to purchase a bottle of tasty Chardonnay and the fixings for homemade pizza after Friday's adventures, the ones that would fall quite neatly into the "not enjoyable" category. Everything I experienced from noon until 7 p.m. that day was highly educational and mind-opening. It was also stressful, emotionally draining and tense.

     Additionally, because these adventures sucked up my Friday afternoon like a dry sponge ingests the wine I was likely to spill in a matter of hours, I had a stack of articles following me around and begging for edits. It was raining, dark out, and I couldn't slow my mind enough to concentrate on anything.

     So I made a simple and logical decision: I called the boy.

Internship or Eurotrip? One and the same

Adventuring rule #5: Go here.

     Calendars are kicking my ass this month. I think someone is trimming off days while my back is turned. Unfortunately, I can't prove anything.

     What I do know for certain is that yesterday was January, with the whole semester stretched out in front of me for miles, and today is mid March, with nearly half the semester behind me. I'm not sure how it happened, but it means I have about three months to put together a six week trip to Austria.

     Turns out that planning an international excursion is an adventure in itself. I'm making my lodging arrangements with my mother's step-brother, who runs an international law school called the Center for International Legal Studies out of offices in Salzburg. I'll be working with him and his adult son and daughter to create an article on the freedom of information in Europe, update book introductions, creating ads for a program coming up in November, and proofreading anything that comes up.

     This all sounds amazing, but I have to get there first.

Growing up is delicious

Adventuring Rule #4:  If you don't bring refreshments, you need to find some.

     "Hi. We're new and have no idea what we're doing."

     This is how my good friend Allison and I greeted a kind and knowledgeable man named Jimmie at the Kendall-Jackson Tasting Room in Healdsburg. He gave us a calculating glance, then dove into a lengthy speech that turned out to be our introductory lesson into the world of wine. 

     Jimmie was patient with our amateur enthusiasm. At the sight of the $15 reserve list tasting fee, Allison and I weren't certain we wanted to stay, but Jimmie offered a solution: share the glass, split the fee, and take in all the knowledge he had to offer. We couldn't say no, so we settled in and started tasting.

Becoming one of those people

Adventuring rule #3: The hardest part is convincing yourself to go. 

     Take note, for I am about to sound like an idiot. Running is hard. No, no, hear me out. It's really hard to do.
     Each step taken to prepare is simple enough. Wake up, roll out of bed, find a t-shirt and shorts and your shoes. Stuff your keys down your bra or tie them to your shoe, and go outside, iPod and cellphone optional. Done. Got that. 

     But then you have to move, and keep moving, until the heart pounds and the breathing comes quickly. Keep moving while a stitch forms somewhere around your appendix and your legs ache with the effort. Don't stop or take a break or even slow down, because that makes starting up again even harder. 

     Keep an even pace, not too fast or you'll tire out, even though you feel like dying and the only thing keeping you upright is the distant hope that someday you'll reach home again and be allowed to collapse.