Talking about Mario Kart made me think of another racing game that I loved to death... Cruisin' USA. I never owned the game, but my friend did and I often begged to be allowed to borrow it. It didn't have any real extras, the point was just to race, race, race until you unlocked all of the courses and cars. (Unlocking new cars? An interesting idea.) But then when you wanted to use the new cars, you...

Insult upon insult upon INSULT-- I'm turned into a filthy weakling human while I eat processed shit-meat, and when I wish for my tent back I find my haven gone?   Sorry to say I'm not seeing the humor in this!

While on the Rosie cruise, someone asked him to give a message to a fan:

kniedzw has been posting honeymoon pictures to Flickr, so I shall, too. These are my most interesting or artistic shots from Rome, Delos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Istanbul, Ephesus, and Athens...of taking extremely similar shots. Which isn't a bad thing: sometimes one or the other of us got a better angle or frame on it. Special to Lymond folks: there's a picture of the Topkapi Palace harem.

I am back home. Half a day and change later than I should have been -- weather cancellations stranded us in Chicago last night -- and horribly jet-lagged, but otherwise fine. (And, judging by the comments...the archives of all this stuff for the last three and a half weeks. If you contacted me, I will be responding as soon as I can, jet-lag permitting. Expect regular blogging to resume henceforth

Rode a donkey up the Cliffs of Moher-esque side of the Santorini volcanic caldera. Hey, it beat climbing those 600 steps. In my usual way of things, though, I neglected to remember that kniedzw had never been on a horse until after I convinced him to go on a donkey ride.

So far, I have: Stood in the sacred lake where Apollo and Artemis were born. (Or at least stood with my feet in the depression that used to be the sacred lake until the French archaeologists drained it in the 1920s to save themselves from malaria.) Viewed the spot where the Colossus of Rhodes probably stood. Bathed my feet in the aquamarine waters of the Aegean. So far? It's going well.

London: 0/8 days Rome: 2/2 days Something is seriously wrong with this picture. (Though, to be fair, the Rome rain days have been temporary sprinkles, not solid rain. But still: ROME. With rain. When London had nary a drop.) Also, re: Vatican -- buh.

In Rome. Eeeeee! Saw Forum. And Colosseum. And. And. And. /end

I early-voted this morning, because tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane and not coming back until I've seen England, Italy, Greece, and Turkey -- or at least small samples thereof. I'm nervous. It's been... you win. London trip-blogging to follow. Cruise-blogging will be dependent on how obscenely flagellant the Internet prices are on board the ship. Worst-case scenario: I'll see y'all again in June