Operation Tubetop

Good morning! We are in Rome! It was a bit of an adventure to finally get here but yes, we made it! In a little while we will be heading for breakfast and then at 8:30 we have a private tour of the Colosseum (I just spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to spell that). I told the Husband last night at dinner that it was a "fancy" tour just for us and that it was a little expensive to which he said "Like, 50 euros?" and now I know I can never tell him how much I really am paying. So anyway, as I wrote yesterday, we definitely have our quirks when we travel and no matter how much we do to avoid conflict (the reason we booked the airport pick up in Rome among other things) we will still snap at each other. Yesterday we got to the airport in record time and with 2 hours to spare I felt calm and collected. We went to drop off our luggage and realized we were too too early. So we decided to stop for lunch and a beer and just enjoy the hustle of an international a...

YAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!! We are going to Rome! The Kid has not had a freak out in about 36 hours. It seems he is doing just fine so we are going on our trip and I am so happy, I could cry. We will be gone for 3 nights unless I am arrested for trying to meet an Italian fashion designer. I cannot believe that today is the day! Our flight is at 2. Our taxi comes at 11:30 and yes I am aware that this is unnecessarily early but if I am not standing in front of the gate, at least an hour before boarding, I will actually die. Kersplat, dead. After close to 14 years together, the Husband and I have figured each other out when it comes to travelling. Here are our "quirks" which is French for "obnoxious habits". I have to be at the airport super early lest I miss the plane and then I will die, actually die. When the plane lands, I better have my carry on in my hands and I am getting into the aisle as soon as the no seatbelt sign is off. I will glare at all of you standing whi...

Alright! Happy Wednesday! I am a little manic this morning. The Husband and I are wondering if we should cancel our trip to Rome. And I pray that we won't because we really really need this trip. The Kid, as I mentioned yesterday, has had some mega freak outs the last couple of days. I am not sure if it is digestion related or something bigger. All day yesterday he was an angel and I thought maybe we were in the clear but again last night around 10:30, he had another one. Not as severe but still not fun. If we can get through today without one, we will go, otherwise, byeee dream trip. The only consolation if we do go is that the Kid's grandmother is wonderful with him so that puts me at ease. Please keep your fingers crossed that he feels better and that I don't feel like jumping off a bridge due to guilt and indecision. So, that's the news from the home front. Now onto fun! (Please Kid, feel better, Mommy really needs this long weekend). So, yesterday was the big p...

Holy crap, you guys! Over 90,000 views on this blog! Incredible and thank you for your readership! It means EVERYTHING! I am absolutely exhausted this morning. The Kid woke us up at 3:45 and had a major freak out. He has had them since Sunday and they are freaking me out because they remind me of his horrible fits from a couple of years ago. The only thing I can think of is that he is having digestion issues and he cannot tell us he is in pain. It's scary to watch and I really hope that the laxative we gave him will sort him out in the short term. And I hope this is temporary because his freak outs are absolutely heart wrenching. When your kid is in pain, you are in pain. True story. Somebody hold me. The good news is that the Husband is off this week and the Nanny is coming in the afternoons and she is amazing with him... the Kid... and maybe the Husband, too. I just pray this passes because I don't think my heart can take much more. But I will move on now because running ...

Oh thank the heavens! The heat has broken. I was getting stabby in the 38 degree weather. Look, I like warm weather, but when it is 32 degrees at 10 in the evening, I am going to get a little Kanye in LAX. It is Sunday afternoon and we are watching Formula 1. I just got back from a walk with the Kid. We walked to Stumpergasse to take a look at a friend's husband's new barber shop. It looks amazing from the outside. If you are looking for old school male hair care, this place is perfect!!! Check out the site here: http://www.gillerundco.com/ I don't know what is happening here but it is amazing. This has been a busy social weekend. So let's start with Friday afternoon. I ran home and washed my face and put on my spackle because I had to record a video of myself for something I am applying for. More details on that once I hear more. I did the video in one take because I hate over analyzing myself... and I am quite happy going through life not seeing pictures or ...

In one week, I am heading to Rome. This has been one of my dreams for years and I cannot believe it is actually happening. We will be there for 3 nights and I know it is not nearly enough time to take in all the awesomeness that is the capital. Wait, Rome is the capital, right? I don't know enough about Rome and I plan to spend the next week reading as much as I can about the city. So how does one prepare for a mini-trip of a lifetime? The same way I prepare for any trip... Walk with me. Google stuff: I am Internet queen. I can find anything and almost anyone. Nobody is safe from my mad Google skills. Now, I might be sounding a little full of myself but trust me on this. This is one of my mad mad skills. Friends take full advantage of my searching power and give me a name and a city and I will have found your middle school boyfriend in a few clicks. It's scary, I know. I kind of approach learning about a city in the same way. I will find your deep and dark secrets, Rome. A...

Holy crap. It is hawt. So hawt. We are in the middle of another heat wave. When did I move to Florida? It is 37 Celsius out and everybody is melting. Now, Austrians aren't big fans of the air conditioning. It is getting better but still... it is rare to stumble across air conditioning and when you do, you hold on to that and never let it go. There is a real belief that drafts cause illness here. And air conditioning is considered the debil by many many people. The older ubahns are not air conditioned and the ride home from work turns into a sauna but with clothing and yet, the same amount of uncomfortable eye contact. I also spend the majority of my ubahn rides, hoping that I am not leaving a wet patch of sweat on my seat. Charming. Now, I once read that crime soars during a heat wave so watch out Vienna, someone might take a Krone Zeitung from the wimpy plastic bag without dropping in their money. I love living in a city where safety is pretty much guaranteed. I really and tru...

So, like, what's up? Anything new with you guys? Same old? Nothing going on? Well, same here... except OH MY GOD I WAS MENTIONED IN THE MOTHER LOVIN NEW YORK POST... and no, it wasn't for public indecency... yet. Hashtag.. surreal. The backstory is this: About a year or so ago, I became Facebook friends with a very lovely woman named Mackenzie Dawson. We had a couple of friends in common and we both went to AIS in Vienna but since she graduated a few years earlier (and I'm just going to let you all believe that was just a couple of years ago because hashtag wesoyoung. Cough), we didn't really know each other... like in the physical sense which sounds wrong. What I am trying to say is that we didn't hang out and stuff in the past. She quickly discovered my blog because, I don't know, I link it all.the.time and she reached out to me. She has been an incredible support and I have valued her amazing advice. She is an incredible reporter and great writer and has ...

Hello Sunday! You know what is really helpful when it is so freaking hot out? Bitching about the heat. Really works. No, no it doesn't. All I can say is that I am incredibly grateful we bought one of those energy sucking, incredibly loud mobile air conditioners. It brings our living room to about 25 degrees while the rest of the apartment is about 30. The heat, it kills me. And yes, I kvetched about it being so cold for so long so I understand the irony. Or do I? Damn you, Alanis. Anyway, it is hot out. We are staying in today. This morning I took the Kid for a stroll down to Pilgramgasse for a chocolate croissant - which is now our new Sunday morning tradition and by the time we got back, I'd lost a pound in sweat and the Kid looked like a bio-hazard. I also witnessed a young guy run into a pole as he was walking with his buddies. Credit to his friends, they turned back when they heard the sound, then did the "Ow!" sympathy noise, patted him on the back and then ...