The last time we spoke I was 20 and a little over two weeks away from my departure for Italy. Today I am 21 and 1 1/2 weeks away from Florence. Times are a-changing.

I went to the dentist yesterday and the lady who cleaned my teeth had just come back from Italy. Both of her parents are from Sicily and when she found out I was spending the fall in Florence she got all excited and went on and on and on about Italy. What to do, what the weather will be like, what to wear, and placed much emphasis on wearing comfortable shoes. The TV in our room was tuned to KERA and was showing ariel views of Sicily. With a $100 donation, I could obtain a copy of a DVD of this 20 minute program about Sicily. The donation guy on the show said we should buy it and show it to young people to educate them about the world. Me and the dentist lady chuckled at this. I can watch the Travel channel for free. Free to me anyway, I don't pay for the Satellite TV

And she said my teeth were suprisingly clean considering I hadn't been to the dentist in two years. And the fact that I never floss. I didn't tell her that part. I never really have, but my dentist always says my teeth are really clean, so I don't really have the motivation to start now.

Also, last time we spoke I had not yet recieved my visa and was getting kind of concerned about it. It is now in my possession, thankfully. I'm actually going to Florence.