That selfsame question has been dogging me, man. Where to go, where to go? Argentina sounds good. Steak, tango, wine, Argentinianas. Then again, Prague is a perfect homebase for Eurasia. Can anyone say the Trans-Siberian Express and back? How about English being considered a near romance language by those poor Slavs? Then again, Australia is mint. You have my condolences as I share your white man's burden.

Hmm...I've only ever been to Europe: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona. I think those are all the major metropoleis I've visited--places that have big airports. I know it's a cliche, but I really dug on A'dam. And not just for the hoo-hoo. There's just something very comfy about it. And everyone speaks English and watches football.

You're onto me. I'm taking up cello because I'll be allowed to spread my legs and not feel unladylike.

It really is a beautiful instrument. Violins, violas, and cellos sound so much like human voices that you can't help but catch your breath when hearing them live.

Rasputina

"How to overhaul your sex life and save your relationship in 20 days or less": stay awake 72 hours straight watching 9 1/2 Weeks, Caligula, and Secretary over and over; run down to ye olde corner sex shoppe and buy out their leather selection; crush 3 viagra, snort them; take a tab of X as a suppository; tell her that she can invite a friend if she likes. That'll either save the relationship or one of you will be forced to move to another state, possibly under court order.

Things are going great, thanks for asking. Except for a spot of Bad Craziness, which will be the subject of another post (with pictures!). I know exactly how you feel about needing to get out of the States, more so than you think, as I lived in LaBarge, Wyoming (hour & 1/2 south of Jackson) for more years than I care to remember. As far as going, GO. The longer you stay overseas the longer you want to stay. Coming back to the U.S. seems like a punishment after a while. Jam, hombre. You won't regret it.

Ok, I'd choose Barcelona.
Go there. Figure it out for yourself, but it has EVERYTHING!! It's my favorite place in the world. They mostly speak Spanish (Catalan, actually), but I got by for a week. I'm sure you know some elementary Spanish (bano, donde, etc.)... you'll get by. It's so lovely there. The people are beautiful, the wine is fantastic, culture, amazing, and the social life, unbelievable!

(Just my $.02)

Good luck!

I love London. But Edinburgh is where it's at. The Scottish are such an enthusiastic, friendly people. And Edinburgh has more pubs per square mile than any other city in the British Isles...

It was a yellow cake with a buttercream icing. It ended up coming out okay.

Yeah 16 people still to buy for, 23 total.
Australia's where all the cool kids are going. Here's my suggestions:
1. Sydney, for beautiful people, beach culture, awesome d&b music scene, clubs, bars etc.
2. Melbourne, for beautiful people, more laid back, cafe culture, kick ass underground scene, the best bars ever.
3. London, because it can be a lot of fun if you let it, and it is the gateway to everywhere. Best place to base yourself to spend weekends all through Europe.
4. Glasgow, it's grey but the girls and short & cute, there's always a friend in a bar somewhere, it's close to Edinburgh for visiting, 1/2 hr from London, and you have the highlands at your doorstep which is the most beautiful area in the world
5. Personally, if I could I'd live on an island in Croatia or Greece. Probably Korcula (Cro) or Naxos (Greece). For sun, fresh seafood, swimming, cocktails, working at a resort/hotel whatever.

I think you'd actually be more suited to Melbourne than Sydney actually.

Thanks for the b-day wishes!

My thoughts:
1. Austrailia
2. Greece
3. Scotland

Wyoming is the last bastion of those who think progressive activity means a cattle drive. My years there (middle school through junior year in high school) were spent butting my head up against a wall of ignorance so thick it made Berlin's look like a picket fence. My political consciousness was just coming about at that time, and reading books by Eldrige Cleaver, Che Guevara, and Noam Chomsky made me a real favorite in my staunchly conservative high school. Our principal was an ex-CIA man and never missed an opportunity to fuck with me, and the cops were always lurking nearby. I suppose I contributed to my reputation as a blackguard and hoodlum by having a creative sense of fun, and I think some of my youthful indiscretions are a matter of state record. No matter. I got out, and reflecting on Wyoming now, I'm glad I was forced to live in a stew of such basely atavistic humanoids because, pessimistic as it may sound, it gave me a concentrated taste of the world by and large and taught me to pick my battles and be discreet in my doings. Well, I guess that last one hasn't really sunk in yet.

Jackson is actually one of the better places you could have picked to live in Wyoming. The countryside is fantastically beautiful up there (have you been to Yellowstone yet?) and there are at least a few people with neurons firing. I knew some beautiful girls up there as well, mmm. Do you snowboard? What took you to Wyoming?

Heh. You're welcome, but really, I didn't write it for anyone but myself. I had to write that. I had to get through that, and get it out in coherent form. It is only incidental, really, that it seems to be touching other people as well. THough, as I said to someone earlier, it is always nice to get the reaction "That sounds like my life!" or similar from people. It's always nice to know you're not alone in your insanity, ha.