La dolce vita

Heather came to visit this weekend and it was, as always, a good time. Again and again it is so nice to see that despite our lack of communication for years, we are as similar as ever. I mean, anywhere from future plans involving distant lands like the golden shores of California to feelings on any given relationship situation, we click. Our exchanges are comfortable and not at all strained, and this fact is so refreshing. It makes me feel that little bit less lonely to have tasted a fragment of home.

P.S. YES - Anthony Bourdain went to Russia for his show on the Travel Channel and that makes me so very happy! The more I watch his show, the more his seeming arrogance is replaced with knowledge and keen insight, in my eye. Anthony is undeniably a great writer and in this episode, he effortlessly succeeded at capturing the Russian soul. He covered it all - the solace we feel when picking mushrooms in a birch meadow, the camaraderie of a peasant meal with fresh veggies and aromatic bread, the old spirit of the Soviet left-overs, and also the rich and vibrant life of new Russia. The funniest part though was his coverage of shot after shot of real, frozen Russian vodka. For any reason, at every occasion. And that is not an exaggeration.