Miss Otus Regrets

I'm heading off to Italy with my mom on Monday. We start in Milan, head to Lago di Garda, fitting in a few day trips to Venice and Padova. Then we'll take a train to Ravenna for a few days, then to Sienna -- with a day trip to Florence from there -- and finally to Cinque Terre. Mom has decided to start her diet in Milan. I'm ending mine there. So, while I regret she'll be sitting across the table, unable to lunch on anything other than Balance Bars, that won't stop me from smacking my lips over Ligurian seafood, Tuscan meat dishes, pizza in Sienna, sauces from Emilia-Romania, and succulent wines from everywhere. (The photo is from Maggie's stop in Cinque Terre last summer with Carla and Laurel.)

I'm taking a few writing tools: a pad of graph paper (I love those tiny boxes!), some mechanical pencils, refills on lead and erasers, my writing journals and an old travel journal that I used when I went on a bike tour of Alaska with Mama Mia in 2000. Whatfor all these writing utensils? I'm afraid I'm forced to finally outline the novel. Yep, I admit it. Up until now, it's been seat-of-the-pants all the way. That's what writing on a laptop does to me: I can't resist the random, chaotic, organic-ness of composing on a computer. I LOVE it, and I'll miss it. But, I guess If I'm going to have to lollygag on trains from Lombardy to Liguria for two weeks, I might as well use the time semi-wisely.

Ciao!