I am back and it is done.  This is the last post.  Have a good life.  Ciao ciao.

TS

The last night...

I sit here in London at this beautiful house known to all as Petworth.  It is a nice place with nice people...  Lindsey's family.  Caroline, Paul and myself have embarked upon an Eddie Murphy marathon.  We kicked it off with Shrek 2, then we watched The Haunted Mansion and finished it all off with Daddy Daycare.  It was a nice run.

I have driven the Volvo to and from Gatwick Airport, which is an hour away using the great highway system of England.  It was good.  I sported it sexy... it was a nice run.

Italy has been great and I must say, England has been very good to me as well.  I am to arrive tomorrow night in Dallas.  Halverson and Wantland will pick me up.  We will have a reunion dinner in honor of the April Trifecta.  I look forward to coming back to the beautiful place that we like to call Oklahoma.  More important... I am anxious to get back to the promised land, Stillwater.  To all of the unfortunate OU people, I am sorry that you cannot share in such glory.

I have not talked to Halverson for a little over a week.  She has been running around Minnesota.  I have fears that she may have run off with Crazy Pat.  I don't know.  Lindsey, if you are out there and reading this... I love you.  Come back to me!  I hope to see you at the airport, but if not, I will take that as a sign that you have moved on with your life.

I love all and will see all soon, very soon.  The great Cunningham is also to arrive tomorrow I believe.  Glorious times are ahead of us.  Touche.

Ciao ciao for the last time.  Signing off...

TS

Well... miei amici...

I have officially left Italia.  It was a good run.  Italy is a great place and it was a wonderful time in my life.  I learned a lot about myself and a lot about friends back home.  Here is a short list I like to call...

Only in Italia:

Will you be riding the bus home at night and witness a fight between the bus driver and a drunken moron.  It was an intense shouting match in which I had a front row seat.  When Italians get mad, they roll the "r" for a long time.  It is good.

Will you watch Master and Commander with about 2000 in a piazza at 10:00pm.  There is a month long film festival in Bologna.  They set up a huge movie screen at one end of the Piazza Maggiore.  They show a film every night.

Will you eat Gelato di Gianni everyday.  It is God's gift to man and is unmatched by any other attempt at making quality ice cream world wide.

Will you eat a pizza so big that it falls off all sides of the plate and only costs $3.50.  It is so big that when you are cutting it, it will slide a little and actually rest on the table.  The only thing that can rival this pizza is the big sandwich place.  That was one big sandwich!

I will stop there because the list could go on for a long time.  There are many stories to tell, but I will see all of you soon.  Friday night on July 23, there will be a gathering at the Third Place.  It will start at 8:00pm we shall say and will last until closing at midnight.  Good times for all to enjoy.

Ciao ciao.

TS

The verdict is in amigo... what's left to ponder.

Failure... it hurts.  I am one for two.

Test this morning was not fun, but hey, atleast I did not run at first sight like 25 Italians did this morning.  Over half of the class got up and left about three minutes into the exam.  When the exam has four questions over 8 chapters and other text, it is going to be burly... especially if the questions are extremely detailed.  They were.  Give me three more months and a big stroke of luck and I would have passed.

One more to go and I am home.  I hate failure and I want to throw up right now, but one has to move on.  I cannot dwell on this for a long time.  Ciao ciao.

TS