Midsummer Armchair Travels

It's really, really hot outside. Over a hundred degrees and sweltering, so that the heat hits you in endless waves coming down from the sky and up from the asphalt-smelling street. Unlike most Americans in July, I am not going elsewhere or traveling or "getting away". In fact, I am staying put in my air-conditioned home office because frankly, I like Washington, DC in the summer. It's fairly empty and fun.

That doesn't mean I'm not busy. I'm incredibly busy because I'm trying to (start) writing a book, which is more difficult than most people will ever know. It's excruciating and delightful at the same time. Since writers also have to make money (do we?), I'm still pumping out blog bits left and right. There is no rhyme or reason to these little articles--I just pick a place on the map that means something to me and write about it. Hence the following titles:

• Why Luxembourg Matters (Because really, I love Luxembourg!)
  
• Ben Franklin, Traveler (A July 4th nod to my favorite founding father)
  
• Top 10 Reasons to Travel to Canada (For Canada Day!)
• How to Pack for a Trip to Antarctica (I was assigned it, so no choice here)
• Is Thailand Safe Now? (Because I think it is)

So there. I listed some random blog bits I wrote in the past two weeks. I also flew to the Pacific Northwest for the first time. And I also finally completed my expense accounts for my trip to Antarctica, which involved three months of travel in 17 countries. It was the mother of all expense accounts and I am grateful to Netflix for getting me through the difficult days of gluesticking Guatemalan bus receipts onto construction paper.

Alright, so that's, like, my life right now. Not traveling, just writing, and glad for it. Don't worry though, I'll be back on the road soon enough.