I'm not even motivated enough to think of a title for this, let alone study for finals. Which is why I am writing this in the first place: procrastination :)

Soooo...

I will be home in FIVE (!) days. Five is a good number. First, it is a prime number, but the multiplication tables were always the easiest to remember (besides zero, one, and two, but those don't count...they're not real number like five is). Second, one of the numbers in my birthday (which you should all know is a week from Wednesday...yay 21!!!) is five. Third...well, that's actually all I have right now. But five is still a good number even though I don't have a lot of reasons why.

As I am writing this, Leslie (my roommate) is packing and the two of us are having a sing-a-long party. It's good bonding time. And it's exciting to be packing!

Let me get to the point here: I had a great weekend. I went out to Friends' Pub on Thursday with my Rutgers girls and it was so funnnn. We laughed a lot. Then on Friday I wrote a huge research paper for Jodie...blech. That wasn't part of the greatness of the weekend (although what is great is that I handed that paper in today! Yay! Freedom...well kind of...just one more paper and four (!) exams...so close...). Anyways, Saturday was great again. We went to Impruneta to see how olive oil is made. I drove up there with Jodie's Italian husband Sergio and we went to a smaller, more oldschool oil mill first and tried some of the oil and it was life-changing. Then we met up with the group and went to another oil mill. We saw the whole olive oil making process.

I need to just stop for a minute and explain what olive oil is in Italy, especially Tuscany. Olive oil is a food group. It is not something you cook with, it is a food. You don't sauté vegetables in it, you steam the vegetables and the pour olive oil on top. Salad = lettuce with olive oil and (occasionally some salt) on top. You pour olive oil on top of your fish, your chicken, everything. You pour it into your soup before you put grated cheese on top and eat it. You dip bread in it. It is literally a food group. And if you have ever had good Tuscan olive oil, you know why. It is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. Olive oil will forevermore be a staple in my diet. I can't live without it.

So after the olive oil thing I came home and worked on my paper some more. Not fun. But we've already discussed that. Sunday was a day of running errands and relaxing. At 5:00, Gail had us over to her house to meet her family and have appertivos. It was so good. I love Gail.

And now it is Monday and my crazy paper is turned in and I am five days away from being home. I am currently in the midst of totally procrastinating studying for finals. Leslie and I are listening to Salt-N-Pepa. So good. Much better than studying for finals.

I need to go have a dance party. I might write again before I go. Probably not. I will write once I get home though and tell you how the adjustments are going...it's going to be unbelievably strange to be home after this. But so good. I can't wait. I will be at Hope for five days before I go home and I CAN'T WAIT to see everyone! My birthday is on Wednesday so everyone can plan on coming to stein night with me and CELEBRATING!!!! Yessss. It's going to be fabulous in all ways.

Love to you alllll!!!!

Ciao! <3