My Life List, Italian Style

Now that I'm back from my trip, I guess it's time to update my life list:

1) Saw the Sistine Chapel in person (check)

2) Fell down the stairs at the Vatican (check)

3) Stole the Pope's hat (Ok, no. Decided that would cut the trip real short!)

4) Saw the Spanish Steps in person (check)

5) Soaked the entire front of my pants so it looked like I peed myself at the Fontana dell Barcaccia at the base of the Spanish Steps (check)

6)Saw the Colosseum in person (check)

7) Fell down the stairs at the Colosseum (check)

8) Went on a gondola ride in Venice (check)

9) Got hit on by a gondolier named Leonardo (of course his name was Leondardo. What else could it be? And no, it was not the same gondolier from our ride) (check)

10) Fell in a canal in Venice (almost but I caught myself just in time)

11) Dropped my sweater in a canal in Venice (check)

12) Threw out a sweater in a foreign land (check)

13) Saw St. Mark's Basilica in person (check)

14) Saw somebody else fall off the elevated sidewalk into the water in a flooded St. Mark's Baslica (check)

15) Said a small prayer of thanks to St. Mark, my patron saint of not-falling (check)

16) Climbed to the top of the Duomo in Florence (check)

17) Fell down the stairs at the Duomo (NO! Keep up people! I already said my prayer to St. Mark)

18) Saw Botocelli's "Primavera" in person (check)

19) Had a complete identity crisis: "Why the heck did I go into health care when I could have majored in something REALLY good -- like art history?" (check)

20) Saw Galileo's telescope in person (check)

21) Had a complete identify crisis: "Ok, science and medicine are good, too. But compared to THOSE guys, I totally suck!" (check)

22) Had to be talked off a figurative ledge by J: "Maybe comparing yourself to Galileo and Leonardo da Vinci is setting the bar a little high." (check)

23) Saw the statue of David at the Galleria dell Accademia in person (check)

24) Fell down the stairs at the Galleria dell Accademia (check) (What the hell, St. Mark? You fair weather saint! Aren't I allowd an identity crisis or two? Jerk!)

25) Ate my body weight in proscuitto and gelato (check)

26) Saw two dear friends get married at a villa in Tuscany (check)

27) Accepted the fact that every other wedding I'll go to for the rest of my life will pale by comparison (check)

28) Had a complete identity crisis: including my own if I ever get married (check)

29) Lost my cynicism regarding love (check)

30) Decided I have to go back to Italy to complete the rest of the Italian based items on the life list (check)

LIFE is GOOD. I feel like the luckiest person alive.