Visas, Apple Beverages, ferrets and Chipotle

I FINALLY got through to the Austrian Consulate yesterday. All of the nerve-wrecking hold-ups were quickly boiled down to their natural molecular state: One big fat misunderstanding. Long story short and much less tedious: I will be holding a Visa in my hands within the next three business days.

Also, I was able to register for my international health care today and printed off my insurance card, I looked into Euro Rail passes and I started eliminating unnecessary shoes from my "to pack" pile. I've got it down to nine pair. It's going to be hard to skim any more off that list without denying myself some necessary fashion.

Fashion rhymes with passion...Mangoes are a passion fruit...apples are not. But, speaking of apples, I found the next best thing to an Apple Beer! Apple Izzies are DELICIOUS.

Also, lately I've been concerned with the survival of one Sammy the Ferret. Jared hasn't been around at all really to take care of her this summer. I'm afraid that when I leave Sammy will follow in the footsteps of the rodent we loved before her. I'm talking of course about our dear mouse, Gus Gus, who died silently in his sleep of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. He was our unintentional little yellow canary. Of course I don't mean I think Sammy will also die of CO poisoning, but I think death may be in the future, though I hate to think so. I sure love that ferret.

And in closing, let me just say, that Chipotle is 5,000 times better than Qdoba. Some may argue that they are the same, or the Qdoba is superior, but the impact on my wallet and my overall burrito-satisfaction beg to differ.