so, jolly old 2006.

you know what that means to me? it means 2005 is over. as michelle tanner would say "politeness week is ovuh"..but what would michelle tanner know..she's too busy playing bulimia with her diamond encrusted versace toilet bowl...well half of michelle tanner anyway...but yeah.

2005 happened in an instantaneous moment for me. It was a solitary moment, in a dream that became a reality. and since my last post, there has been a ton going on. There have been several countries visited, some suprise vists to others, hello and goodbyes, some amazing movies, great celebrations, and now this, a birthday! yes, this girl hits the big 1/4 millenium in 4 days. how strange it is to think of me being 25...me?! oh yes me. but it seems im not the only one going through the changes.

You hear most people tell you how nothing really changes when you go away..that you get back and everyone and everything is the same when you return..but i think my life might have been the exception to the rule. I turn my back for one little year, and people are pregnant, married, engaged, became parents, moved to new residences in new states..jeesh..im going to back to some alternate version of my life, like marty did in back to the future II...when he accidently returned to a parallel tangent of his original 1985. but i suppose im going to come back jordanna version 2.0 beta (or have i been upgraded to 2.1 matt?)..but yes i'm still in testing.

And although my trip is not over (I have 49 days left), it is fast closing down, because I am closing down. And by that, I mean I have almost hung up my rucksack for good. Instead of squeezing in one more country, I have decided to settle in Ireland for the remainder of my trip, spending the time with family. Of course I'll spend my last week in london visiting friends and making it one last bash of fun before i head home, but my days of travelling have begun to wind down.

I have a drawer in my aunts house where I put my clothes. And everytime I fold a shirt and put it in there, or take one out to put on, I can't help but smile at how luxurious it feels to be able to do exactly that. No rummaging around a bag, and executing a sniff test to see if I can get away with a couple more wears out of something before I'm thrown into a dumpster with the rest of the garbage.

Gone are the days of sharing a dorm room with rude jerks who think its okay to turn the light on at 4 am because their parents never beat them into learning their non-existent manners. Gone are the days of eating butter sandwhiches on the sidewalk of some closing convienence store at 2 am, while a 10 degree wind batters my tear stained face. Goodbye to showers at 3 am which are so cold, you begin to hyperventilate just to breath, but you dont complain becuase it might have been the first shower you've had in 3 days. And so long are the days where you pay 2 € for a shitty banana becuase your train is about to pull away from the platform and you haven't eaten anything all day.

Hello are the days of endless supplies of q-tips, hot cups of tea, clean towels, fresh sheets, free internet, showers without flip-flops, the knowledge that there will ALWAYS be toilet paper, books to read OTHER than the apparent greatest story ever (baby j rocks it raw) and all sorts of other amazing luxuries. One of the best being whole wheat pita, which just doesn't tend to exist on the other side of the world.

But I'm coming home soon. February 28th, 2006. I land in miami international airport, and soon after sucking in jet fumes and the stale pungent smell of the worlds most cadbury's purple airport (MIA baby), im off to collect my rucksack for the last time in some time, off of carosel of worldly baggages. (You know i've always wanted to jump on one of those, and go through the forbidden flaps to see where it takes you.)

Then I'll walk out those tinted sliding doors (that's if I make it through customs without being caught for something I didn't know about), and see my dad for the first time in a year. I CAN'T WAIT (and if he knows what's good for him, he'll bring the dogs too). I know my mom is going to have the best dinner waiting for me when I walk into the house. she better. (by the way, this is in no way a warning, it's an actual threat).

So I'm off to describe and articulate what my last months of travel have brought to me, in detail, so you can all realize how great travelling is, save your money and go somewhere you've always wanted to. And who knows, ill probably be itching so bad to get back on the road, ill join you.

you know i'll be up and writing again in another 49 days, as the official close to this adventure. so..see you soon (FOR REAL!)