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This is a new form of expression for me. As I write this, I'm sitting with my cat in my lap on a chilly December evening in San Francisco. Last year I realized a dream of my adult life. I took a month off from my work as a self-employed technical writer and explored a few cities in Europe. As with most self-employed people I had been measuring my time - especially vacation time - in terms of money lost rather than time won. Somewhat burned out from working for three years without a vacation, I decided that I would take a lengthy (for me) sojurn in Europe. I booked a seat on a flight returning from Tahiti to Paris with a stop in Los Angeles. Since I live in San Francisco it was a quick commuter flight down to LA. I've always hated exploring on a schedule. I like to get comfortable and develop a routine wherever I am. For me, the tyranny of a schedule is something to be avoided at all costs. Thus, other than making reservations for the first three nights in Paris and planning a stop in Salzburg to watch the motorcycle GP I had no firm plans. I had a short list of cities I wanted to see and no firm idea of what order I would see in them or how long I would spend there. I wanted to see Paris, Salzburg, Wien, Firenze and Siena. All for different reasons.. This trip was in the nature of an exploration for me. I found myself travelling alone, confronting all my insecurities and having no confidante with whom to share the experience. I'd been thinking about emigrating to Europe again for quite some time. Could I feel at home there?
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