Back to work: Brian balances his checkbook while the cats lounge under paperwork.

To my surprise, I was overcome by melancholy upon our return to Chicago. I was jealous of my colleague who'd just spent a month in Israel. Man, why can't I go away for a month?
    But in a way, we did exactly what we wanted to do. Brian and I had never traveled abroad together and we needed a test. We passed!
    I'm not going to give you the clichés about travel. The thing is this: get out and see the world. You don't have to go overseas to do it. Explore a neighborhood in your town you've never seen. Read books and eat new foods. Polish your college French. See foreign films.
    I'm dreaming of our next destination. What will it be? Malaysia? Madagascar? Zimbabwe? Where ever we go, I can't wait! •