Wisdom from Billy Joel

(EST: 1:14am)

Tomorrow's the big day.  Just a few more hours and I'll be on a plane, soaring over the Atlantic.  

It's been a hectic night.  I've been preparing for weeks--making lists, running errands, gathering up all the little things I need.  And yet, as usual, everything seems to pile on at the end.  It's proving to be more of a challenge than I expected to pack two suitcases full of everything I'd need for a semester and yet to keep them under the 50lbs weight limit.  Needless to say, I'll just be getting many of the basics in Vienna.

It's slowly sinking in that I leave tomorrow.  The butterflies are multiplying.  Part of me is terribly excited and fascinated and thrilled that this dream is finally becoming a reality... but the other half is digging in her heels and screaming for a return to the fall semester or for time to stop.  It's a bad mix of nervousness and feeling like I didn't get enough accomplished up until this point to be ready.  Not true, but that's the feeling nonetheless.

A dear friend reminded me of this song today, and it was perfectly appropriate.  For that, it's now the official subtitle to this blog.  An excerpt of the lyrics are below:

Slow down, you crazy child
you're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart, tell me
Why are you still so afraid?

Slow down, you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight
Tonight...
Too bad but it's the life you lead
you're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong, you know
You can't always see when you're right. you're right

You've got your passion, you've got your pride
but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Slow down, you crazy child
and take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
it's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?


With luck, there will be no delays, and I should touch down in Österreich early Thursday morning. From there, I will be traveling directly to an orientation weekend in the Alps.  I will update this again as soon as I have reliable internet access.

Bis Später!