When I got picked up as a Frag Doll, my playing time doubled. It’s either one of the Ubisoft titles we’re sent to learn and demo or it’s one of my other FPS addictions clawing at me. But not for long! In just two short weeks, I will be out of this country, over a big blue ocean, walking on a peninsula of a beautiful continent called Europe. That means NO GAMES for me. I tried to weasel my way into an exclusive tour of the Ubisoft Studios in Milan, Italy but I still haven’t heard back about that, so my hope to fulfill that small gaming void while I’m there is dying. However, judging from my last experience as a backpacker in Europe (just a mere 9 months ago), I will be pretty dang busy.

First my journey will take me to Rome, up through the Tuscany region, and into Florence where I will indulge in the lifestyle of the Italian western coast. The Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon, public squares (called “Piazza"), the rolling hills covered with vineyards and beautiful shades of green and brown, the museums, cathedrals, the Boboli gardens. And that’s just a piece of it. Without any rest after this, I go to the other side of the country: Venice and Milan. With my Eurail passes and plane tickets in hand, I am ready to take the ultimate tour of Italy. And even if I run out of memory for my camera, my own memory will certainly not forget the sights.

After Italy, I put on my magical flying cape (a.k.a. Iberia Airlines) and soar to Spain. This is where I can finally settle down, sorta. It’s a little difficult to communicate with my family because I have the Spanish language equivalence of a four-year-old (minus the bad words). Yet, with hand motions and funny faces, I think I get my point across very well (either that, or I make them laugh). This will be my first Christmas and New Year without my mom (who will be stuck in Texas, hahaha) and without my video games. But I am looking forward to all the yummy food my family cooks (as seen in my MySpace Blog: I’m Hungry) and the midday walks on my family’s mountainside property.

I’m gonna need all that fresh air and relaxation, because as soon as I get back to Texas I have to hit the ground running. I’ll be flown to Las Vegas for CES 2008. *AHHHHH* I don’t know what game I’m gonna be demoing but I’ll be jet-lagged, sleep-deprived, and pumped full of Red Bulls and Rockstars for sure. If I am M.I.A. or Zombie-like for a while, now you know why.