Good morning team. Last week’s Fives was half hearted. I was writing from Rome. Very tired, and likely a bit liquored up. House wine costs about the same as water, so you can guess which one I chose.
1. What exciting things are you doing this weekend?
well, I think I am having a birthday something or other Saturday night. Also, hopefully meeting up with the terrific Chris Michas of Michas Guitars and get started on my custom guitar. Also, will do a few hours of work at the dog shelter and maybe knock out the first disc of the madmen series on DVD.
Update – this happened. Got the guitar, and it is stunning. Take a look.
2. Share with us some travel wisdom
This is from the great Rick Steves, who is a European travel guru… ours at least. “Be flexible. When traveling, if you find things are not to your expectations, change your expectations.” The whole experience of traveling, the highs and lows are all beautifully summed up by that one sentence. Rick Steves is the bomb! We used to be Lonely Planet devotees. In fact, I contributed to a few of their Mexico books. However, Rick is our new guy. Free podcast audio tours, the works!
3. Ever gone to Spring Training?
No, because I don’t care about baseball. However, I have done the football equivalent: training camp. When I was a kid, my uncle would take us to the Bills training camp in Fredonia, NY. In AZ, the Cardinals would practice at NAU, where I was going to school. So, I would watch them. When I moved here (to Denver), I go see the Broncos every summer when I can. Now that they have moved camp to their HQ, they are only 3 miles away!
4. Where is the most exotic place you have traveled?
That would be a toss up between Barcelona, Spain… and Rome, Italy. Italy was amazing, and it is everything you imagine it… but better and grander and older. However, Barcelona was covered in architecture by this dude Gaudi. He is AMAZING. Ever felt passionate about building? Check this stuff out. He is worth traveling the world to see his work. Imagine, quite seriously, if Salvador Dali were an architect instead of a painter. That is what you have here. Oh, and Dali was Spanish too.
Bonus, after spending a week at Rome, I am churched out. Jesus, they have a church there every 20 feet. There churches have churches. We did the Vatican and all that. However, this is the greatest church on Earth. It was designed by Gaudi, and is still under construction. It’s called the Sagrada Familia. It looks photoshopped from a Scooby Doo cartoon. No sir, this shit is real!
5. Where is your most recent travel destination?
are you even paying attention? Just got back from Rome. It was amazing. So beautiful. So simple. and the food changed my life. I have never had such sumptuous food and really good cheap wine in my life. We ate like kings, and dirt cheap, too. Some pics are here. By the way, in case there is any question in your mind, after spending a week in Rome, the Catholic Church is the biggest for profit racket in history. At the Vatican, I was in some of the holiest places on Earth… and they were pushing crap everywhere. It was also the most expensive thing we did. They are nuts, and none of this has to do with Jesus’ message. It’s big business, plain and simple. If I am going to shell out money for crap, let’s just go hog wild and follow Xenu.
I am Correct 
