Chris and I finally got ourselves hooked up through this service. It rocks my socks off. For those who haven't heard about it, it's a free internet based telephone service. So Chris and I can talk as long as we want at no charge. Awesome.

7 years ago, my brother and his wife were separated for a year while she studied at Leeds in England. There was no skype service back then. Just astronomical phone bills. When I asked for their advice on how to maintain a successful relationship from across the globe, they impressed upon us the importance of staying connected through conversation. Letters and e-mails are great, but there is no replacement for a real conversation.

Thanks to Skype, Chris and I will be able to have a real conversation whenever we want. They also provide an IM service, so Chris and I have been chatting back and forth all morning. (Yes, I'm at work. But let's be honest, nobody works ALL the time at work. That's ridiculous).

In other news, I'm almost done with my applications for school. I'm hoping to transfer to a great photography school in the UK next year. But, I forgot how much work there is to do for this application business. Transcripts, personal statements, letters of referrence, employment history, application fees. The applications only became available on Monday. But all that preparation and work... it's too much to handle for too long. So I prepped all of the things I knew I would need, and began the process as soon as I could. Now I'm just reworking my personal statement, which, by the way, I don't think I'll EVER be completely happy with. I loathe having to "sell" myself. LOATHE. Not that I don't think I can produce something great, I just feel so cheesy doing it. Which is weird, because I love being cheesy most of the time.

Speaking of cheesy (how's that for a segway?), I am going to be getting up on stage again this December in a musical. It's called She Loves Me and a dear friend is directing the show as her Master's thesis project. It's actually the musical that inspiried The Shop Around the Corner, which, in turn, inspired You've Got Mail. Rehearsals start on the 29th, and I'm so anxious to get back on stage. I was quite the theatre girl in high school and a few years following. But I've stopped performing in order to focus on more "realistic" aspirations, like becoming a college graduate, paying the bills, and making photography a real business for me one day. I hesitated when she asked me to do the show, but I finally agreed on one condition - that this show will work me to the bone and will force me to get back into dancing shape. I have been out of shape since I left the theatre, so this should be both fun and productive.

Okay, I'm off to go download all of Chris's photos from his adventures thus far. I'll post them as I continue to live vicariously through him.