Author: Michael Cook

As we enter the waning days of 2009 and look back at the past year, it is shameful that I have been so negligent in providing journal entries. The lack of updates is not due to a dearth of noteworthy events. In fact, 2009 was one of the most eventful, life-changing years in my not-so-young […]

The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity followed by everything grinding to a screeching halt. The common theme for the first three months of the year was travel. I spend an inordinate amount of time in airports, on planes, and living out of a suitcase. While I technically reside in LA, my […]

After spending just over a day in Taormina, a lovely village perched on a hill overlooking the sea, we drove an hour south to Siracusa. Despite enjoying Taormina, our first taste of Sicily, the change to Siracuse was welcomed for a couple of reasons. For one, the torrential rain in Taormina made walking the narrow […]

I have spent Christmas and New Years’ in some memorable places. When I sat down and tallied the various locations where I have celebrated the holidays, I came up with roughly 12 different places for Christmas and 15 different states or countries for New Years’ Eve. The list ranged from exotic (New Zealand, Colombia, Japan, […]

I left Audentes tucked snugly into a boatyard in New Zealand on November 15, 2006. Exactly two years to the day, I finally returned to Whangarei to check in on my neglected vessel. The journey was brought about by a fortuitous business trip to Australia that allowed me a day-long layover in New Zealand. After […]

I have struggled to come up with an appropriate way to share the big news that happened recently. I had considered a romantic ode attempting to articulate my feelings, but I soon realized that this was bound to fail. I thought of resorting to humor, but this too seemed inappropriate. Breaking the news through the […]

There is this magical place that I found. The food is inexpensive, the people are friendly, and the bucolic landscape recalls a simpler time. The airfare is expensive and this remote land is difficult to reach, but the inhabitants are friendly and generous and, surprisingly, happy that you have come to enjoy their small slice […]

Megan and I arrived back in Bologna on Sunday night. My parents picked us up at the train station and took us out for our first truly good Italian meal. The next morning my mom dropped us back at the train station and we rode a couple of hours to Venice. Upon arrival, we spent […]

In an attempt to provide a comprehensive description of my recent trip to Italy, I have asked my girlfriend, Megan, to contribute a journal entry describing her visit to Rome. What follows is her account of our first three days in Italy. It should be noted that despite my complete absence from the entry, I […]