so, hi. i am in Europe. surprise! as i’m writing this i’m on a train which has just arrived in Rottweil, which is where the dogs come from. i’ve been very quiet lately, both on facebook and in real life, partly because i haven’t been sure what i’m doing with myself from now on. so here is an update.

i’ve been traveling with my ex-wife and constant best friend Rhonda. we have the luxury of having saved up some money and quit our jobs, so we’re exploring what we want to do now. we’re both extremely disillusioned with the state of things in the USA and hoping to rekindle a sense that progress is possible.

i miss all my friends and family in Alaska and i want to see you all again. i’ll definitely be back at some point, but i’m not sure when or for how long. i hope that whatever comes next, we will be together as much as we can. it’s just that i’m beginning to imagine that reunion being like the end of the Shawshank Redemption. we have to escape from a prison of both body and mind.

in Alaska the last few years i’ve felt like a wilting flower. i think it will always be my home, but i’m simply not surviving in that environment. the xenophobic hostility and isolation of American culture, combined with the natural hostility and isolation of the Alaskan winter, means i’ve just been hiding for months. i’m afraid of people, i’m afraid of cars, i’m afraid to even go outside. it’s not sustainable.

one of my goals, in addition to rehabilitating myself, is to write about the places i visit on this trip. i hope that may help others who, like me, are feeling lost on this crazy planet. i’ve spent about a week here in Germany, which seems very nice, and there’s no snow on the ground here in mid-december which i could certainly get used to! i’ll have more to say as we continue to travel.

love you,

violet