I can't decide if 55 days is a long time or not.

But that's how long I've been here. I can't believe it is already October. Crazy. It definitely doesn't feel like October outside. The days are still in the mid to upper 80's. Nights are probably around 70. I'm not sure because I still haven't quite mastered the whole Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion thing. But it is definitely cooling off a bit. It isn't humid; it's just beautiful. My favorite kind of weather. Perfect for driving around in Barb's new hardtop convertible.

Let's see, since my last blog I got a job, visited all the cities in Cyprus, traveled to another country, learned Greek, became pagan, and got asked to play professional soccer.

Ok ok, none of that really happened.

Actually, I did get a job. I worked at a restaurant for one day. Three hours to be exact. I thought it would be nice to have something to do while I look for a real job. But after being there for about 6 minutes, I remembered why I quit waitressing 5 years ago. Plus my friends reminded me that not only do I have a master's degree now, but also that the job just wasn't cool enough to risk being deported for (I was sort of working illegally).

However, Barb pulled some strings at the embassy so now I'm a "registered alien." That means I don't have to leave the country every 3 months. Sorry to those I promised that I would be back to visit you every 3 months It just wasn't practical. Note that this permit has nothing to do with working OR residency; it just means that I'm allowed to "visit" for a long time. Yay.

And I did go to another country. Well, if you're Turkish and therefore consider the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" another country. We went up to the North with our Greek Cypriot friend and met her Turkish Cypriot friend for lunch. (Those of you who aren't quite up on your Cyprus history, this is sort of an odd occurrence.) But it was a really good time and Barb got to speak Turkish which surprised quite a few people. And even though we climbed the "climbing-these-stairs-is-strictly-forbidden" stairs to the top of Othello's castle (great view by the way) and then got a bit lost and were on the back dirt roads of Northern Cyprus that just sort of end when you least expect it, (in a car with a Greek Cypriot license plates no less), we made it back across the border in one piece.

Barb had a meeting for work in Pafos last Friday so I went with her and we made a mini-vacation out of it. If you're into Greek mythology it is a place you MUST visit. After all, it IS the birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of "love, beauty, and sexual rapture." Then we went to Polis, another town on the coast about 20 minutes from Pafos. There was an Equinox celebration going on so Barb and I attended a drum circle on the beach and had reiki done on us. Once we were done being at one with nature and all of our negative energy was fully removed, we headed to Larnaca to fill that space with Lasagna (thanks Eleni), beer, wine, and of course, tequila shots.

We really aren't being ALL that unhealthy though. I've found a yoga studio that I've been going to about three times a week and I love it. I'm also taking "BodyPump" (aka PowerFlex) classes at the gym…in Greek! (I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone: work out, learn Greek.) But because the only Greek I've picked up in that class is up, down, and the numbers (which I already knew), I'm also taking a conversational Greek class twice a week. Barb and I are playing soccer, oops I mean football. Oops, I mean outdoor futsal. Whatever it is, we are playing on Monday nights (at 9 or 10 PM) with a group of Cypriot friends. The first night we played, Barb was approached afterward by a man who I hadn't even noticed watching us and asked if she wanted to play on their professional women's team. He also thought that she was about 10 years younger than she is. She ended up going to one of their practices, but joining the team would be too demanding; they practice several times a week and on the weekends. But I suppose it was a nice ego boost. I was impressed anyway.

That's about it. It's beginning to feel less like vacation and more like "home," but not quite there yet. Probably because our "stuff" still hasn't arrived yet. Apparently it is coming by canoe. But anyway, we're doing great and really love hearing from everyone via mail, email, phone, myspace, whatever. Just keep being in touch cause I miss everyone a lot.