I don’t know about spunk, Alice. I just want to do something different with my life, and this seemed like a good solution. In the past when I traveled I was told I was very gutsy (crazy?). I was never sure whether it was because I traveled alone, or because I left my husband home alone.

Yes, I will keep the same travel blog. I’ve already begun writing in it, but mostly it will be sparse until October. My plan, for now, is to spend about a month in China, depending on the inclination of the Chinese to give more than a 30 day visa. Then two months in Japan, trying to see everything I missed last year. I plan to return to Pittsburgh in early January.

There is a possibility I could then spend a month or two in Chicago, or I might buy a 30-day Amtrak pass and train around the country. I’m not going to do anything about planning for January and beyond until I see how long my apartment remains in someone else’s possession. I would really like to continue traveling until next summer. Then I will think about getting a cat and settling down. Probably my money will run out at that point and I will have to look for a job. That’s a terrifying thought–not working–looking.

I’ve had about 10 responses to my sublet ad, but no one reads. They all want the apartment now. I’m not ready to give it up for at least another month and I could actually wait until October 1. Several people wanted it for only two months, I said minimum four. I’ll try rewriting the ad to make it clearer, but I won’t post it again until the end of July.