Goodbye, Minnesota!

From the "sweet merciful crap is it ever cold" department: Yesterday the temperature dropped down to -56° F in Embarrass, MN, just 4° shy of the all-time Minnesota record. That's actual air temperature, mind you, not windchill. So in the past week I have gone from KC, which is trapped under a sheet of ice, to Minnesota, which is so damn cold I think one of my nuts re-ascended when I went to take out the garbage.

No more. Tomorrow I escape the frozen tundra of the midwest and head to LA, and then on to Auckland. Friend-of-the-family Joanne, whom I will be staying with for a few days, has informed me that the forecast for my arrival features plenty of sunshine and a balmy high of 26° C (better get used to the metric system). Additionally, the water at the local swimming beach is reportedly warming up nicely. Suh-weet. Or, as the Kiwis say, "sweet as!"

I don't think the reality of all this has quite hit me yet. For the most part, tonight seems like any other Tuesday night. Maybe it's because I really have no idea what to expect from this trip. Who knows what might happen during the next three months?

Well, I will find out soon enough. Catch you all on the flipside! And KEEP IN TOUCH!