Coming back from a first trip to Europe definitely leaves you a bit jet lagged. It took us nearly two weeks to get back onto local time at full brain capacity. It was a very different trip for us as we moved around between 6 cities (Venice, Pisa, Florence, Assisi, Sorrento, and Rome) in 10 days and honestly it equated to lots of stress navigating new places, coordinating priorities, and communicating. I learned some fascinating things about the culture, history, and economics of Italy. As it was a couples trip rather than a school trip, I did have slightly different expectations and we did have a wonderful time. Here is a short synopsis of fun facts and traveling advice that hopefully gives you some insight into Italy.

1. You go to Italy to be a tourist; to see the sights of long gone empires like the Romans, which leaves the current 21st century not much in comparison to show for itself other than preserving this great history. That means much of the economy and daily life of Italians surrounds tourism including food, transportation, and shopping. So there aren't many "local spots" to learn about or understand as you are living it as tourists.
2. We rented a car which was probably an expense way to get around. Nonetheless we enjoyed the freedom and had no trouble translating our Colorado mountain driving to the hazardous cliffs and hills that we found in Italy. We did however forget to turn off "Avoid Tollways" on our GPS which extended our first drive by 2 hours. The Italians though totally get "keep to the right except the pass" and if there isn't a formal traffic lane, you have make one... specifically when passing in Tuscany.
3. Italy (including Venice) is just not the romantic city you have in your dreams. Yes, there are gondola drivers, operas, and naked statues but it was like trying to throw a Christmas party during Sunday Night Football; it just doesn't seem natural to cuddle up and whisper love notes to each other. Sure you can escape to your hotel with a bottle of wine, but with no A/C, full sized beds, or showers you can turn around in, the truth is you can only take it so far. My advice is to go for the art, architecture, and views... not the honeymoon luxury experience.
4. As I said in the China synopsis, I seek out the green spaces because nature helps relax me after the hustle and bustle of too many people. Other than Tuscany, the "Green Heart of Italy", there isn't much. Seriously, there aren't flower boxes or parks or trees anywhere in the cities. Oh, there was a garden in Florence but wow.
5. The food (espresso, bread, and wine) was pretty much everything you would expect and you would have the same experience in every restaurante pizzeria you went in.

General Q&A:

1. Multi-tasking to the max
• Working from home, now you aren't limited to just the email, phone, instant messenger, piles of papers and software programs. It expands to the dishwasher, the TV, the dryer, the doorbell, the dog, and the list goes on. There are so many distractions and "to do list" items to get done that well, nothing gets done. Nothing gets your full attention because you try to do it all. I am a devote list maker and when I'm at home sometimes it overlaps which doesn't help me be productive at all.
2. Proximity to home
• Having definite boundaries between home and work is important if you want to achieve balance. But when the door to your office is precariously close to the kitchen, you drop in and out so often that the physical boundaries are hardly there. Having a snack or a dog walk in the middle of the day might seem like a good way to "clear your head" before hunkering down but it doesn't work for me. The mental boundaries aren't there either as people often work late into the night just because they can.
3. Technical difficulties
• Whether it is your phone forwarding to your cell, connection through too many firewalls, or just working on your laptop keyboard instead of a external one, there is always something that will slow you down. It is awkward using my desk even with the extra monitors. It takes longer to connect to the servers and get information. And it is always frustrating when technology is the thing standing between you and getting things done.

Are you a perfectionist? Are you an addict? Everyone has something that they say "just one more" to. Maybe it is that favorite type of ice cream, that thrill feeling from roller coasters, or setting the perfect table for the once-a-year family gathering. What can you not get enough of and you have to use your strongest willpower to tell yourself to move on or that it is good enough. It is not always a bad characteristic to have, especially in a competitive work environment.

1. It gives you options
• When something isn't quite perfect, starting from scratch can be the fresh perspective you need to achieve that end result that you had in mind. Sometimes that means you have two finished products and you choose the best of two. When the final decision is not in your hands, this can often be to your advantage. You know it will change again after they see it anyways, am I right?
2. It makes others smile
• When you can't just let something rest and keep trying to make things even better, it is a great face for customer service. When providing support or making a sale, going the extra mile to deliver to the customer can mean referrals and positive reviews.
3. It makes you busy
• If you know how to tackle things yourself and fix things without the direction and/or approval of others, you will go far. Taking the initiative and not waiting on others means you are never short of things to do. To never be bored at work means you love your job and isn't that what we all aspire for?

An additional thought I'd like to say on this topic. If you know what things you have trouble saying "no" to because you love doing them, you know your true passions. Once you know them, have different passions in your work and your home. If I was to turn writing into a career, I think I'd be miserable. Instead the freedom fuels my love for it. The same goes for music. What is the magical passion for you?

Today's post is inspired by favorite read, Seth's Blog and another article about the Passion Trap with Mike Rowe.

I'm in Iowa this week for business! There are so many reasons why I love my job at Tyler, but this week has been a special experience being onsite at the County Office buildings on Election Day with so many of the elected officials. Many people planned late nights to watch the results roll in and there was a constant flow of friendly "good luck" quips throughout the halls. Politics isn't for everyone and even if all you do is your civic duty of voting every November 4th, make it count and learn to appreciate your civil servants!

1. Don't judge quickly
• The political ads and single policy platforms make it too easy to pick sides with little further thinking. Feel strongly about one issue and you can be blinded by how they react to other issues that they will undoubtedly be voting on. Sure it seems like 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other but don't make it a coin flip!
2. Be in their shoes
• The data and opinions that these people work with every day are strong. It can be hard to stay the course and finish the goals you started with such opposition. I bring lots of change into the office with my company's software and the officials' patience is commendable. They really are cool and collected while faced with the opposition of people and technology that they don't understand. In their shoes I would be much more difficult to work with!
3. Trust they are doing their best
• Every action in the office is because the officials care about doing things right. I've seen the officials protect the county by being overly protective of confidential information, being picky about how information is transferred, and question requested changes to the process. It may seem silly and annoying from my perspective but at the same time it reaffirms my faith in the political system. They really do have your back in the way they look out for the public and trust the law.