I'm pretty sure I'll be making more homemade ramen. Amazing comfort food! Like chicken noodle soup with a lite spice and soy sauce taste!

As far as history goes, I'm all over the place. Ancient Rome, especially towards the end when the Goths and the Huns were at the gates. The Goths have an amazing story, starting out with nothing and ending up in Rome itself. They crossed into Roman territory and were used and abused by the garrisons, to a horrific extent, and when the leaders loudly objected, the garrisons murdered them all, with the exception of one, Fritigern. He led the Goths in a war that ended with the death of the Eastern Emperor Valens in battle and, through his successor the sack of Rome in the West.

I guess you can say I like a story, one where I can follow the threads and find causes and can make good guesses as to who people are. I like to understand the "heart" of the place I'm studying and/or visiting.

I also like Russian history and Modern Mideast history (WWI on). It's part of what I studied in college, and had a chance to see and I would love a chance to see them again.

My dad always has travel guides (to places all over). He'll buy them, read them and put them on the shelf. With few exceptions, he never visited them. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, "I visited them in the book. What more do I need?" I don't get that, at all. I see those same guidebooks and think "I need to see for myself." I want to see and hear the stories. I want to find the heart and soul of the places I visit. Sometimes I don't, but many times I do. Keeps life interesting!