Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires. - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Day 01 - Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.

My current relationship is really the root of this whole blog. Of my possible adventure into journalism. Of the time I've recently spent learning to edit. Of the hours I've spent in our lab. My boyfriend is persuasive.

He's the current associate editor of our university's newspaper, a member of a fraternity, junior class president, and the best thing that has ever happened to me. If he read this, he would probably be more angry about the fact that I left an accomplishment or two out than happy that I'm writing. He's difficult and pretentious. He's also one of the best writers I know.

For eleven days, he's out of the continental United States. Hence the blog title. Right before he left, he hugged me goodbye and told me he loved me for the first time. I haven't said that word in a very long time, and I don't think I meant it to the one person I said it to before him. I mean it with him. He pushes me, challenges me, and supports me in ways I never thought possible. I'm extremely blessed.

We spend a lot of time together, we road trip to each other's hometowns, we take "How Liberal or Conservative Are You?" quizzes driving down the road, and we stop behind gas stations so he can smoke. I tell him all the time that he is a lot to deal with, but I really know that I'm just as much to handle even if he never says it. He brings me soup when I'm sick and puts on Grease 2 for me when I'm sad.

I love him. In the words of Benjy Davis, he's "so much better than I deserve, more than these stupid words." Hopefully he knows what he's doing with this journalism stuff.