I was excited all the way up until getting on the plane... I'd been planning the trip for nearly a year, as part of my "Gap Year" - I'd never flown before, and as it was Air France, it stopped in Paris, so my Mum came with me for that bit. The short flight was fine - hadn't seen enough stuff on TV etc to be too worried about crashing, etc., so it was just another new experience (yes, I like those) to savour... First landing was fine too!

Said goodbye to my Mum, I think finally realising that I was going to a strange country for 5 months and didn't really know what was going to happen! If I was on the same flight now (the long one), I'd probably kick up a whole lot more. The films didn't seem to work - so we watched that little plane move across the screen veeeeeeeeeeery slowly, and when the meals came round, looked like someone had been sick in it... but that actually did all tie in with what people had said about airline food! We flew into Rio for refuelling and to get rid of some passengers, at which point someone drove into one of the propellors/engines - but gave me a chance to talk to a Brazilian couple who tried to teach me some Portuguese and then invited me to stay in the Pantanal - which I did about 4 months later...

Be open to those new experiences!

Well, if it's an interview, clearly it's going to be a nice pinstripe suit, with lots of RED, nice powerful and confident read... all nicely cleaned and pressed. Always looking for the ideal pair of shoes to go with... bit of a heel for confidence, but not so high that you end up walking like you have blisters all over your feet (which is of course quite possible!).

If I'm going out for the night, quite possibly something similar - maybe less pinstripes, but a nice bright red top, or sometimes purple, or bright green (I don't really DO pastels)... anything to brighten up the evening... similar dilemma in the shoes - particularly if there's not a lot of money in the kitty for taxis!

No need to edit the default title! Italian: pasta, pizza, gelato all with in many different (and delicious) flavourings... what more could you want! Well, maybe to find the real cuisine rather than whatever I could afford for 2-3 Euro last summer: http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-330501.html

Publish my PhD as a Book
I will never feel like I've finished my PhD until I see my name on the spine of a book in the bookstores. There's plenty of interesting material in my PhD (see http://www.ww2poster.co.uk), lots of interest in it (see the recent furore over 'Keep Calm and Carry On': http://drbexl.blogspot.com/2009/03/keep-calm-and-carry-on.html). Originally I intended to call my book "It's Up To You" after a poster which takes the Kitchener "Your Country Needs You" as a design inspiration, but now Keep Calm and Carry On seems far more appropriate, as I'm particularly interested in why such images still resonate over 60 years later). At my PhD viva we spent most of the time discussing turning the thesis into a book (would probably take around a year on top of a steady job), and the book proposal is in process... meantime, travelling and job-seeking have rather taken away from that!

Visit Israel
OK, so it's another "visit somewhere", as the remainder may be... I want to take a trip to Israel with http://www.oakhall.co.uk. I know loads of people who've been and they all say the same thing... really tiring, but completely awesome and inspiring (well, that describes pretty much any Oak Hall trip that I've been on!)

See a Formula 1 Race live
I used to follow Formula 1 avidly, watching heats, races, repeats, highlights - you name it, and reading all the magazines. I then realised how much of my life this was taking up and pretty much went cold turkey. However, getting to know Emma @ Manchester we chatted about Formula 1 lots, and I would still like to go to see a live race... not sure where yet. I have stood on the starting grid and podium at Albert Park in Australia, and may watch some of this weekend's... if only to remind me of the time I spent in Australia (and there's somewhere else to go back to!)... I had a day's race car driving experience: http://www.bex-lewis.co.uk/career/big_achievements/drivingexperience.htm, whic was grreat... bring on the skid-pan racing next!

Run the London or New York Marathon
I've done a couple of 10ks, and would even need to build back up to that length at the moment, but I've always wanted to run the London Marathon (although sometimes I think the New York would suit my traveller mind more). I have actually completed a full-length marathon event: http://www.bex-lewis.co.uk/career/big_achievements/moonwalk.htm, which is maybe almost harder than a daytime marathon, but still, running a marathon beckons...

Sitting in silence ALL day would drive me completely up the wall, although if they distracted me from taking photos out of the window they'd be in trouble! I'll pretty much talk to anybody and can find interest in most conversations... although the irritating voice may get to me in the end... maybe I'd have to try and pace my conversation to theirs!