Returning

My American Odyssey is over, and I have come home, back to the same old same old. After nearly two weeks of what can only be described as a splendid time, reality has kicked in once more. I feel relaxed, which was the point of the exercise, but I also miss being in sunny Dallas already. My time there was probably the happiest I've been in a long time... being so far away from the usual day-to-day rumblings of life is a most agreeable situation - plus being in the company of The American always brings a smile to my face. I will return soon. It's already been decided. Just got to get the first term of school and the new job out of the way, and I'll be back flying over the Atlantic again. I can't wait.

The journey back was alright. I was feeling pretty down after saying goodbye - from being incredibly happy to utterly miserable in the space of a couple of hours... great! As usual, my inability to sleep while on a moving vehicle kicked in, so while I had the space to relax (the plane was barely half full, so everyone got to stretch out across seats) I couldn't drop off. I watched Mission Impossible 3, which was *meh* - though Simon Pegg was in it, which raised a smile, read, listened to music, just killing time. The now anthemic "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab For Cutie raised a few sniffles. The lyrics took on an awful level of meaning, and the combination of being tired and some overwhelming emotion hit me pretty hard. Depressed michael was back with a vengence, swiftly accompanied by the angry version when my mother - who was meant to meet me at the airport - sent me a message saying she'd slept in, and the train home was my only option. Across London, in rush hour, with a suitcase and a heavy box full of sweets and snacks the size of a small nation. Damn my love of Mountain Dew. Eventually got back home four hours after leaving the airport, collapsed into bed, and woke after a solid 16 hours of sleep. Brilliant.

Anyway, I'm now back, jetlag seems to have dissipated, and I'm trying to get ready for Monday and The New Job. I'm finishing off a few jobs around the house as I really won't have time soon. In fact, I have been most masculine today and built two walls - one in the garden, and one out in front of the house. They're not the most professional looking things, but they seem sturdy enough and hopefully won't fall over at the slightest breeze. As long as the local feline population don't just see them as new climbing frames, all should be well. I may even get around to painting the last bedroom over the weekend, then all will be complete. Shocking.