Frequent Citations

Jupiter or Mars

The other night we had dinner with old friends who were in town for a few days.  It was wonderful--I do miss my friends.  As we were catching up with each other's lives, TFL mentioned that he'd not been doing any work-related travel.

Naturally, the very next day he was put on a project half way around the world.  As in, it might as well be on Jupiter or Mars, it's so far away.  No, not Australia, and no he's not leaving right away, but soon enough.

So that will be interesting.  At least this time he's not leaving me with two toddlers, like the first time he did an extended stint abroad, or two little squirts, like the time he was in California more often than not, or two teenagers and an overload semester in my second year of undergrad, like the time he was out here cleaning up after that little double plane-and-tower incident.  This time he's just leaving me with Dogness and a sometimes nutty work schedule.

I'm excited for him, though, so I hope this job actually pans out, which you're never sure of until you see the international letter of credit in your hand.  (That's another thing he knew all about when I was in law school so he could explain it to me.  Convenient.) He loves to travel, and he's good at it, and maybe we'll somehow wrangle a trip to the Greek isles out of it.  (A girl can dream.) 

Maryland

I played hooky for the weekend and went to DC, but if we're going to be honest about it I spent the whole weekend lolling about Maryland.  It was soooo fun.  We ate delicious tapas one night at a snazzy restaurant with a Famous Chef (don't ask me, I've no idea who it was), and had a couple other meals at the pub across the street from my friend's apartment, wandered around enjoying the lovely weather, and played Rock Band.  Yep, a packed weekend.

And the only shopping I did was to pick up a couple of needles here.  It's a lovely little shop with utterly pleasant people, but I actually walked out without any yarn at all.  It took heroic restraint.  Heroic, I tell you. 

Jewels And Silks

GirlChild's adventures in India appear to be filled with temples, jewels, constant travel, and scarves of every description.  She was in the pearl capital, where she picked up a strand of pearls and emeralds.  Approximate cost:  $20.  Every time I hear from her she's bought another scarf (I completely approve).  She traveled all night on a bus without being able to fall asleep, and wound up at the southernmost tip of India.  It's winter there, a chilly 90 degrees.  The natives are wearing earmuffs.  Seriously!  I'm sure she's getting pictures.

Boy appears to be settling down in Provence, with a nifty little apartment and a good roommate situation.  He says he's already thinking and dreaming in French, although the other American students are excessively lame and only want to speak in English.  He's living off nutella and baguettes, but I hope he's throwing in an apple or salad or something once in a while.  But I've heard more from GirlChild halfway across the world than I have from Boy.  I wonder if he's picked up a French girlfriend yet, or started wearing a beret, perhaps a scarf.  So long as he doesn't start smoking, and it's very hard not to smoke when you're living over there.

Baggage PSA

Boy headed back to college today.  I hauled him out of bed at an obscenely early (by his standards) hour to go to FedEx with me and ship back his extra bag.  It cost less to ship it than it would have to check it.

I'm sorry, but how insane is that?  These airlines are out of control with their nickle-and-diming and their horrendous service and the absurd "security" measures that do zip-all to keep anyone safe but plenty to keep the blood-pressure medicine companies in business.  I suppose that means that they are taking advantage of the customer's absolute and dire need to get from hither to yon in a day.  Then again, on the trip out here Boy could have driven the distance at least three times over in the time it took him to fly.

Ah, well.  For the next trip I have planned (about which more later) I shall travel in grand and old-fashioned fashion--by train.