Thursday Thirteen, Coming Home Edition

I’m writing this on my flight from Dallas to San Diego. I just did a five day business trip to DC and I’m happy to be coming home. When I was playing around with ideas for this week’s TT it dawned on me that an easy one to do would be…

Thirteen Things I’m Looking Forward to Coming Home

1. Seeing our Maximum Leader. As soon as she hears the door open, she’ll come running to see me. She never holds grudges or shows me how disappointed she is in me for having left. She’s just happy I’m back. I’ll get lots of head bumps and leg rubs and hanging around with me wherever I go in the house. There will loud, appreciative purring when I pet her.

Our Maximum Leader as she strolled over to greet me today.
2. I won’t have to worry about losing stuff. Dragging the most expensive parts of my wardrobe and portable electronics all the way across the country and back is an opportunity to lose something costly. At home, I can leave things lying around wherever I drop them and they’ll be there when I get back.

3. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating out is great, especially when someone else is paying, but there comes a time when you want more than starches and meats. I love to cook and fresh food is really important to me. I’ve got a pair of squash waiting for me on my kitchen counter to be used in an Indian dish with lots of yogurt and spices. Yum!

4. A chance to take long walks. San Diego is always good for that. I miss the ocean.

5. My TiVo. I get insomnia from time to time and I missed having the NFL games from the previous weekend on tap to watch late in the night. My Saints lost, but I’m anxious to watch the game. I flew on Sunday this time, so I missed all the games. I’ve got 9 hours of NFL waiting for me.

6. My desktop computer. I hate typing on a laptop. The desk at the hotel room is always at an odd height and the keyboard is cramped. I miss my own space.

7. I’m looking forward to driving my own car. I got a Dodge PT Cruiser this time. While they look cool and all, they just aren’t as comfortable as my old Altima. For one thing, the seat is too narrow. I’m a thin man and I still felt like I was being pinched in inappropriate places while I was driving. I also got tired of the thing beeping, hooting and whistling at me every time I did something. I swear the thing thought it was part of a jug band. I also set off the panic button alarm while opening the back hatch once. It sounded like the kind of alarm you’d hear if the 12th Imam was found hiding in the back seat. It took about 5 minutes to figure out just what was bugging the car and turn it off.

8. I miss my neighbors. Even if it’s just saying hello as we come home from work, I miss the pleasant people who live nearby.

9. I miss the San Diego weather. It rained in DC! Well, just a little, but still it was rain. How horrid. How do those people live with it? And where were all the palm trees?

10. Good Mexican food. Yes, I know I hinted that I was tired of eating out, but the two chicken tacos, rice and beans at JV’s taco shop in Bay Park is the best. That and cheap beer is de rigueur on Wednesday nights. What did I have this Wednesday? I think I had a small take out pizza. It was good, but it was no JV’s.

11. Jacob the Syrian Hamster. He’s joy on four legs. I probably won’t see much of him tonight as I’ll crash early, but it’s a lot of fun to let him out of his cage, sit on the floor and read in his room while he scampers all around and on top of you.

12. Space. I miss having extra space to live in. Hotel rooms are OK for a while, but I miss having more than one room to flop around in.

13. Most of all I miss my kids. My son’s football season finished and he decided to join the wrestling team. He’s really excited and wants to tell me all about it. I’ll be coaching my daughter’s soccer team at school this year and I miss talking to her about it, asking about her school day, reading her stories at night and just hanging out with her. I miss playing video games with them, making silly noises and wrestling. I miss their warmth.

There. 13 things I’m looking forward to or things I missed while I was gone. What would you miss?


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