Birmingham Chronicles Wrap Up

Home.

My chair.
My coffee made my way in my pot.
My Dallas Morning News, already rifled through.

The drive back was very uneventful. Well, unless you call Lloyd pooping and peeing at all three state-line rest areas an event. They all have "dog walk" areas so we took advantage. In Mississippi, they even have fake fire hydrants all along the pet area. Nice touch.

I listened half-heartedly to two sermons. I wasn't much in the mood for deep thought or interaction. The iPod car charger came in handy since my player has a six-hour battery life. I'm not sure why I bothered...Even the music was listened to half-heartedly. I was able to pick up the local sports talk station in Longview and listened half-heartedly to talk of the NFL draft. Currently, I don't think I have much left in the emotional tank.

I can say it is nice to arrive in Dallas in a misty drizzle and be mentally prepared for an hour or more to get to Flower Mound, only to come over every rise and say to yourself, "Hey...clear sailing on 635 for another mile or so." Or, "Hey, that interchange wasn't so bad." I got from Mesquite to my driveway in a little over 40 minutes...that's like driving at 2AM traffic, not 6:30PM DFW normalcy.

The family welcomed Lloyd and he welcomed them. I think I'll give him the week off after his week of work. I mean, this morning, he didn't even bother to get out of bed to get the paper and such...it's our morning ritual and he's STILL out.

We watched "Vacation" with the fam. It's funny how they didn't know there was a precursor to "Christmas Vacation."

And the book I've been reading is all about the joys of travel. These two guys are seeing the world with little or no agenda, embracing all the snafus as part of a big adventure and such. I don't think I'm built that way...to me, travel is a means of getting to a certain place. I'm not looking to meet people. I'm not looking for a good story. I want my trains on time and my reservations confirmed.

And most of all, right now, I'm glad to be home.

Even if I've got a full day of work to get ready for work tomorrow...I'll do it in my chair. Gladly.