half way round the world

okay, here comes the super recap blitz.

i did indeed travel back to the united states for christmas. interestingly enough, i made the trip on the 23rd of december, which despite being one day after the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) was unquestionably the longest day of _my_ year. let's just say that newark is not one of my choice destinations; was stuck there on a 5 hour layover + 3 more hours of my flight being delayed. by the time i landed in portland, i had been awake for something like 30 hours, most of them having been crammed into a plane. christmas passed with little notable fanfare (that's a good thing). time with the immediate family and a small collection of relatives, lots of food, a couple thoughtful (yet impractical) gifts, you know, the usual.

basically the only bad parts of the whole trip were having to make appearances at church with my parents. (have i mentioned how much i loathe formal clothing?) but even those two trips i probably wouldn't have minded so much (i'm willing to waste a few hours of my life for the sake of a small measure of peace in the family)---what annoys the living hell out of me, though, is the fact that the rest of the uneducated peons there can't keep their fucking mouths shut. they have to insist on asking me about my research, which they stand basically zero chance of understanding (mind you i hardly understand it myself), so i try to let them off the hook by spitting out a one sentence overview using only small words, but they just won't let it drop; they keep prying and talking and smiling like i should be happy to see them when all i really want to do is grab them by the shoulders and shake them until their heads fall off while screaming at the top of my lungs. alright, so i've basically turned into an academic snob. but i don't care. lack of knowledge i can deal with. lack of desire to see past the end of one's nose, i will never understand. it's just so hard to see those people and think of anything but how pathetic their ignorant existance must really be. it completely boggles my mind.

whoa. i guess i got carried away a bit. deep breath. anyway, the rest of the time was quite good. i was even fortunate enough to be granted a brief audience with jaime; we got about 45 minutes over a cup of tea by the side of the freeway as she zipped through town on her way from california to spokane (where she's aparently living now). it was kinda surreal more than anything else. that weird feeling you get when looking at one of your closest friends and suddenly realize that despite your best efforts and intentions, you've begun to grow apart, and things just won't be the same ever again. i think it was good and important that we did see each other, though, even if only for a few minutes. helped to smooth a few things over, and correct some mis-communications, etc. knowing that we care about each other, even if we don't get to talk very often.

unfortunately, treye was on the same sort of schedule (just passing through), but he actually stayed the night, and we got to see quite a bit of each other, for which i am exceedingly grateful. you're awesome, man. i can't wait until we can get together again.

and, as long as we're listing off the friends i was able to track down, i got another pleasant surprise---i stumbled across ben stagl, and went to dinner with him and jon springer. wow. must have been at least 6 years since i saw them last (our highschool graduation). but it was totally amazing to see them and talk with them, and hear what's going on in their lives. as far as i can tell, they're both doing pretty well for themselves.

i also grabbed peter for dinner and a film one evening; he even took me by his practice space downtown. unbelievable. i mean, man, you know i've always been jealous of your talent, but seeing you actually putting forth the guts to go through with it is really really cool. and there is not even the smallest doubt in my mind that you will succeed, and succeed spectacularly. quite literally, you rock, dude. :)

so yeah, seeing people was the best part of the trip, and those were the major highlights. the rest of the time was pretty much consumed by the wildest craziest shopping spree of my entire life. now, i doubt if i will ever be what people refer to as "patriotic," (in fact, if you ever percieve me as such, please shoot me on sight) but there are certain things that you learn to appreciate as an expat living abroad. okay, i know consumerism is bad, particuarly to the grotesque extent that things are pushed to in the united states, but man, it also has its benefits... like even the simple little goodnesses of [gasp] stores being open when they're supposed to be, or [oh my god] "insert anything here" being the ordinary semi-affordable price that it should be instead of three times than your most ridiculous imagination. and customer service---wow---to think that people might actually care about your repeat business, and therefore treat you like a real person... utterly unbelievable...

i probably spent way more that i should have, but it was mostly on stuff that i haven't been able to get for the last 18 months, and won't be able to get again for a good long time. not all self-restraint was completely lost, however; i did manage to stop myself from buying a kitchenaid stand mixer [rolls eyes]. i did get a really nice pair of snowboard boots, though, for an excellent price. especially considering the exchange rate right now, i must have paid less than half of what they would have cost in switzerland. and a bunch of miscellaneous little things, too. clothes that fit that i can also afford, a pair of trail hiking shoes, and books (oh my god)---i spent an entire afternoon in powells; it really is "the greatest place on earth" (tm). i love that store. all five city blocks of it. i must have come back with a whole shelf full of books, and i wouldn't be suprised if someone told me that the grin i had on my face going home was giving people sunburns, i was that thrilled. and then, of course, since i'm a cooking dork, all the requisite kitchen gadgetry that i've spent the last year doing without.

and the food. i do miss the food. thai, chinese, mexican, even prime rib. yum. i love it all, and i can't get it here (well, without sacrificing a couple of internal organs on the black market, at least). even more than the stereotype, i gained some weight back over the christmas season, but i think one of the important parts of staying healthy is realizing that you do have to treat yourself sometimes, so i'm not terribly upset about it. and actually, come to think of it, that might even make for a reasonable new year's resolution. i want to really try to get my health under control this year, but most importantly *safely.* we'll see how i do. one can always hope, right? (yes, as a matter of fact, i am in an optimistic mood today. it doesn't happen often, so enjoy it.)

then there was the flight back, which was even longer than the one coming, and longer still, seeing as i got suckered into volunteering for a re-route through paris getting in six hours later. but hey, $500 bucks for six hours isn't bad by my books... hell, i wish i got paid like that all the time. (who wouldn't?)

and so here i am, back in die schwiez, shoulder to the grindstone. work wise (even after accounting for the jet lag) this week has been frustrating, and next week promises to be the same, but i'll save that story for next time.

happy new year, everybody.