It's funny how coming home even after only four weeks abroad can cause lethargy and restlessness as we readjust upon reentry. The transition home was surreal for a number of reasons: I was laid over in New Jersey for two days and two nights before connecting to Minneapolis, since our original connections were canceled for about 15 of our students. I spent the entire weekend of July 22/23 putting kids on standby for flights to Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc. I learned how to wait well. Over and over again. (I also came to terms with waiting. Ever wonder why the word "wait" has a negative connotation? It doesn't deserve that. Waiting is nice, if you can pull it off. It's just that society tricks us into thinking that waiting is inherently a stressful act that implies we are at a disadvantage in our pinball lives.) The layover did mean that I missed DK's bachelor party, which wrecked my spirits for the week. I guess that will be made up at the wedding...
Anyway, the week I was back I was able to reconnect with a few people and successfully pack my apartment in Mankato, change my address, get coffee from the Fillin' Station, feed the prairie dogs at Sibley Park, grab Bravo Burrito mexicatessen in St. Cloud, argue with my landlady, clean the apartment, have wine and watch Mad Hot Ballroom with amigos in Stearns County, secure an apartment (with a pool) in Bloomington (Penn Ave and 105th), and make it to the cabin by the 30th and in one piece.
After a week of 100-degree weather across Minnesota, the spell broke last night with a huge storm and the cool 70s that followed. I went for a paddle with the loons, and today I saddled up with daddo up at Outback Ranch near Brainerd for a little brokeback mountin' on the trails of Pillsbury State Park. My horse was actually a mule. Its name is Red Stripe. Yep, named after a Jamaican beer. Dad was on a real horse, but his kept farting. Loudly.
This weekend, it's off to the Two Harbors Kayak Festival. I have room in my tent if anyone wants to come with.
