Back in the U.S.S.A.

I made a recent trip back home to San Fran and Denver. A family intestinal bug hand blown through Clay, Estin and Mary a few nights before I was to leave. Mary did an 8pm to 6 am shift in the bathroom. Meanwhile Estin was spectacularly sick and could not find his paper bag--lurvely. This was a heinous bug, a norovirus that shut down two wings of the hospital after I left. But I (puffing out chest), I didn't get sick. I was strong like bull, I was impervious, I was the man. I became one with the toilet two nights later. The night before my 20 hr travel day. In the morning I dragged myself to the doc, and then enriched the pharmacist by purchasing fever-reducer, vomit-preventer, re-hydrator, a chemical bung for the bum (Immodium) and on and on. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck, was completely dehydrated and you can't bring a damn drop of water onto a plane anymore. I also wondered how my fellow passengers would enjoy sharing the travel with me. Fortunately I had stopovers on Christchurch and Auckland, and was able to drink increasing quantities of water on these stopovers. By the time we left Auckland I was rehydrated at least, but oops I overshot it a little on the drinking, much to the delight of the poor guy who had to keep getting out of his aisle seat next to me. Anyhow, all was well in the end because, as the Beatles put it, I was "back in the U.S.S.A":

Oh, Flew in from Miami Beach B.O.A.C.
Didn't get to bed last night
On the way the paper bag was on my knee
Man, I had a dreadful flight
I'm back in the USSR
You don't know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the USSR, yeah


So, yeah. Dreadful flight, paper bag, back in the U.S.S.A.--Paul McCartney had a fair go at describing my own trip of 40 years later.

Been away so long I hardly knew the place
Gee, it's good to be back home
Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case
Honey disconnect the phone
I'm back in the USSR
You don't know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the US
Back in the US
Back in the USSR

Was I ever glad to be home. It had been 1.5 years. Mom and Dad provided a nice landing pad where I could rest a bit, and we had a great time for a cupla days just relaxing really. And then it was on to Boulder for Demi and Jeff's wedding, visit with Mary's brother and our nephew, some work (showing off Glotec's new device and getting feedback on it's potential uses), visits with work colleagues and some, but not nearly enough of, the local friends, and a leetle bit of skiing. I'd wondered whether Colorado would feel like a foreign place, but It was comfortable to return and felt like home. Returning to Dunedin, I also felt like coming back home. Two homes, how about that?