Settling in at Headquaters

It's been two weeks to the day since returning to Seattle.  My initial thoughts are that things are, for the most part, excellent.  Most of my actual concerns and worries now have to do with financial stuff.  Strange that after goofing off for the better part of four months that I'd start to have to worry about money.  But there it is.

Last night was the first night spent in the new Expedition Headquarters.  Every piece of the Inventory was glad to end the ceaseless wanderings and to land in a permanent location.  The gang received various awards and commendations for valor and sturdiness.  We held a memorial service for our various fallen comrades (the Brown Bandanna, the Classic Cycle Water Bottles and all the others left behind by an absent-minded Trip Leader) with the ceremonial pouring of the 40 ounce Olde English Malt Liquor.  After interminable speeches and teary reminisces, we fell asleep on the pergo floor since those members of the Inventory who weren't lucky enough to head to Europe with us are still tapping their toes in a storage facility in Poulsbo.

Internet still isn't hooked up at HQ, so this morning I'm firmly ensconced in the corporatist womb of a Ballard Starbucks, nursing a horrible coffee and grabbing their free wi-fi.

My new sidekick, Morty the Dog Wonder, comes home on Sunday evening.  He's a beagle/dachshund who charms the pants of everybody he sees, but still manages to maintain an James Dean-esque aloofness.  Here's a shot of Morty with my niece:

Cute, huh?

Seattle is Nice, So I'll Say It Twice...

I've been back for about 4 days now, and events have come fast and furious from the moment Air Canada delivered me and the Chump Steamroller back on American soil.  As with the days previous to leaving back in May, I'm staying with my sister and her family, which makes a nice pair of bookends on the Expedition. Rental housing, social engagements, car maintenance...lots to do, and all of it good.

I've been asked a lot "how my trip was", and find that there's no set of adjectives that really describes what happened. I've settled on saying that it was simply an epic adventure (which is true), then launch into descriptions of German breakfast food, or some other entertaining detail.

Mostly, though, what happened on my long ride is a private affair, with repercussions that haven't quite made themselves known yet. One effect is that Seattle seems smaller than before, much more provincial and homogeneous; on top of that I love this town more than ever. It's truly a great place in this world, on par with anything experienced in these heady 3 months.

footnote: first person to tell me what sitcom the title of this post comes from wins a cocktail.

In Praise of Hairiness

"This, then, is the mark of man, the beard...It is therefore unholy to desecrate the symbol of manhood, hairiness." -- St. Clement of Alexandria, 271 A.D.