Nerd Journal: There's No Place Like Home

I'm BACK HOME! (Cue the ticker tape parade.)

I've successfully fled from campus, gotten on a plane, and sped home to my warm native climes while unrepentantly leaving a trail of enough pollution and carbon in my wake to make the polar bears weep. I landed at the airport, where the wails of Gaia were drowned out by my shriek of delight at the gigantic Sonic Route 44 Cherry Limeade (easy ice) that the Cinema-Mad Sibling had for me. Yes!

I had one small snafu, though, with getting my luggage. My bags weren't on the luggage carousel, so I had to hunt down an airline representative. Eventually she found my bags, and she commented as she picked one up, "Wow, this is really heavy! What do you have in here? Bricks?"

"Books," I grinned. It's a sad fact that I can't go anywhere without having to bring research along. Well, I'll be away from Nerdworld for a good long while, so I guess lugging a few tomes around is a small price to pay for fleeing campus.

I don't have any ruby slippers, a yellow brick road, or a little dog like Toto, but if Nerdworld is "over the rainbow," then I'm glad to be home. There's no place like home!

And there's no friend like an old friend. It's been a huge, rousing welcome home, starting with a big late-night round of friends at Satan Coffee to the sounds of the Ramones ("I Wanna Be Sedated" -- all too appropriate, since I'm utterly excited to be back. I probably do need to be sedated!).

Then yesterday was kick-started by La Parisienne and me having an indulgent pampering with spa pedicures (we both chose sassy red nail polish -- the summer sandal season is HERE!). Add a little shopping (there's that big sale at Bath and Body Works) , followed by a lunch of salad -- oh, weren't we being health-conscious and VIRTUOUS, having salad! Well, that didn't last long. By mid-afternoon, we had totally fallen off the wagon -- La Parisienne went for cheese fries and I had a chili cheese hot dog and tater tots. Mmmmmm, yeah. Bad dietary choices never tasted so good.

Then it was off to the movies (with Il Barista/Coffee Pot Dictator and the Cine-Sibling, naturally). I won't bother you with details of popcorn fun, but I might amuse you with this delightfully two-edged line from our post-movie discussion: "I want Tony Stark's equipment." (La Parisienne and I looked at each other and laughed.)

Then last night, I had a chance to hang out with some of my nearest and dearest as we embraced gluttony and each other at our favorite Olive Garden. Who was there? Well, of course, the Sibling, sitting next to me as we kept stealing from each other's plates. The Coffee Pot Dictator and the lovely La Parisienne were there. I've finally decided to be cruel and saddle some other buddies with blog names: The lovely Ladybird was there with her husband, and Foxtrot had driven in the farthest for the occasion. The only one missing was Alessandra d'Ambrosio, but she'll be around later. You know, we're all grownups and professionals now, but somehow when we're all together, the years simply melt away. It could have been us at Olive Garden last night -- or it could as easily have been all of us in college, hanging out over cheesecake and coffee at 2 AM, talking about classes and life while wondering what the future held and 30 seemed untold centuries away.

So here I am this morning, tired but happy, listening to AC/DC's "Back in Black" (that's in your honor, La Parisienne) and the Ramones' "I Don't Want to Grow Up" while drowning myself in coffee -- and fending off my mother, who keeps trying to feed me. Nerdworld, campus, research, and books all seem very, very far away. Come tomorrow I'll be back reading articles, but at least I'll be doing that while I'm not on campus and in constant fear of being set upon by other nerds and superiors.

Oh, it's good to escape from campus. Watch out, world, Minerva's off the leash!

UPDATE: You may be amused to know that the Coffee Pot Dictator and La Parisienne said they knew I was back in town because they had "sensed a great disturbance in the Force." Meanwhile, the Opera Diva told me plainly, "You are a spirit of chaos. Wherever you go, carnival follows." Hey, I'll take that as a grand compliment!