Back on the Scene...

I must be back. This morning I received a phone call from Bill Clinton. It wasn't a welcome back call; he was asking me to join him for a Hillary rally tonight at UPENN's Palestra. I wanted to tell him that the Palestra court is actually one of the few college courts that are longer (by 10 feet) than all regulation basketball courts. But I guess he was too busy to respond. My love to Chelsea.

My flight home was quite unique. It was one of the few public flights that actually goes over the North Pole. Instead of flying latitudially, the direct 17 hour flight went the longitudial route. We went due north over China, Mongolia, Russia, Antartica, & over the otherside & down Canada. No signs of Santa. But I did enjoy the scenes while Thai Airways pumped the new Radiohead (at least new to me!) into my headphones.
Arriving into JFK, I definitely was overcome by smallness. Physically, we were bigger than the Thai people and we were "looked up to" as being foreigners - de facto. NYC dwarfed me & I instantly noticed the melting pot mood while traveling on the bus to Penn Station . The guy who collected my money was Jamaican, the bus driver was Greek, the parents with their twin hijos sitting behind me were Hispanic, and the French newlyweds sitting in front of me were visiting America for the first time. And talk about feeling small, many of the major arteries around Queens and Manhattan were sealed off for one man - the Pope!

From Big Mango to Big Apple

I finally pulled into Wilmington and was greeted by my parents. I exclaimed, "Wilmington - A Place to Be Somebody!" At that time, a guy hobbled over to me and shouted, "Wilmington - A Place to Get Shot!" and proceeded to point to a bandaged gun shot wound on his leg. Sheesh, welcome to the jungle. The area looked the same, except for a few more Mexican shops and signs dotting Maryland Avenue. I was very impressed with the Extreme Home Makeover performed on my bedroom. It is very classy and feels like I am staying in a Doubletree Hotel. It is strange brushing my teeth with water from the tap, driving my car on the right side of the road, and seeing everyone I know. My road-dog Chris managed to totally pimp out his basement AND buy his girl a rock. My Grandmom has several "chores" for me to work on now that I'm back. And my Mom took my Dad and I for 10 bucks in Hold 'em!

Sunrise over Finger Lakes

Stay gold Poney-boy.