• Traveling for the sake of convenience is usually inconvenient. Life is a series of waits measured by uncomfortable chairs. Four hours by car, Three hour airport wait Flight delay, five hour airport wait, One hour wait at the gate, eight hour flight, Twenty minute ride to hotel. All to crawl in a strange bed for a two hour nap.

• Alarm, shower, dress. Explore Pub crawl. Ten years? Nostalgic longing for glory days, my glory days. Strong cider with real fish and chips.

• Walking along the river in short sleeves, temperature mid sixties, and the locals are bundled in wool jackets and track suits. Are the they wimps, or have I spent too much time living under the humid heat cloaking the southeast?

• Christ, traffic is coming from the opposite direction. Must look right. Adapt or perish.

• Crawl back in strange bed, and nuzzle against a familiar warm body.

• Wake up, check watch, 9:30. Wrong time zone. AM or PM for fuck’s sake? Add five hours or subtract? It’s either 4:30AM or 2:30AM. Why can’t I calculate basic travel math? Consumption or jet lag? Jet lag. Can’t sleep. Too scared of oversleeping.

• Fall asleep minutes before the alarm. Shower, dress, pack, passport, check. Meet the shuttle.

• Soundtrack keeps playing in my head. I hear this and this. Odd, these artists have nothing in common. I hear them in my dreams, Light airy sleep almost not sleep at all. Dozing in strange places, hotel, car, airplane. Hurried dreams. Sleep or trance?

• Say goodbye at the airport, he goes his way and I go mine. We’ll meet at home, Saturday. Diplomatic hoop jumping (security, customs, immigration). Board plane and pass time drawing, reading and dreaming. Hazy dreams, more soundtracks.

• Bad weather, holding pattern. Late arrival. Sprint through customs hoping to make my connection. Delayed by two officials who are perplexed by my traveling 8,000 miles with only a backpack and a sling bag. Second flight delayed. Passenger at the gate smells like fresh grass clippings. Small irritable children are placated by tired parents. I get on by the skin of my teeth because of weight/balance/weather issues.

• Last leg home, and I’m trapped in a tiny aluminum tube with a flight attendant, who just needs someone to smile and nod. I’m too tired to be engaged, but I play along because everyone needs someone to listen.

• Can hardly wait to brush my teeth.

• Scoop litterbox, check mail, cancel cat sitter, and clean fish pond. Life returns to normal. Nerve wracking, but worth it. Jet lag over 2AM, 3 days later, maybe tomorrow.