I want another First Kiss...

I have a strange perception of flying as a mode of transportation. I mean, it's not that I don't like flying, it's kind of fun, and taking off is always a bit exciting and roller-coaster like...then you get into the air and realize it's absolutely nothing like a roller coaster, so it's a bit boring and uncomfortable. I suppose my level of excitement didn't help. It was like Christmas back when I was 8; I'd never been so excited.

Needless to say, my visit with Carleton was beyond awesome. We played video games, watched cartoons, and spent a significant amount of time lazing about and doing nothing. He showed me around UConn, and I got to see Ali and Scott from the summer, and all was well and pretty.

His home in Westbrook was very nice and pretty, and his family was lovely. We had hot pot for dinner, which was totally awesome (hot pot is this tasty asian make-it-at-your-table dish that's vaguely like fondu, only not really, and involves extraneous skills--like custom sauce-mixing and basket-weaving. Beyond awesome).

While we were eating, we discovered an inch-worm-like bug on the vegetables, and I offered Carleton $5 to eat it, and he offered me 6, and I went up to 7, expecting the bidding to skyrocket, when he plucked the thing up with his chopsticks and devoured it whole. I was surprised it only took $7, and felt instantly guilty for ending the life of an innocent buggy through such a bet. Eh, a bird or cat would have eaten it eventually, I suppose.

Anyhow, my stay there included marveling at the computery-ness of his home, and we also went to the shore (showing me that New England does have some redeeming qualities, healing the wounds of homesickness that showed up at the end of the summer).

Leaving was, by default, a bit sad, but not terribly so. We fell quickly back into our normal pattern of communication as soon as I got home, and are already planning the next visit. Hooray! Even though I missed the visit, arriving back in Kentucky was comforting. My understanding of my connection to my home is growing more and more lately.

Conclusion: I learned a lot this fall break.