How long has it been?

I've been back for some amount of time; we're getting into months now. October is almost gone... so that means... I'm closing in on three months back stateside. Yes, three months in the US, most of it in Bloomington-Normal, some in Chicago, some in Nashville, some in Boise. Here's a select shot from each location, chronologically, from my iPod (conspicuous consumption name drop: check; compulsive need to justify poor quality or pics: check).

Since my last post that wasn't either pictural or poorly-written-poetry-al in nature, I've continued my love affair with baking bread, cookies, and cooking a variety of vegetable-centered dishes that I can make sound fancy by listing the ingredients. I've gotten my new touring bike up and running, but the tubes are giving me a lot of trouble, so I've reverted to the old Schwinn for the time being. My projects: thesis, Tri-County survey and school closures data are all progressing to varying degrees but all smoothly. I got my drinking back under control and experienced MAJOR strides in my mental/emotional/spiritual processing of the past two years. I've seen some old friends, made a few new ones here in Illinois, been to Nashville with my folks for a long weekend, and have a trip planned to Chicago with some Peace Corps buddies. And keep this under your hats, but I've gone on a couple dates. Can you believe it? Before this month, I think I'd gone on all of one or two outings that could be called 'dates' with gals I wasn't already in a relationship with.

I feel good about things. I feel healthier in every sense of the word. I feel more settled. I feel more at peace with how my time in Peace Corps went. I feel happier, smarter, more adjusted, more fun to be around, and just generally BETTER. I'm living the Dream, and loving Life!

Falling and Fallen-

A slender serene black river
rolls solidly north
through twin cities' center.
Enclosed by thick set trees
on either side
who bask in
strong but ever-waning
autumnal sunshine
in the late morning.
Brilliant clear skies
burst fragmentedly between
the canopy's boughs,
sending flashes of blue
streaking overhead.
All the while
a soft flurry of color
floats and freewheels to the ground
as my tires tread lightly
over already fallen leaves.

Normal days

Ah-ha, ah-ha! Get it? 'Normal' days? Right? 'Cause of the town name. Classic. Anyhow... here are some pics from my first night back in Illinois, eating pizza on the floor to just this week when I wrangled a sweet touring bike for seriously cheap. There are photos from around town (Constitution Trail and campus), from my place (coffee mornings, a few meals), and from when my buddies Dave and Brian visited (including Chicago). Hope you enjoy them marginally as much as I enjoyed the moments they sprang from.