easy hello

It's 9:30pm now, or so my computer says. It is sunny and feels an odd degree of hot despite an objective 73 degrees with no trace of humidity. The flight was a turbulent one, and though I try to neglect a certain dramatic sense of foreshadowing, apparently I have failed.

The apartment is very clean, smaller than I recall, and hints somewhat of the house I have been reading about in Upton Sinclair's, "The Jungle". (For those who have not yet read the book, the house is one sold as "new" over and over again, all the while creating situations where new owners cannot afford it. The house becomes "new" again with simple repairs and a heavy dose of fresh paint). That book in itself may be shaping my mood somewhat, it being a novel of misfortune great enough to incite depression in its readers.

Paul (brother-in-law) and I arrived on time after about 9 hours of travel, did the apartment paperwork, then hit Target and Safeway for the basics. We stopped for some gourmet Jack In The Box. We learned a few valuable lessons: don't try the sweet and sour sauce, and don't try the sirloin burger. At Safeway, things really turned upwards. I looked down several aisles of wines, mostly local, and found many great bottles from a very wonderful last year of my life. I repurchased Honig Sauv Blanc (honeymoon), Chateau St. Michelle Merlot (graduation dinner at The Capital Grille), and the easy to find Copolla Merlot (dad brought it when he came to visit our apt for the first time).

And now I sit in a mostly empty apartment. All I hear is the hum of the refridgerator, a gentle breeze through the curtains, and the ruinous clacking of my keyboard. And I am beat.

But there is a bottle of wine chilling in the fridge, I have a mostly free day ahead of me tomorrow, I have the security of a great support network, and--slowly but surely--this ride has officially begun.

Perhaps now it's time to change my computer clock to 6:30pm...