I faced a little more drama than usual on my annual Christmas trip home. First of all, the famous “Mayan End of the World” countdown came to a heads the day before I hopped on a plane. Since the world didn’t come to end, as I knew it wouldn’t, I finished up my Christmas shopping at a very reasonable price.
For some reason, my plane was delayed by two hours. The weather in Austin was a perfectly balmy day, but I think the conditions where the plane was coming from was the problem. Nonetheless, the flight back home was uneventful, given the delay and all the babies on board.
Much to my surprise, Virgina was not as cold as I’d anticipated. Since it’s so dry, the drop in temperature was not as dramatic as it would have been in moisture-rich Austin. So much of my enjoyment of my visit back home has to do with just simple physical comfort. I’ve not had much use for a heavy winter’s jacket since I left Egypt in 2003; so I rely on lots of layers.
One side benefit of traveling is catching up on my reading. Fellow prolific poets have given me their makeshift poetry books to read and they’ve been sitting on my desk at home. Now, I’m slowly making my way through them. There are several writing projects and a powerpoint that I’m also putting together…I will love the day when I can fulfill my full-time artist fantasy.
Saving the best for last, my parents, other sister and nephew have finally arrived and we all went out to dinner. Now we’re going to relish lots of food, conversation and laughing…the real gifts.