briefs. "tired of myself, tired of this town..."/so I awake at dawn and take a sunrise walk to the bus depot/slow ride to Logan/stand-by early morning flight to DFW/back-row aisle seat next to the toilets/early arrival, wait on the tarmac/Starbucks "frappachini" with Gran (banana cream and strawberry; playing catch with life; work; Assemblies of God; money; future thoughts/back to DFW to pick up Grandaddy/empty suitcases and Mexican Inn (#1)/Home with the Grandparents then Mom then Ben!/Ben and I visiting Sis at the mall; listening to Ben's CD!/Mint chocolate chip ice cream/errands with Mom/new tennis shoes/outdoor furniture shopping/Sarah's pre-graduation robing ceremony/bad high school talent show (redeeming quality a near perfection version of Gershwin's 'Summertime')/too much talk of gay high school kids/in fact there's just too many gay high school kids/late night dinner at Chilli's/smarty-pants Grandfather confusing a stressed waitress/everyone having a good laugh, with the waitress/morning conversations with another pair of grandparents (DaVinci; Sunday school; family catch-up)/lunch with Dad and his co-workers ("Veer-mont?" and beautiful red-state prayers)/cancelled plans; re-scheduling with Dad/playing catch with Grandaddy in the backyard/Sarah's graduation (lame speaker; again with the gay high school kids, simple; swift ceremony--34 graduates; 'flamboyant' performances; unnecessary tears from 9th grade girls; awkward family moments--too many to count, an unfortunate product of divorce, but hopefully the last one for a while; stolen pizza) at a sad church/ post-graduation desert, more family catch-up (Ivy-league bound cousin?) and goofy, awkward family talks (unfortunate product of...something else)/Saturday and my birthday (cash, gift certificates, new music {Paul Simon: Surprise=A+; Waylon Jennings live from Austin City Limits=A} and a little thing here, a little thing there) followed later in the day by food/great phone call from Rob/Home Cooking: pork chops, salad, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, squash and tomatoes, iced tea, followed by yellow cake with chocolate ice cream! Best meal in months!/progressive rummy/Sunday lunch with Dad (finally a new cell phone); back home, a movie with Mom and the Grandparents (American Dreamz...eh...=B) in an old theater/more mint chocolate chip ice cream; Monday errands with Grandaddy and Sarah; casually driving through new old neighborhoods in Fort Worth, never quite losing our way/Mexican Inn (#2) for the last time in a while/back home, quick round of dominoes (penny-line, with Austrian currency instead of a Lincoln) before departing for the airport/leaving home once again, listening to Sarah's 18th birthday mixed CD I gave her; laughing it up as we drive to the airport/kicked off plane b/c I came in stand-by, squeezed back in on a window seat/boarded and seated, weather radar malfunction and everyone forced to de-board while they found another plane/boarded again, same seats, new plane, an hour later/lady next to me playing Jackson Browne too loud on her I-Pod...and I couldn't have been happier to listen along/then we both caught each other listening to the kids behind us making us laugh with their observations; awkward Josh spills his cold ice water on his crotch, making for a rather enjoyable 3 hour flight back to Boston; constantly checking watch & the bus schedule in between zoning out, trying to see what my seat-mate was listening to while semi-paying attention to my own music (Wallflowers) and trying not to see what the guy next to her was watching on his laptop...in other words, just being nosy, me with my cold, wet pants/touch-down at 11:14, last bus to Providence leaving at 11:30, and me with checked baggage; feared I'd be sleeping in the airport/pick up bag at 11:27, make it outside just in time for the bus to arrive/last bus to Providence, arrive back at 1:00/ 20 minute walk home with heavy bags and humid temperatures/time spent worrying about being mugged and trying to figure out why I was so homesick before I left...

and I really don't know how to end this. I was homesick, and I enjoyed being home, but now I'm back in Rhode Island and it will be a long time until I get back to Texas. So here goes, Chapter 24 has begun...and once again I have no idea how this one's gonna end. I'd stay tuned though, this time around I'll try and promise a few more cliffhangers and maybe, if we're lucky, a romantic interest for our hero. She's yet to be cast, though the producers have a few in mind. And awaaaaaayyyyyy we go!

  ¶ 5/30/2006 09:02:00 PM