I guess maybe you CAN go home again...

Heading home from Austin - is turning out to be a lot less hectic than the trip there was. Made the Austin airport in good time, and Reeta and I had a couple of giant brisket sandwiches from an airport restaurant called "The Salt Lick". There is nothing in this world that can compare with the taste of authentic Texas brisket, I kid you not. Claire decided she didn't want a sandwich - she got some ice cream. A couple of hours later, in Phoenix, she wanted more ice cream (they had a TCBY there - so Reeta got me a great big chocolate vanilla swirl yogurt - mmmmm). And Claire was acting really crazy. Now, on the way to Portland, she's crashing on the plane. Despite a small delay in Phoenix (our plane was late getting up to the terminal for reasons unknown), we're making good time back to good ol' OR.

Reeta and I had a great time in Texas. I got to get acquainted with an adorable little nephew - Nicolas. We got to eat a ton of great food, complements of Reeta's grandparents, and Reeta herself (far from being a slouch in the kitchen, Reeta's cooking is legendary in the family) made fajitas one night with some left over roast beef. Also grilled onions and peppers, guac, sour cream, all kinds of great cheeses, etc. Yum.

Now to find out what's happened at the apartment complex while we've been gone. New windows are up in our apartment, my wireless network beckons with the promise of new episodes of Samurai 7 and Naruto. (I can't for the life of me figure out why that isn't licensed - the manga and the anime are both incredibly well done).

Finally, a bit of good news. As I was able to access a wireless network from where we were staying (I never did get over to the neighbors to discuss wireless security issues with them - I'm glad I'm running a 128-bit encryption at home), I got an e-mail from the school registrar this morning, telling me that I got in to the CIS class for Spring semester. Why is this important, you ask? Because CIS means that I will get experience working with local businesses. It'll be good for a resume, it'll get my feet wet in the industry, and some people have actually been hired by the companies that they work for. I had to interview with the professor and submit a resume and everything. I thought I would hear something by the end of last week, before we left for Texas, and when I hadn't heard anything, I was sure I hadn't gotten in. I was so happy today to hear that - it really gave me a sense that everything is going to be all right - school, life, it's going to work out. And that's something I'll admit I've had my doubts about in the past. Decent grades over the summer, exciting new semester, things are looking good.