In between

Right now, I feel like I don’t belong anywhere.  Batgirl begs to differ, because in her Chihuahua-sized brain, my sole existence at the moment is to rub her tummy. But in the world of the two-legged mammals, I feel like I’m marking time, biding my time between Guangzhou and Istanbul.

Guangzhou seems so far away and Istanbul seems like it’s on some distance horizon that might never get here. It’s really weird, especially for Guangzhou. It’s as far away as Peace Corps, even though it was barely a month ago that I left.

And Istanbul seems like it will never arrive. I think being off office email is part of that; I am so out of the loop it’s not funny. But I did get my housing, so that made it seem a little bit more real.

The housing is within walking distance from work, which is what I hoped for. I had no idea what it would be like, but by the information I got it seems nice. Second floor, overlooks the outdoor pool and has three bedrooms.  The complex also has an indoor pool, racquetball and basketball courts and a little gym. So it looks nice.

It’s a ways away from the metro, but I knew it’d either be close to work or close to downtown, and I opted for the one I knew I’d spend more time at. Let’s face it, I’m a homebody. I think I’ll be good with it.

So in the mean time, I’m hanging here and doing a bunch of yard work in between visits with friends. I’ve spent time in the yard every day I am home long enough to get any work done, which is most days. Today I was out there from about 8:30 to 11 and came close to finishing off one project. Another day, I had 13 piles of leaves burning at one shot, and that was just a mere corner of the yard.

I took a day off and helped Leila clear out a part of her yard. Basically I razed a raised garden that had been abandoned for a couple of years. She and Riley are busy planting today, I think.

Tomorrow the plan is to hang out with Leanne and James and see “The Jungle Book” for his birthday. I’m not sure of the details. Tuesday I’m driving Zippy to a softball tournament.

Thanks to Florida Law Weekly, I went to all three of FSU’s games against Bowling Green, which was cool. The Noles won all three, and since they scored 10 runs in the middle game, we got coupons for free Chic-Fil-A.

Food is a HUGE part home leave, and I’ve officially gained over 10 pounds while here. Dang. But I’ve eaten at Hopkins three times, Wahoo, Seinyard, OneFresh Stir Fry and lots of other places. For the most part, we’ve been out to lunch at least once a day since I got here.

There are few exceptions to that, but yesterday was one. I was able to get into the kitchen and made some really good lentil soup.  I miss cooking.

I guess it’s a good home leave. I’m tired of doctors’ appointments, for sure. I’ve had 12 in the first 10 working days and start the week with another. So tired of copays!