We're home

We're home. I drove from San Diego to Las Vegas on Thursday, and Dom drove the rest of the way on Friday. It's not a fair division of mileage, but I hate driving and I get really sore and cranky after 3 or 4 hours and Dom can drive 12 hours without feeling fatigued (or so he says, anyway). I was totally exhausted on Friday, too. I was going to drive for a few hours in the middle of the trip, but I got a really bad headache and I fell asleep, so Dom just kept driving.

We didn't do anything in Vegas either, no connecting with friends, no gabmling, not stopping in to see what was happening at TAM5. We got there, ate dinner, and went to bed. I fell asleep at 8:30 and slept for 11 hours. We stayed in the AmeriSuites hotel off the strip. It's a business hotel with the only free wi-fi in Vegas, and it has no casino. Our original trip plans included staying in Vegas for the weekend to do all of the aforementioned things, but I'm glad we shortened the trip. Not just to save a few bucks toward our trip to Europe this summer, but because we were too tired and we would not have enjoyed ourselves. As it is, we get to do nothing for most of this weekend.

The funny thing about this trip is that I felt like I was coming home going in both directions. The feeling was a little stronger driving into San Diego, but the same sense of belonging hit me as we drove into Colorado and after we came over the mountans and started down into the populated Front Range area. I still would have stayed in SD for 10 years again on this visit if there were any financial possiblity of doing so. Not at this time, not if I want to maintain the lifestyle I've created, not if I want to continue to pursue a career as a writer without getting a full-time day job. I do love my house, too. It's not so fancy, but it suits my needs just fine and I still couldn't afford anything bigger than a condo in California.

We had a great trip, both the TNNA part and the vacation part, but it was more exhausting than our typical travels. Dom and I usually veg out in the evenings when we travel, and I do the same when I travel to teach. But on this trip, I worked or we did tourist stuff all day, and then we got together with friends at night. So it was a double shot and a double drain of energy!

I can't believe we haven't really been in touch with our friends from San Diego for almost 9 years. If there's one thing I regret in my life it's that I don't keep in touch with my friends enough. Because I've lived in several places instead of staying put, it seems like I keep leaving friends behind (of course some move away from me and some die, but that's another topic entirely). I guess there's no excuse since it's so easy to keep in touch by email, but somehow weeks, months, and years slip away and I hardly notice. And here we all are with grey hair (although some of us hide it under other colors!). How depressing.

I want to write more about this, but it just makes me feel bad, so I'm going to close out this trip blog and go back to posting about fiber and knitting on my main blog. But one thing's for sure, I won't wait another 9 years to visit San Diego again. TNNA is a fine excuse to make the trip every year.

Don't forget to check out Dom's photo albums. There are the photos from San Diego, plus some of snow here and other stuff.