Tonight I had meat for the first time in over 3 months. I was saving it for a dish worthy of this momentous occasion (yes I may have an inflated sense of the importance of my diet), and Golden Rule BBQ in Alabama fit the ticket. Beef brisket and ribs were the firt morsels of animal flesh to pass my lips, and I have to admit they were damn delicious. That being said, my tummy aches right now, and I suspect the introduction of meat has something to do with it. I'm going to go back to veg for the next week or more to give myself time to recover.
A lot of people have asked me what my homecoming was like. The answer is: surprising. You all know I had been worried about whether Tiki would remember me. Thankfully, she did. I had assumed that Addie would remember me since we've skyped during my time away, but she was very shy and hesitant to give me a hug even! I suppose it's just a phase she's going through, so I shouldn't take it personally. I just have to keep spending time with her and eventually she'll accept me as part of her inner circle. This girl is a tough nut to crack - though ive never been one to shy away from a challenge.
My reunion with Tiki was magical. She came to the door when I entered Jen's apartment, expecting me to be just some random visitor. When she realized it was me, she started doing her personal "happy dance" then bowed her head in submission to me and then jumped up onto me and started licking my face.
People who aren't dog lovers can't possibly understand the feeling of joy you get from receiving pure adoration from our dog, but I'm one of the lucky ones to know what that feels like. Howie gave me a similarly heartwarming greeting. He actually cried when he saw me! He only does this for a handful of people - dad, Jayma and me really.
As I was packing for Alabama this morning, tiki started giving me the stink eye - she clearly was worried I was going to leave her again. She even climbed int my suitcase at one point as if to say "don't you dare leave me behind." I calmly explained to her that she was coming with me to Alabama, and so she calmed down a bit and eventually came out of the suitcase. For all you doubting thomases out there who think I'm crazy for talking to my dog like a person, these are the anecdotes that make me think she understands more than we give her credit for. I still may be crazy, but that doesn't change the fact that I may be right too!
It was inevitable, I suppose, that I would have forgotten to take care of something before I left for India. I had people collecting my mail and driving my car to keep the battery from dying. I had paid all my bills and automated payment for future ones, taken out the trash and cleaned out my fridge. All set, right? Well, I forgot to ask Jayma to water the one plant in my apartment. Poor thing - it was looking pretty pathetic when I came home. It's tough though - at least it's still alive!
Meanwhile, in India, the rain have been pouring down. Seriously - the flooding has been bad, at least from the photos my friends have sent me. I may miss the city and the people, but I don't miss the rains. I stepped in a puddle today in Chicago while I was walking tiki, and at first my reaction was "ewww gross" and then I realized that I'm in a city where still puddles of water aren't filled with sewage and trash - a puddle is just a puddle. Phew - that's nice.
I have a question for the group of loyal readers out there - I've been asked to write a post for an open source travel blog that a friend of a friend had started. What topic from my time in India do you think I should cover? Please make suggestions!!!
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