I am back from my visit to California. 

I did not post any blogs since posting of my accident last Saturday.  I chose not to for a couple reasons.

Primarily the accident took a slightly larger toll on me than I first thought, though I still count myself incredibly lucky to have escaped serious injury.  I decided to rest and ensure that upon my return to work today I would be in as good of shape as possible.  I nearly succeeded.  I still have a sprained wrist that plagues my otherwise meager typing skills.  I also have some late blooming bruises on my hips and legs that make sitting slightly unpleasant.

But again, I am incredibly fortunate and I will bear those aches with good nature.

I also had a couple of unpleasant experiences that required me to take some personal reflection time so as to process some harsh truths.

They say you cannot go home, and they are right.  I traveled to my childhood home, and found that so much had changed that it no longer felt like home.  Not all mind you, there were constant glimpses of familiarity, but at the same time, I was shocked at some of the radical changes.

I have been back before so this is not a total shock, but each successive visit draws me farther away. 

It makes me sad in one respect, as my memories of that era are very happy for the most part. 

But the world turns on despite our wishes, and the quiet tree lined neighborhood is no more.  Heck, even the trees are almost all gone.  My childhood home was so changed I am almost sorry to have seen it. 

On the plus side, I had some very happy experiences while gone.  I met up with several dear friends from my youth, one of which I had not seen in many years.  My friends rock, simply put.  Thanks to all of you for making this visit so incredibly special.  I loved sharing life stories and seeing how you are all doing. 

And my day with my aunt and cousin was also an incredibly fulfilling experience, not just for me, but for my daughter who got a taste of why our family is so important to me.  Pictures will be posted later.

And my daughter also spent some really good quality time with my mom and my sister, something they all needed.

So despite starting the trip with an exhibition of gross stupidity, it turned out to be one of the most satisfying trips ever.

My daughter, I discivered, is also the perfect travel companion.

This time out was very much needed as this year continues to shape up to be one of the most tumultuous in my life.

My trip enabled me to refresh my spirit and prepare to meet the challenges ahead.

And challenges await, not only at home and at work, but in my writing, such as fighting the freedom of speech suppression in the resurging fairness act, in dealing with the growth of US socialism represented by the faux stimulus bill, and in just trying to maintain a focus on current events without sinking into despair.

Change really has come to Amerika.  God help us.

2009 will be an interesting year, and now, I am a bit more ready to face it.

Thanks for staying tuned.  There is much more to come.

LSU

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