America is awesome

After a relaxing 11 days back in "the colony", as people here like to call it, I'm back in London realizing that I didn't know how much I missed being at home until I was back there.  Don't get me wrong, I still am in it to win it with this whole London thing, but nothing will ever be a substitute for home.  

I landed on the 21st back in DC.  After 8 hours on the plane and 2 hours in baggage claim (they couldn't get the luggage door open), I hopped in the car with John and Evan and was off to Trisha's, my home away from home.  That night, after pounding several red bulls, I was greeted by all my friends at Trisha's (with a very rowdie dance party and sing along) and then at Bobby Lew's.  Sunday consisted of Love Actually on tv and a nice nap, and then Monday I was off to Bethesda and AFP to tie up some loose ends and then hop on Amtrak back to Jersey. 

Being home home was great.  I got to lounge around, hang out with my family and see my extended family as well.  Liz and I got to experience the life of a suburban mom running errands all week (Liz had to go everywhere I went since her car is the only one left out of the three of us).  It was just really nice to have all 5 of us under one roof again (and - added bonus - since I got home before Mike did, he got the couch this time!).  Christmas Eve and Christmas were both a bit insane, but any time you gather extended family together it tends to be a bit crazy, right?  I think by day 5 I started to revert back to myself from high school, whining and getting unnecessarily annoyed, then driving off to Neha's for a little break.  I guess that happens to everyone though.  Before I knew it I was back to DC for new years.  

I stayed with Trisha again which was lovely.  I got to run errands for her, do the dishes, take out the garbage, whatever I could do to say "thanks for letting me crash on your couch!".  The next day Molly drove down which was a lot of fun.  Finally New Year's Eve came and we celebrated in style.  Our party was crashed by about 10 22 year olds and the shortest girl I've ever seen in my life.  They were about 3 hours of drinking drunker than we were so we just laughed and laughed and enjoyed the entertainment.  After some beer pong, flip cup, and the ball dropping, we headed out to the Blaguard for a little change in scenery.  Susan and I managed to create a dance floor where there is normally none, many girls followed suit, and the good times continued.  Trisha had to peace out a bit early when she found out one of her friends cut his hand open on a fence, but surprisingly Molly and I managed to find a cab to take us home (yes, Trisha only lives about 3 blocks from the bar but my feet really hurt and it was BRUTALLY cold out).  Molly and I, the girl who's cab it was originally, and Arlington and his fiance (they forced their way in the cab promising to pay $50 to the cabbie.  Once we realized his fiance was crying because she was so cold, we thought we could let them in.  We all sang along to Beyonce's single ladies, consulting with Arlington for advice on boys, and before you know it, our three blocks were up!) all had a very nice time together.  

The next day we headed to brunch (although I don't know if its called brunch if it takes place from 2-4) at Front Page, where we made friends with the waiter for the table next to ours, gave him girl advice, and in return he gave us free mimosas.  Then we headed over to Cap Hill to meet up with Meg, Mike, Todd and Kirsten for a few more drinks.  Finally at 6:30 pm I said my goodbyes and Trisha, Molly and I headed back to Trisha's.  I finished packing, called a cab, and headed on my way to Dulles.  It wasn't until I was sitting on the plane that I realized I had packed my work permit, but I managed to avoid an international incident at immigration by getting my luggage while the immigration officer held my passport captive.  Finally I was in a cab back to my flat.  I slept most of Friday, and Saturday after waking up at 1pm I didn't do much besides grocery shopping.  I headed to Tam and James' house for a regifting party on Saturday night, and slept til 1 pm again on Sunday.  

Overall I would say it was a VERY successful trip home.  I got to see almost everyone I wanted to (at least for a little bit), got to catch up on all the fun things going on in DC, and even got some tips on improving my blog (Pete, I've tried to add a little more sentence structure just for you).  I'm definitely feeling a little homesick after being in DC and Jersey for so long, but Trever arrives tonight so I think her visit will help transition me back in to the world of London.   

Oh man I just had a minor panic attack.  So basically our office is really ghetto and its very poorly heated and insulated.  We have about 3 space heaters that we use to help keep our circulation going throughout the day.  Well every once in a while if we have all three of them on we blow a fuse and all of the computers shut down.  Thank goodness for auto save.  Its going to be a long winter.