homesick

California, we miss you! Public transportation and sidewalks and Malcolm (sorry Igby, not you) and all of our friends and family, we miss you too! That Girls/Cass McCombs show at the Great American, we really missed you! Vietnamese sandwiches and Herbivore's fake chicken! The ability to wear contact lenses without our eyes becoming insanely red!

What do contact lenses have to do with California, you ask? WELL. Since one week after arriving in Indianapolis, I've been unable to wear contact lenses (and I've worn contacts all day every day with no problems since I was 12). My eyes get really red and bloodshot and emit a strange goo. I saw an optometrist twice, and he said everything looked okay and gave me some different lenses to try, but nothing worked. Internet research revealed that it could be the result of a "change in environment" (allergies to pollen, water, etc) or it could be a "normal resistance to contact lenses experienced by women over 30" (I do qualify for this category albeit by the slimmest of margins). But then Dan started noticing the exact same symptoms. WTF? We're both stuck wearing our glasses all the time, which is kind of a pain. My personal theory is to blame the midwestern water, which tastes and feels and smells really quite strange -- much worse than tap water from other places I've lived, including LA and NYC. Either that or our eyes are allergic to the feeling of being relaxed and inspired? Anybody have any experiences or information about this problem?

Anyway. For contacts and many other things, we're getting really homesick. Luckily some heroic visitors have come to alleviate the pain. My dad spontaneously bought a ticket on Priceline last week and arrived less than two days later. We let it be a surprise for Grandma (she dropped two handfuls of silverware when he walked into the kitchen). Then we took some time off to try new restaurants with him, drink some delicious Dad-approved beer, and watch the World Series (and by "watch" I mean play Rock Band and pinball at Pat's while the game played on another TV upstairs). And this week, starting Thursday, Rachel and Christian are coming! Um YAY.

In other news, we've decided to delete the Tuscon portion from our trip. I have to be back in CA a bit earlier than anticipated because of a work presentation, plus our Christmas party date is creeping up earlier -- there just wasn't going to be much time in AZ to make the change of location worthwhile. Plus, we've settled in here so nicely; water aside, we're really enjoying it here. It seems to make more sense to stay put, keep our momentum going, and then drive straight across the country home in December.

I haven't been taking many pictures but here's Pat's cat lounging on his pinball machine and an autographed copy of Ted Nugent's World Bowhunters Magazine, Issue #1, spotted at a flea market.