When I arrived at my sister’s, secret codename: Cordelia’s, house early last week, I very nearly kissed her on both cheeks.

When I arrived at my own door late last week and pulled out my keyring, for a moment I couldn’t remember which key was the one that opened my door. I thought to myself, This is ridiculous, I’ve only been gone a month. Get with the program! –But I think it’s more than the time away. It’s having been to so many places, all so different from each other; it’s learning how to say hello and please and thank you in so many languages; it’s meeting and growing to like so many people; it’s a series of extreme experiences.

I’m HOME. I managed to do a lot of writing while I was away. My orchids are thriving. My house is a bit dusty. My city is beautiful. My TiVo worked like a champ while I was gone but the three episodes of Chuck it recorded disappointed me. I need to do some food shopping. There were boxes of foreign editions waiting for me upon my return. I’m wearing my pjs. I’m eating European chocolate. I’ve signed up for my next trapeze class. I’m drowning in mail, email, voicemail, and other tasky items, but Bitterblue is my #1 priority. I have five weeks to write before I return to Europe (France this time). I miss my nieces. It’s cold and rainy. I have so much processing to do that I may be a bit scattered for a while. For example, this paragraph.

Here’s some randomness for a Sunday:

Two comics I saw recently and loved: an xkcd about one of my favorite language (mis)usages, and a Kate Beacon comic for Brontë readers. (H/t Amanda for the Brontë one!)

Do you know about the Guys Lit Wire book fair, which is growing the school libraries of Navajo and Apache teens in Cuba, New Mexico and Whiteriver, Arizona, respectively? If you’re willing and able, please consider purchasing a book from either school’s wish list. Follow the link for more information and instructions. The event runs through Wednesday the 24th (3 days from now).

That’s all. I hope to return to my usual Monday/Thursday blogging schedule once things settle down.