Home safe and mostly sound

Yesterday was the longest travel day, or so it seemed. After being gone for one day short of six weeks, I suddenly find myself back in Melbourne. I couldn't sleep, despite it being close to 4am GMT when I arrived back home. My flights out of Philly were all screwed up, though I ended up taking a later flight than I was scheduled to...and one of my bags ended up on the new flight (don't ask me how) and the new flight ended up arriving 30 minutes before the flight I was originally scheduled to arrive on. And my second bag came on that flight...so no real gains either way. My friend Eric came to pick me up, but it took nearly 2 hours to get to the airport (what is normally a 45 minute drive.) He wasn't really late...I got my 2nd bag just as he arrived...but we both forgot about the traffic coming from the Cape after the shuttle launch. Anyway, I drove home in the dark, thinking about my trip and just chatting with Eric about anything and everything. Then I get home and its...well I cant sleep. So I unpack, put clothes ready for the laundry, sort some of the stuff I bought, and then go to sleep about 1:45 am.

I wake up at 6, and tell myself, back to bed, which is where I stayed until about 7:45. Luckily today is a slow day. I've been sorting mail and paying bills, going through an entire box of mail. I have a huge stack of magazines to go through, laundry to do, grocery shopping (which needs to be done sooner than later) and well an assortment of stuff that is small and large. Tomorrow is an all day business day at work, but I may pop in very briefly this morning to turn in grades and drop off a few things for the secretaries who have helped me out while I was gone.

Anyway, this may be it for this blog, but I will post a few more pictues when I can get settled a bit more and have some time to breathe. Probably over the weekend would make sense...

I hope you have enjoyed the blog. I plan on doing the same next year.

Matt

Sorry for the lack updates...

...there really hasn't been much to say since last week. The last four days were spent with exams and prework around exams. I will post some pictures from the final dinner and from the dinner at my flat on Thursday when I can. I went out on Friday night with Ralph and Ingrid, and on Saturday, I went out to dinner with some of the students one last time. Sunday was spent checking on flats, arranging keys, and dealing with the last of the summer programme. It was also the move to London for the last few days. I didn't do much on Sunday night, except wander around and get to know this part of the city: Southwark. My hotel is not far from the Tate Modern and the new Globe Theatre (maybe 5 minute walk). Today was off to Hampton Court Palace, and then some last minute wandering around London. Tonight, I went back to where I used to live and ate in the local pub I used to frequent on Parson's Green. It is called the White Horse Pub, and well, it brought back fond memories. Tomorrow its off to the Imperial War Museum in the morning, then wandering to do some errands and some last minute shopping. Then its off to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a classic old pub which survives in part from the Fire of London in 1666. A little touristy, but good food and not far from the hotel. Then packing and off to Gatwick around 8:30 on Wednesday morning. My flight home is around 12:30, and I should be back in Orlando around 9pm. I am hoping to be in my bed in Melbourne around 11pm.

Anyway, this is probably the last post until I get back. I hope you have been enjoying these last few weeks. I will post more pics but I have hundreds more I can't post.

Matt