What I'm including below is the text of a letter I just sent to Andrew Granade, an old friend of mine. Over the years, when I've gone places, the process of sitting down to tell Andrew about the trip has often been the moment where my thoughts about my traveling experiences coalesced into something coherent and worth telling.

For a bit of explanation—he wanted to hear about my experiences in New York, about Rent (which I saw on Broadway), and my thoughts on finally seeing the Holocaust Museum.

Skyline from WTC1
by domesticat.
The photos are here.

Andrew -
Don't feel bad. If I wanted a big fuss made of my birthday, I would've said so months in advance. :) I try to make it a day (and if I'm lucky, a week) that I do things that I want to do. I'm not much hung up on other people remembering—though it's nice when they do.

It has felt so strange to sit in front of a computer all day today. I keep expecting to have to get up and start walking long distances at any moment.

I was a bit shocked when I looked at my arm just now—my bruise is much larger than I originally remembered it being. I thought it was a 2"x2" bruise, but it's actually more like 3"x4". There's still a lump under the skin. I'm just grateful I didn't break anything; I would've felt really stupid if I'd broken my right arm for the third time.

…eyes opened, an older and wiser person. Or so the story goes.

I'm home. I woke up this morning in Maryland. After pulling the covers over my head and denying that it was time to get up, a little part of my brain woke up and said, "Yes, it's time. Go home." On the plane I realized that I, the consummate list-maker, hadn't made a to-do list in a week.

I didn't realize how much I needed to get away for a short while. (I had an utterly different start to this, and then accidentally lost it. Then I realized that Andy was looking over my shoulder, so everything I had in my mind has now gone away.)

Well, okay, I'm now officially operating on Plan B today. I can't find my car keys, so I'm not going anywhere. The more I think about it, the less I'm mourning. There's this "Million Family March" going on near the Mall today, which means that the Metro is probably full of parents and their critters, so I think it's probably best that I'm not accidentally part of the fray.

As a result, I'm also getting to rest a bit today. Doing a lot of reading. Testing out Andy's speakers. I think I'll get a nap later. After all, isn't resting what vacations are about?

I've been pleasantly surprised by how well things have gone so far. My flights were all on time, my baggage arrived safely (well, mostly, but the $16 bag[tm] needs some TLC) and Andy was waiting on me in Baltimore to pick me up.