One More Writer

Finally, catching my breath on an early Monday morning before I crash.

My plane leaves at 4 p.m. today, putting me back into Tulsa around midnight for a nice two hour drive back home to Bentonville. And it's odd, because I really do think of Bentonville as a home of sorts.

I came back to Eugene on Wednesday, to find that my parents had torn up the living room to refinish the floors. No piano, no couches, no tv, no rug, just an empty echo chamber with newly waxed floors. On Wednesday I stayed there, in my old room, the floor becluttered with a half dozen years of non-use. Thursday was Thanksgiving at my cousins' in Salem, and since then I've spent each night at a different house on a different bed or floor.

Coming back to Oregon has been difficult, as everything here reminds me of Lillian. Each time I see a red car on the road I have to take a closer look and make sure its not hers; this is difficult because she purchased the car only several months ago and therefore even if I did see her car I might not recognize it quickly.

I don't want to say I haven't had a great time. I love my friends, I love my family and I love Oregon. But between the weird sleep schedule and heartpangs, I can't wait to get back to Arkansas for a few more months, where at least I have a set schedule, a firm bed and a dog to keep me warm at night.

There were delightful things about this trip. On Friday Jan, Ricky, Laura and myself ventured up to Grand Ronde to sample the delights of Spirit Mountain Casino (I won $16), while Saturday we all converged at Will and Ryans' for the weekly no limit poker game (I lost $50 but not my temper.) I saw my friend Jenni for the first time in months (maybe even a year or more) and caught up on old times with my friend Grace as we watched Rent.

The baby, by the way, is Jenni's. She and her husband Kevin named the kid Trevin, a combination of his name and a friend of his, Travis Troy [thanks for the correction Jenni.] Trevin's 15 months weeks [thanks Ricky] and 3 days old, or at least he was at the time of this picture.