Just a little update on life and whatnot.

After a grueling trip that my friend Charlie referred to as "The Great Migration," Mari and I are finally back on home soil in the US of A.  Here's a brief synopsis of what "The Great Migration" entailed.

During the summer months, there is an embargo on traveling with pets.  If the temperature at the departing airport is 85 degrees or higher at the time of departure, or if the projected temperature at the time of arrival at the arriving airport is 85 degrees or higher, they'll ground you if you have pets.  With 4 dogs and 2 cats, Mari and I simply couldn't take that chance.  We HAD to get here.  So we resorted to extreme measures.  We rented a big ole SUV and drove from Naples, IT to Dijon, FR on the first day (about 14 hours with stops) and then on to Paris, FR the next day so that we could fly out of Charles De Gaulle airport where it would be cooler.  We flew into Boston because, again, we feared Norfolk would be too hot.  So after the 8 hour flight, we slept and then got up and drove 16 hours (with stops) to Norfolk, VA the next day.  On a military travel claim, the last block has to be "MC" which stands for "Mission Complete."  Now I will always see it as standing for "Migration Complete."

Two days of rest later, all of our personal property arrived.  We're still sitiing amongst unpacked boxes, but we're sitting at our desks, with our computers, and even that makes things feel a bit normal.

The Italian movers are retards.  I have a chess set, the pieces of which were packed into 3 separate boxes.  I would open one paper wrapping and find a knight, one shoe, and the top of an earring box of Mari's.  Random.  But at least it's forcing us to unpack everything.

Reassembling our particle board universe has been a challenge.  But it's good for my brain - like doing a puzzle.

Yet to do:  Either find out if California DMV will send me a new license (mine expired two years ago, and since I'm military and was overseas, it was still valid) OR deal with VA DMV and get a new one from there.  Then there's the car situation itself.  Mine that I shipped from Italy won't be here until September, so we're renting which gets pricey after a while.  Lease a car?  Buy a new one?  Still not sure.

Then I need to check into the Armed Forces School of Music so that I can get my Basic Housing Allowance started.  I figure I'll do that today or tomorrow and then check back out on leave.

Anywho, that's the basics.  I've already had Waffle House twice and Pizza Hut thrice.  Probably seems odd that coming from Italy I'd want anything to do with Pizza Hut, but it might as well be a different food altogether.  I've missed my thin and crispy pepperoni, I must say.  It's great to be home.