“Sorry folks, the cargo door’s kinda… well, frozen.” So said the mechanic as I got off the turboprop that had just landed in Calgary. The trip had been a rather turbulent one, with some pretty serious drops and rises in altitude as we hit the various mountain ranges between Seattle and here. Now that we’d finally landed, and were standing in the cold, we couldn’t help but laugh; welcome to Canada! (and so much for the whole ‘leave your bag on the cart’ thing — common on small planes being convenient — it took em half-an-hour to get it open). In any case, I am home, if a very frozen version of home: It’ll be about -30 (C or F, take your pick) when I head back to Seattle Monday morning, which apparently is the coldest it’s actually gotten in the past two years (even in the dead of winter).
H-Y, which was last weekend, proved to be a great time. It was nice to catch up with everyone, and also to be back in Cambridge, and on campus. It felt like I’d simply returned from a long summer break; yet, a few hints that I didn’t quite belong as I perhaps had in the past: for one, the students looked less familiar (except for those at the ‘06 tailgate of course). In any case, a jolly good time, and oddly enough, it looks like I’ll be back in Boston in a couple of weeks anyhow. With that, I wish you, dear reader, a Happy Thanksgiving! I really hope Christmas songs don’t start on the radio when I get back..
