Greetings from the Left Coast

Just poking my head up briefly to say hello from lovely Northwest City, where I've been for the past several days. I'm visiting the folks, gearing up for Victoria's wedding, and hanging with my bro, who's up from Silicon Val for some of the same stretch of time.

But this trip isn't just about the family and the friends and the socializing--and it's not even just about covering the entire floor of the room I'm staying in with bits and pieces of my chapter. Oh no! It's also about shopping.

I usually visit my folks twice a year, at Christmastime and in late summer, and I inevitably wind up with an additional ten pounds in my luggage on the return trip, thanks to various retail pilgrimages. So far I've hit Costco (where I've loaded up on 1000 Ibuprofen tablets, 250 multivitamins, 32 ounces of saline solution, and 144 pieces of Dentyne Ice gum) and Nordstrom Rack (where I bought some lingerie, as I always do). At some point I'll make a trip to Trader Joe's, and on Monday Maman and I will hit the local fancy-shmancy mall for a few things for the fall wardrobe.

Should there be appropriate photos from the wedding, I'll post. Should there be inappropriate ones, I may also post. It's a Coptic wedding, so I'm dearly hoping for a fez or two.

Until soon~~