Oh no!  I’ve missed a day, so I will make a quick belated entry.

Friday morning started with a very groggy me lounging in bed half-awake, trying to will myself up when I got a call from Mizu.  Thinking it was my alarm, I picked up the object ringing at me and pressed something, apparently picking up.  I read the screen and wondered why Mizu’s name appeared when it dawned on me that I had picked up the phone.  Confused, I spoke into it and found him speaking back to me, telling me he’d be there in just a few minutes.  I rushed to get ready and woke up Typea as planned, so he could help lock up after I went out.  It took some stuffing, but we managed to get all my luggage in the car, all the while wondering how we managed to do it the first time around, even with a full car.  With that, we were off to pick up Zen and meet Starfish at the airport.

I can't believe this is the only picture I took in the airport.

I checked in with no problems and even had 5 kg to spare in one of my bags, so I added some more to it from my carry-on.  The four of us got some breakfast together and then said our goodbyes as I headed in.  Once I made it through the passport check, I waved to my little sending party and went to my gate.  I enjoyed the free internet they had and sent an e-mail to Panda before I boarded the plane for the first leg of the trip.  I had been given an emergency exit window seat for more leg room, but I hadn’t realized that the window would be so far away when I had agreed to it, so I regretted my decision.  The trip to Tokyo was fast and painless and soon enough it was time to get off, go through security, and reboard the plane with a fresh crew.

This time I asked for any other window seat and the air hostess got a guy to switch seats with me.  I had a nice chat with the people sitting next to me and then enjoyed a few movies before taking a nap.  Unfortunately, much of the latter part of the ride was suffered in discomfort as the girl sitting behind me put her knees up on the back of my chair and began to move around constantly, kicking, kneeing, and pushing the seat annoyingly.  I decided to take it as an erratic massage or a broken massage chair of sorts.  I didn’t know if bringing it up would just make it worse, so I just kept moving around every time she did.  I definitely liked her best when she was asleep.  At least I figured out why my chair wouldn’t lean back at first when I tried earlier on.

Looks like an upside-down dolphin. Where are we?

After way too long, we had breakfast and began our descent into LAX.  I watched the scenery pass by, trying to spot the UCLA campus or anything else I may recognize, but I couldn’t tell which cluster of tall buildings was downtown and everything else looked unrecognizable.  Coming out, I found Tom Bradley International Terminal to be under construction – yet another thing that looked foreign to me.  However, once I got out to the street, I was back in my comfort zone, familiar with the area and accent, content with the sunshine and temperature, and ready to be on my way.  I patiently waited for Panda for about 40 minutes (he couldn’t get off work too early) and happily spotted him 15 minutes early!  We loaded up my stuff and I clung to him, thrilled to be able to feel him again.  He’s gotten thinner from the busy, stressful days lately, but gosh, he looks good dressed up.

We got some Quizno’s for lunch and ran a few errands before crashing at his place, which I got to see for the first time.  I was given a card and key so I can let myself in as needed and he read his card to me, as we like to do.  We don’t have an anniversary day, but it’s about that time, so he got me a Happy Anniversary card.  🙂  I gave him the tie and cuff links I bought him and promised him his other gift the next time I see him, since that one was buried somewhere in my luggage.  We got to hang out for a few hours before my mom came to pick me up and get dinner.  I spent the rest of the night unpacking and telling my mom stories about all the things I had acquired (which really wasn’t much).  Strangely, I don’t feel like I was gone for so long.  Everything is pretty much as it was and I immediately fell back into most of my old life patterns.  Things do smell different though.