Welcome back.
I really enjoyed my trip back to the U.S. even though there was lots of work getting ready for the Halloween party. Thanks to all who found time to come. After all was said and done, we'll end up donating around $2500 to AID Upstate. A small improvement over last year that we'd still like to do better with.
This was my longest break ever from American society. Last time I was in-country was early May, leaving me about six months with no U.S. tv, no Wal-Mart, and also no Mexican restaurants. I felt like not much had changed, hopefully everyone else was of the same opinion.
Germany struck immediately after getting off the plane. I had a couple of conversations in the train station (in German), one with a lady who didn't realize the ticket machines don't take fifties and one other so innocuous that the only detail I remember is that it was in German. Then I saw the Audi advertising. Bryan Adams, yeah that one, is the featured act to introduce the new A4.