Things I Missed in France and Spain

 (Picture of me and my hosts Tim and Dave at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona, 16 July 2010,  photographed by our friend Milton.)

I missed my dog Tom Ripley (of course), the smart and sexy friends who did not travel with me (you know who you are), guacamole (and Mexican food in general), brisket, my books and DVDs, my Internet connection (and, thus, my blogs, MySpace, and Facebook), Reuben sandwiches, bacon-cheddar cheeseburgers, True Blood, air-conditioning (as needed).

What I did not miss:  political news, high fructose corn syrup, summer's high humidity, eroto-phobia (and the whole culture of gratuitous hangups about everything--usually involving other people's private business), smoke-free environments (and I don't smoke), blue laws, workaholism, grading student essays, Whole Foods, conformity, fear.

What I will miss now that I'm home: siestas, Coca-Cola with sucre/azucar, the Mediterranean, discos, having a swimming pool, architecture that matters, people congregating in plazas (etc.), cicadas, charming young pickpockets without shirts, Jupiler beer on tap, Carte D'Or ice cream (esp. vanilla, pistachio, and rum-raisin), the amazing colors at open-air markets and the dizzying variety of available goods at supermarkets (I will never believe the propaganda of how many more "choices" we have in the USA again), mojitos clotted with mint and lime wedges, children playing in the streets at midnight, dogs everywhere.