In the last three weeks, I have managed to:

- successfully navigate three different countries and time-zones, and four different States
- successfully retrieve my luggage from the clutches of incompetence
- perform on stage in front of several hundred people
- write (most of) a song for next year
- remember how much fun it is to run around in fursuit again, after nearly a year of not having the chance
- get back into doing more drawing, and get lineart down for three or four pics, with more ideas in the wings
- discuss  kjorteo's novel with him in more depth, and enjoy sharing literary critiquing with people who've actually read books
- spend an hour or so talking with people I didn't previously know about sex and fetishes, and have it not be something uncomfortable (for me, that's an achievement, trust me)
- meet lots of new friends, and get to spend quality time with existing ones
- meet  susi's family, and get to know some of the people who've helped him grow into the person he is
- practice driving, and discover that I'm much more comfortable with automatic transmission cars than manual ones
- go shooting, and reach a point where I'm more comfortable being around guns and not constantly on edge all the time
- find myself on the receiving end of a barrage of pies and slime (thanks to Susi :P)
- find myself on the receiving end of that diabolical automated slime machine (thanks to Susi and  iron-k :P)
- try - and really enjoy - multiple new foods: sashimi, Amish cooking, new Mexican foods I've not had before, etc.
- cook at least one successful meal for other people
- put on six pounds as a result of the above
- learn about the difference between having power over people, surrendering power to other people, and living by one's own power
- discussed plans for the future, including going back to finish my degree and potentially trying to emigrate
- watch the whole Harry Potter series of movies, and get a good intro to the reboot of Battlestar Galactica
- play both Kirby's Dreamland 3 and Banjo-Kazooie to 100% completion
- get songs from both stuck in my head
- annoy Susi by playing said songs incessantly on the keyboard
- take some quality meditative and spiritual time
- play with Lego again after far too long
- spend ages trying to make farting noises with my hands, before realising that Susi is better at it than I will ever be

And many more. I'm sad that I've had to come back, but it's hard to be truly down in the face of all that. Thank you, everyone who contributed to such a wonderful time - you make my life better, and you make me better, and I am truly grateful to you all!

D.F.