I am back in Boulder. It was a tedious journey, one filled with delays, gate changes, and people who think it’s their duty to reproduce prolifically. Oddly, my friend and co-worker Lola, who also happens to live in my building, was on my flight from Dallas to Denver. We chatted at the gate: the third gate of the evening after two gate changes that sent us traipsing all over the airport.

The day before my return, I was hanging with Stanley. Things were going well until suddenly: they weren’t. He bit me. IN THE EYE. I had to go to the doctor, my childhood doctor who I hadn’t been to in more than a decade, to get antibiotics and a tetanus shot. Seriously. This sort of thing could only happen to me.

Here’s my battle wound:

And here’s Stanley, apologizing:

“Look. I said I was sorry for biting you in the face for no reason. Can we just get past this and skip to the part where you give me treats, or…?” – Stanley Harrison the first

LA doesn’t buy it.

LA: : ( Is your eyeball ok? And can you see? I’m pretty mad at Stanley.

EK: I think it’s fine. I can see. I’m icing it to avoid swelling. He’s sorry…

LA: Ok. I’m still pretty mad at him. I don’t buy it, Stanley…

EK: He’s so cute, though…this is the problem. He’s cute and sweet and I just want to love him and he’s fine with it for a minute and then he lashes out. He apologizes and I forgive him and the whole cycle starts up again. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m in an abusive relationship with him…

LA: Well, I can’t help you if you won’t help yourself.

Later that evening, after I had forgiven Stanley, eaten a steak, and taken my first dose of antibiotics, I went downtown. There is nothing happening in downtown Kilgore at night. I took this picture of the World’s Richest Acre:

I spent the next day with my mom, mostly, while my dad went to pick up a load of fire wood. We had hamburgers and cleaned up cat puke. Later, they drove me to the tiny airport just outside of town.

When I finally arrived in Denver at 12:40 a.m., LA was there to pick me up. Because: she’s the best. Even though this happened today:

It’s okay. She’s good at a lot of other stuff.