As I write this, I have officially been home for five hours.  Le Grande Tour ended about 1PM EST after a whopping 25 days and 5744.7 miles.  The tour was extended by a couple of days at the end to wrap time at a couple of plants in Connecticut and to break up the last leg of the drive — and I will tell you right now that the last of it was when it was ready to be over.

More painfully, it’s been four months and five days since we drove away from Dorchester — and over three months since I have been physically in my condo.  My main concerns walking in the door (or realistic concerns I guess) was whether or not mice have moved in (which it smells like they have) and whether or not the floors were still in good shape.  In February, a water line burst in our condo and leaked a large amount of water into my unit.  My fellow tenants with access to my keys were able to get in, clean it up best they could, and work with a plumber to at least make sure it doesn’t happen again.

As it turns out, the floors only really needed a good sweep and a good clean.  Because it was mostly dirty interior drywall that got damaged behind my washer/dryer – all the real problem was getting the muddy mess where the water came in at washed up, and sweep up the dried pieces of drywall.  That and it seems my front room became a place where house flies go to die.  Now the place stinks of pine-sol so thick I can taste cleaning fluid.  Of course, I had to restock the fridge, since I emptied it smartly before I left.  Of course, I had to restock the pup food bins as well.  Sadly though, I still need to restock the wine rack … with … a lot.

It’s a little weird being here.  I mean, I live here, which should not make it all that weird.  I may call this home, but it really hasn’t been a home before and doesn’t feel like one either.  I spend so few nights here, I tend to treat it no different than a hotel room.  As a result, the towels need to be washed, the sheets need to be changed, and nothing seems to be where I can find it.  Except, I could always take a quick run out to get dinner — something that is not at all convenient in Dorchester, and not the options on I want either.  See, part of the wierdness is that I am a different man than when I left.  I’m already down 90lbs, more active, and more focused than when I left.  I have a plan for when the weather breaks to work on the backyard, something I never wanted to touch before now.

That, and as I am pretty honest, I don’t really like it here.  The condo is small, the pup seems uncomfortable, and the area always has me worried when I will get the next parking ticket.  I plan to make a change of things here – my near term schedule has me staying on the east coast for the foreseeable future, and I am challenging myself to reduce my travel, which means all the things I complain about here can be changed if I put the effort in.

It’s just weird, you know.  This place that is supposed to be home but doesn’t feel like it.

Maybe ask me tomorrow.