Peanut Butter Jelly Time: The adventures of Banana Man

As promised, here are some pictures of my Saturday night costumed adventures...
http://public.fotki.com/raggett/halloween-fancy-dre/

The pictures probably speak for themselves, but it was a scary night... too many evil bananas running around.

Enjoy - Brian

PS - For added adventure, visit this site:

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/banana

LONDON: HAVE A BITE

My first Saturday back in London – starting it all once again. My last ‘first Saturday’ was 7 months ago… so I’m being as lazy as possible today. Coming off a long week at work, I need to save my energy for a Halloween party tonight (I’ll be sure to post pictures).

Thinking about my return I can’t help but realize how my situation has changed – being a UK local. The words ‘temporary’ or ‘short-termer’ no longer apply. I can’t tell you how happy I am to know my plan takes me past Saturday night. I was so sick and tired of jumping from project to project, city to city, not knowing where I’d be beyond next week. That’s the nature of a typical consulting job but not something I want to subscribe to anymore. The bigger relief lies in my new found ability to ignore the short-term more often and focus on long-term success. The number of times I’ve tried to make a long term impact, only to be pulled away with a moment’s notice makes me sick.

Anyhow, London is good – been wet and cloudy. Trip planning is essential to my sanity. A side effect of the flights I booked to Copenhagen (New Years) and China (Jan 24 - Feb 2), I visited the US Embassy to get more passport pages. If you’re interested in a trip to China, just let me know…

Homecoming...

I finally made a long overdue trip home to Kansas this past week. Not having been home since March, I found my hometown about where I left it but very different at the same time . It's great coming home, seeing family and friends, eating at my old hot spots, and making my rounds (buying them, too). Highlights so far include - old-school night out with the fellas, taking my parents to Lidia's, the Crawl for Cancer, playing soccer with the Crazy 88's (my old team - scored a goal!!!), meeting some new friends, and connecting with old colleagues around town.

The whirlwind tour has reminded me of so many things, and conjured up all kinds of memories - both good and bad. Like anyone that's moved away from home and visited, I'm consistently reminded of things I miss but also the reasons I left. The pace of life is definitely slower in KC, but more relaxed.

Regardless, visiting my hometown - one I won't live in again for some time - is a bit daunting. I always seem to find new reasons to stick around but definitely happy with my decision to move. I just hope I don't miss out on too much. Either way, it's comforting to know I'll take my home with me wherever I go. I realize that sounds a little corny, and definitely not going to win any essay contests, but as accurrate as I can describe for now. It's with mixed emotions I turn the corner towards the next part of my life.