James O'Brien

“Oh thank you so much. That’s so kind. You’ve made my day”, said the woman at the bus stop tonight. As if by some cosmic co-incidence, the first person I’ve spoken to at length since arriving home (aside from friends, family and workmates) was my travel agent. Although I didn’t remember her name instantly, I recognised her face straight away. Actually, to be totally honest, it was her boobs I recognised. She’s got really big boobs.

I’d planned on popping in to the agency this week to say a “thankyou” and that all had gone well. Seeing her at the bus stop tonight, however, saved me the trouble. And a kind word from a customer she probably didn’t remember, though she faked it well, seemed to help take away the huge frown that was on her face.

I was on my way to see Damo for dinner. We went to a great little Japanese place not far from his home where the food was excellent. It was the first time in a few months I’ve had a meal with someone else where the ordering was done in English. After a couple of months of bonjour, and guten tag, and tack sa mycket, it was a wonderful relief to be able to order a meal and to know that I wasn’t going to stuff it up in some way.

This was my first outing since arriving back yesterday morning. Since arriving back I’ve basically slept on and off. I’ve had some conversations on the phone, though to be totally honest, I’m struggling to remember the content of most of them. Let’s just put it this way: the jetlag fairy hasn’t been kind.