Date: 2011-01-10
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Miles today: 0.0

You never run out of toilet paper when your home. Its just a fact of life. Even if you run out there is always more under the sink. You, or your butt, are never lacking anything.Sorry its been so long since I updated last. I've been on a vacation from all things AT I suppose. I still have quite a bit to say and some old hand written entries to put in so I should be updating every day.Being home is surreal. I guess i'm getting used to it now, but it was quite a shock to the system. When all you do is move for six months, and than you replace that with sitting around, your body goes crazy. I was warned that it is not that uncommon for a thru-hiker to go thru a phase of post-trail depression. I got it pretty bad...or had it pretty bad. I knew what i needed to do. I needed to get moving. I started hitting the gym and going for some short runs. Going to the gym was very humbling. I've never had a weaker upper body in my life. For so long all we did is walk. Our legs are super human, but our chest and arms not so much.Putting on your old clothes is also quite an experience. They are baggy, and most of them not even worth keeping. It is fun to go shopping while looking for the L that signifies a large shirt as opposed to xl or 2x as used to be the case.I would say the one thing i have been doing more than anything else is just simply thinking. Reflecting on the trail takes up a large portion of that time. "Wow, did i really do that"? I think about what I was doing just a year ago, and how much can change, how much I could change. I try to relive those intangible moments. I close my eyes and try to imagine that smell of the maine woods, the breeze on top of the mountain. You can get close, but you can only get close. There is no substitute for actually being there. For those of you who are contemplating a hike....if it's right for you, I truly hope you do it. I mean I really really hope you do. I am so grateful that this hike will forever be a part of my life.I'm in Florida. Yesterday as drove past the welcome sign to Georgia, I reflected on that feeling of finally reaching the final state. The sign reads "We're glad that Georgia is on your mind" It always was on the trail, and i feel comfortable saying it always will be. The exhiliration of achieving something may be short lived, but the satisfaction of the acomplishment remains deep rooted. It is like graduating college. Walking across that stage and recieving your diploma is a once in a lifetime feeling. However, every time you look at that diploma on your wall, you are reminded of the sacrafice it took to get it there.I am the proud play partner of an 18 month old niece. She is now running all over the place and using her very limited vocabulary with brilliance; neither of which she was the last time I saw her. We play "peek-a-boo", and read books and give kisses. She makes me very happy. Aubrey is flying into Orlando on Saturday, so we'll probably do a day at Disney before coming back to Tampa. Aubrey is just gonna eat Bella up. Babys are her buisness and she loves them.I shaved my beard off. Well, first i trimmed it as you can see in my pictures, but now its gone. It just happened an hour ago. I had to. You see I have an interview tomorrow at Tampa general hospital for a nursing position in the Emergency Room. I'm a little nervous not having been in an interview for quite some time, but hopefully it will go ok. I'm putting in some other applications, so hopefully I will have more interviews before I leave. It is conceivable that I could get hired while I'm here, rent an aparrtment and my trip home would only be to rent a U-haul and bring my stuff down. The things tying me to my home in NJ are not as prevalant anymore. I dont see my friends nearly as much as I used to, my grandparents have both died, and my fire dpartment isn't my fire department. Everything changes....thats just life. I also suffer from SAD (seasonal affect disorder). I cant remember a winter that I did not fall into a deep depression, gain 30 pounds and become miserable. Driving down here yesterday, I enjoyed watching my temperature guage in my truck start to rise as entered into Fla. Around Jacksonville it was 47, and by the time I got to Tampa it was above 70. As the temperature elevated, so did my mood. I think I'm just not a winter guy. The hope would be that I will move down here, and Aubrey would follow suite in the next couple of months. I know she has some reservations about leaving home, but I'm hoping when she feels the sunshine on Saturday most of them will fade. I'm also excited about the prospect of living near my sister and brother-in-law. I'll get him golfing and doing all the things I like to do. This guy (Shane) is quite man. His life mostly revolves around his family and his job with the goverment. I've decided a third party would do him some good, and I am dedicated to making him my golf buddy. It is also nice because he talks politics and history and military and all the other things I enjoy. I can't say we have much good debate becasue most of our viewpoints are the same, but its nice nonetheless. Well, i'm off to do a dry run to the hospital, to check out some apartment complexes and get my car cleaned. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday, and are off to a good start on the new year. I'll be writing agian soon, and to those of you who sent your address, i'll be getting those cards out this week.