The Return from Autreat 2009

As much fun as Autreat was, the trip back was... well, generally less enjoyable. Frankly, with all of the obstacles that seemed to pop up (including flight delays -- yes, that's in the plural -- getting spectacularly lost on the way to the airport, and other miscellany) I was starting to feel like an NFB officer trying to attend an ACB conference.

Then, when I finally arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport, still wearing the shoes (in more than one sense) and generally feeling good about things, it took Mom less than five minutes to start talking about how she's been cleaning the house... and how she'd completely disrupted one of the systems I use to ensure that I have everything with me when I leave in the morning.

She also catagorically refused to let me put anything back the way it was, saying that it was a "mess". In other words, she was more concerned about the appearance of the house (and specifically having the table by the door that I usually exit through remain free of papers) than my ability to be successful academically. Of course, she didn't see it that way -- as it took me several minutes of trying to get a word in edgewise (and quickly approaching meltdown) before I could even begin to explain why I wanted to do so. Even after I did, I seriously doubt she understands... and I doubt she ever will -- mainly because she doesn't want to.

Edit: Corrected a pretty nasty revision error.