i apologize for the lack of anne updates. my computer was sick but hopefully will be feeling better soon after an evening with ian, the sasser killer.

i will be home in two weeks, and i cannot wait. everytime i close my eyes i picture myself somewhere in my house that i haven't seen since the beginning of january. i'm reading in the sunroom or listening to my mom and sisters laugh at the kitchen table. i don't know how many mornings my sleep has been interrupted by the three of them being loud in the kitchen. for some reason, that interruption doesn't bother me as much as a duty call does... today my dad is planting soybeans, and i want to ride in the tractor with him. as my siblings can confirm, my father gives the best conversation when he's in the tractor or, even more so, in the combine. when he sits alone for 16 hours a day for weeks on end, any human contact is appreciated. even dad can only listen to stephen hawking's a brief history of time so many times. he talks about his dad, the markets, the last book he listened to, and my mom. i hope everyone has a version of tractor time with their dads.

getting a bit sad now--have a fantasically superior cinco de mayo.