Absenteeism

Being lost abroad has it's perks. I'm one of the first Americans to blacken the oval for the first half-black, half-white president. Quite thrilling. I think I'll drop it at the American Embassy in Auckland just to be nosy and check out the place. The last time I set foot in an American Embassy was when I was 20 and Carrie had a flaming red eye in Munich, Germany (in my pre-optometry life). We were looking for a list of English speaking doctors. I remember they had a Coke machine. It was a bit of heaven when we were a little homesick after our rolling suitcase wheels melted off (yes, we were too dumb to have backpacks that time) and we'd spent a few nights spooning under seven wool blankets in "Big Tent". Ahh the days...