A brief list of pros and cons of my weekend at home, a get-away so pleasant that the pros should clearly outweigh the cons:

Pro: Time froze for a weekend.

Con: Dark skies and rain muddied the colors of Pensacola.

Pro: After calling my dad to tell him I had arrived home safely, he urges me to come visit him at work promptly, not because he had to show me something, not because he needed me to do some errands, but because he wanted to see me, hug me, and talk to me.

Pro: My internal camcorder records the scene of my family, Aunt Neomi, Grandma, and new-to-Pensacola cousins Milton and Jackie in my Aunt's kitchen. Everyone is pleading with my dad and sister to sing for us, and the pleading turns into roars until the finally comply. Family sitting in silence while other members belt out song for there genetically connected audience compels me to turn my head and search for the HBO cameramen.

Con: The freshest of curry carries even more potency than the fires of hell. Attempting to handle the third level of curry at my Thai restaurant, I sense that this curry could be more like the ultimate fifth level of spice. My throat attempts to shut down, my eyelids go into spasm, and I can barely breathe from the suffocating spice. To top it off, I brush the bottom of my nose with my fingers, which still had curry on them. My burning nostril feels as though it is eroding for a half hour.

Pro: Haley and I engage in friendly, warming, and deep conversation. Never does a moment pass where my stomach turns queasy or my heart pounds against my rib cage. We are completely comfortable together; we are completely over each other; we are completely solid friends. As I repeatedly declared to myself and to Haley, "Wow, we did it!"

Con: After confirming I am over Haley, I realize I am truly single and can no longer consider myself as someone who isn't dating because he just got out of a relationship (granted, I went on a few dates with one girl this semester, but I still wasn't quite ready to date at that point). While I don't miss having Haley as my girlfriend, I do miss having a girlfriend.

Pro: My thespian buddy Andrew manages to escape his hectic schedule just long enough to have an Italian lunch with me and the family.

Pro: My mom always has love and sincerity in her eyes when she looks at me, but it practically oozes out her pores when she's thanking me for being home for her birthday (Happy Birthday Mom! Sorry I can't be there tomorrow.).

Con: Some people from my high school days may have completed twelfth grade, but they still haven't "graduated" from high school.

Pro: I return to Pensacola to a healthy group of friends and family that love me. We are all making our own distinct pathways in life, but we can still get together for a weekend and show each other how invaluable our bond remains.