In Jersey, again...

So I'm back in NJ for a couple days. I drove up yesterday morning, I'll be back on Sunday.

We actually did the big family fourth of July thing at my Aunt's yesterday - my brother does fill-in work for a radio station, and had to work 6am-noon today and wanted to be able to go back home and go back to sleep, so we did it yesterday. So while today is technically the 4th, it really doesn't feel like it.

I always have mixed feelings about being home. (It's funny that I still call it home, even though I moved out years ago and have owned my own house for nearly 2 years). I can't help but think that there are so many more things I could be doing around the house in Baltimore - when I'm in Jersey, I wind up spending more time than I should surfing on the laptop. And I worry about my cat being alone, even though she's alone when I'm at work and even though bsom will be checking in on her - because if there is one thing I'm good at, it's worrying about things I can't do anything about. My parents are great, and it's nice to see them and talk to them about stuff, and hear some of their stories, and tell them what's going on in my life. On the other hand, I can only take small doses of them - they do tend to tell lots of the same stories over and over again, and spend a lot of time talking about things I don't have a whole lot of interest in. My aunt, though - the one who once worried I was becoming anorexic - is 10 times worse in this regard.

Sometimes I kind of feel like visiting my parents is something I owe them - which is silly, because I do enjoy reconnecting with them, plus my mom cooks for me (hey - she's Italian). And it is nice to catch up on sleep. But I do like my routine, my house, my cat, and won't mind getting back to them.