Thoughts on Leaving the Valley of the Sun

Today is my last day in the Valley of the Sun. It is certainly bittersweet, considering this was my home for nearly my entire childhood. I know, I know, I'll be back, eventually. But when I return, I'll be a different person. I mean, when I left a year ago for Los Angeles, I was a different person than I am today. It can only be expected, I guess.

Returning this time, I really felt like I was a stranger to my hometown; Phoenix no longer felt like mine. I was a visitor, searching out my favorite haunts (Valle Luna, Anzio's and Barro's, for the win). This makes me feel a little peripatetic, like I've got no home base. But it is just an impetus for me to search out a hometown myself.

The only thing I can hope is that I never have to visit Phoenix in the summer again! EEK!