Back in Lisbon

I'm back, minus a right eardrum and a suitcase left in London. Suitcase should be arriving shortly, eardrum will be tricky for at least a week, following tradition, but hearing is overrated anyway. Good thing suitcase is forgotten, it's actually an army duffel bag I had to buy bcs I bought 115 books and about as many fleece jumpers and they had to travel somewhere. The nice airport employer will be doing all the heavy carrying. Dejá vu, very traveller-friendly. My flat seems impossibly big. Cats delirious to see me again, dog surprisingly not hysterical. Not sure I like that. Actually think she may be afraid I'm mad at her, she seems a bit wary of me. Am exhausted but flights were alright, I slept through most of the transatlantic one, which surprised me heaps. Then I slept for more than half of my 6-hour wait in London. I also managed to doze on the aeroplane from London till eardrum exploded. Regarding U., no news. Nothing's been found. Today, it's like it doesn't even concern me. I'm becoming very good at keeping bad thoughts at bay. I just hope this state of grace lasts till the end of exams. All things considered, Canuckia was surprisingly fun. And I am thankful I received the news in a place where there were absolutely no references to him, so it was sanctuary, a welcome limbo. Tomorrow I will open up a dead animal, could live without that for a while but it's par for the course and normalcy might as well be resumed immediately. Have a blog re U. I'd like to post but don't think I'll even re-read it, lest it upsets the fragile balance of things. Last time I flew I was leaving Israel, he drove me to the airport. He kissed me goodbye. We took loads of pics I haven't even developped yet. He hugged me and told me not to be sad, we'd see each other soooo soon, not to worry, Pip. [He calls me that, I call him Tig] This isn't real. Which is good, bcs if it were, it'd be the end of the world as we know it. Can't have that.