I don’t really have much to say today, but this quote is sticking in my head.  I woke up in a hotel at 5:30 this morning and it took me about 4 minutes to figure out where I was.  The problem is Courtyard Marriott, and their new policy of making every property look identical.  Why?  Are they hoping that people will feel at home there if they are familiar?  Because it just makes me want to go home.  This morning I looked around and thought “am I in San Jose?  Plymouth Meeting? Dallas? Minneapolis?  No, I’m in Camarillo.” 5:30 a.m. is too early for that kind of philosophy.

My grandmother was famous for loving her home.  She traveled to all kinds of fabulous places and would tell us all about it, but then at the end of every story, say “It was great, but I am just glad to be home.”  I feel largely the same way – I love to travel (not to Camarillo, San Jose, Minneapolis…) but in the end I always love to come home as well.  There is something great about routine and familiarity, which probably explains why I will eat in McDonald’s in London but hardly ever in California.  My parents are in Paris this week, and I am sure they are having an amazing time, and I’m equally sure that a small part of them just wants to go home.