Noodles, malasadas, and candy, oh my. Other than a full stomach (and a violated diet) I came home with a bug eyed turtle, a two liter bottle of Pepsi, and a handful of books: Laura Esquirel's Like Water for Chocolate, Michael Cunningham's The Hours, and interesting nonalcoholic drink recipe book. I actually only bought two of the three. I had picked up and pondered buying The Hours for a while, but eventually placed it back on the table. My friend, Val, who had seen me do this, purchased the book and gave it to me shortly after we left the tent. I told Matt over the phone about that small, but very nice bit of generosity. He didn't quite understand why she did it. I thought he of all people would understand she did it "just because."

Side note: Chad, in case you read this, you also rock for lots of little things that I don't write about, but are just as meaningful.