Flying with a stuffy head is one of the worst experiences ever. My right ear didn't "pop" from when I took off in Portland until well after I landed in Atlanta (even at ground level during the short layover in Las Vegas). For more than 8 hours, it felt like someone was pressing the eraser end of a No. 2 pencil into my ear canal. No amount of yawning could equalize the pressure and it was really hard to get any sleep.

Other than the discomfort on the return flight, though, the trip to the West Coast was a lot of fun. Don't believe me? Check the photographic evidence.

It's been a while since I dropped a blog* so I thought I should provide a quick roundup of recent events:

The doctor cleared me to return to the frisbee field. It's nice to be back, even though we got rained on the past two Sundays.

While on a short trip to Minneapolis, I visited Mall of America and got to hang out with Fiona.

I drove up to Greenville, South Carolina, to visit a friend and had some of the best sweet tea around at Stax Omega.

This evening I'm headed out West. I'll be in Anacortes for What the Heck Fest, and in Portland to become an uncle. Keep an eye on Flickr for photos from the trip.

* Hat tip to Tom D. for this phrase.