Sick of sickness

Sorry for lagging on a new post. As you could probably tell from the lack of energy/effort put into the last post, I was pretty damned sick. I'm still not actually 100%, but I'm feeling much better. Unfortunately this means I don't have a whole lot of good stories to share with you since I barely left the hostel in the last week. Unless of course you want detailed descriptions of the pharmacy or perhaps my mucous levels? I'll spare you.
The problem with being sick in a hostel, even with something as simple as a cold, is that there's none of the comforts of home to help you get better. Your sleep is at the mercy of other people's schedules and there's nowhere to just simply curl up and hide like you need to do sometimes. So the cold has lingered and kicked my ass. Being sick and stuck inside has, I must admit, made me rather homesick. When you're constantly on the move, seeing sites, meeting new people, etc, you don't have much time to think of home except for perhaps...man this is way cooler than home! So coming to a crashing halt like this has made me realise what I've been missing that much more. So I figure since I don't have many good stories to share with you, I'll share a list of things I miss about home. Don't get me wrong...this isn't some poor me emo trip...I'm still so grateful to be able to be on this adventure and I know how lucky I am to be doing what I'm doing. It's just something that's been on my mind lately, so I figure I'll share. That said, here's what I miss:

• Friends and family. 'nuff said.
• Privacy. Pretty straightforward... living in 8-16 bed dorms, shared bathrooms, common kitchens, etc means you're rarely by yourself, and when you are, it's never for too long.
• Having a "homebase". I never really realised how important this was to me until losing it (as is usually the case, isn't it?). Just having somewhere that belongs to you and only you. Could be as simple as closing your bedroom door to the world on a bad day or your spot on the couch in front of the tv. Living out of a bag pretty much negates this.
• Familiarity of surroundings. I can't think of anything that quite matches the combination of emotions (disorienting/thrilling/scary) that occurs when walking out of the bus or train station in a new city and trying to figure out where the hell you're going. I experience this this once or twice a week. And then just when you start to gain your bearings, you take off again to do it all over again!
• Intimacy. I'm not talking in a sexual way...I'm talking about having interactions with people that moves beyond the superficial level. It's kind of like the Narrator's theory in Fight Club about people you meet on planes...they're single serving friends. I've met some really cool people, but you know you'll likely never see them again after a few days, so you keep conversations simple and light... you don't grow attached.
• The little things. Haven't been able to find proper chicken noodle soup at all. No NyQuil over here from what I can tell. I still have no friggin clue which way to look first before crossing the street. That type of thing. That's not to say Canada is better because it has stuff the UK doesn't...It's just that you get used to these things that are in your culture and don't even think about them being absent in another culture.
• My effin bed! Not gonna lie... my bed is awesome. It's the perfect mix of comfort and support. That's what Angelina Jolie keeps telling me anyways. So sleeping in hard bunk beds designed for people about a half-foot shorter than me has been a bit of a shock to my system. Most of my friends know how much I love my tv...but I'd have to say...if I could only salvage one or the other from a fire, I'd probably go for the bed. That's how much I love it. Although that would be a pretty slow burning fire if I had enough time to grab the mattress, frame, and box spring. I'd probably just work on putting out the fire to save everything.
• Football. What more can I say? Bills are terrible this year, but who cares...I'd still love to be watching the games every Sunday!

So that's it for my list. Hopefully reading this will make you appreciate a little bit more the things we take for granted. I'm moving on to a new hostel in an hour or two. Still staying in Edinburgh, I'm just switching hostels. I figure I've gained the reputation as the weird quiet guy who is always in the common room and blowing his nose/clearing his throat. May as well start fresh now that I'm up for interacting with people and going out again. I took a walk yesterday to find my next hostel, which Arty recommended. And if there's one person who is reliable when it comes to travelling, it's Arty. If there's anybody you would want to trust something important with to not lose (such as a Monday Night Football Bill's ticket...for example), he is definitely the man! He would never ever lose something like a Bills ticket 2 hours before kickoff. Nope, not Arty...too reliable. Anyways, on my walk there yesterday, I found a nice little farmer's market where I bought some fruits and veggies, as well as a bison burger. I was tempted to try the Venison Haggis, but I figure I should try the real stuff first. Finding the market kind of gave me the boost I needed, reminding me that it'll be worth it to get out again and explore now that I'm better since I never know what I'm going to find.

One last note...the blog has been up for just under a month and I already have over 1000 pageviews. And I'm pretty sure at least 150 of those pageviews are people other than my mother, checking up on me every hour. Just wanted to say thanks to everybody for taking the time to check in and see what's up with me... I would have never guessed I had so many people who cared!