Return of the Prodigious Son

Shortly over a year ago a thought instantly appeared in my head from nothingness. It came to me like a burning little flame, no larger than a grain of salt. Over the following days it grew brighter and larger, larger and brighter until I could no longer contain it.


"I'm quitting my job and backpacking around the world."

There, I said it. My brother looked back at me and after a brief discussion he agreed that it was a sensational idea. That was back in January 2008, just hours before I created this blog.

Slightly over a year later, I was on my way back from the World. On the evening of January 25th, after a 27 hour trip, I landed back in America. I worked my way through the maze of winding barrier ropes in the large sterile immigration room until it was my turn.

“Welcome home Mr. Fox”, he said as he inked the final stamp in my passport. I thanked him and headed through the door to rejoin the reality I stepped out on a little over 7 months prior.

Half in a daze I greeted my mother at International Arrivals, God it was great to see her. After a big giant hug she handed me my winter coat and my hat and gloves and we headed for the car. I’m home.
ROLL THE CREDITS!!!!

The Numbers

4 = continents visited

14 = countries visited

215 = days away from home

79 = beds slept in

6 = stomach bugs caught

3= colds caught

3= the number of times I got leaches

29,000 = miles traveled

Observations of America

1) It's cold!

2) Barack Obama is President

3) Gas is like 2004 cheap

4) After hours of YouTube-ing, I still don’t understand why Tina Fey’s portrayal of Sarah Palin is funny. I guess you just had to be there.

5) There is an "economic crisis" and everyone seems overly sensitive about it.

5a) John, you checked your iPhone 3 times over lunch and bitched about the stock market. Did you just consult a superfluous expensive device to tell you that you are poor?

5b) Nobody had a Superbowl party because of the economy? Really? Even though you all have the same job you had when I left, The economy wouldn’t let us all bring a 6-pack to someone’s house and watch TV?

5c) When you’ve been surrounded by people who worry about where their next meal is coming from, it's hard not to giggle when people who drive cars and live in houses cry about not having money. I apologize to anyone who I offended while laughing, don’t feel bad, I am unemployed myself.

5d) TV commercials pitch how cheap and economical their products are regardless what stretches they have to go to make it fit. By making your own Digiorno pizza you can save up to $4 on delivery and Sprint is saving the collective masses billions of dollars.

6) Technology has passed me by and in my opinion has surpassed any possible need it can meet. It's time to put the leash back on the engineers and the geeks and get them back into the nerdatoriums where they belong. Do we really need to watch TV on our cell phones? I tried buying a new laptop computer at BestBuy yesterday, there were 5 different kinds! “Sir, Do you want a gaming laptop, a desk top replacement laptop, a mini laptop, laptop stew, laptop gumbo, barbeque laptop…” "I want a LAPTOP LAPTOP!!!!!"

7) My nephew is still as adorable as he was when I left. However he now has more hair than me and answers my questions. “Did you poop in your diaper?”

“No,no,no,no,no!”

“No? Than who did?”

He points at me.

8) I now understand why America is the greatest place to live and I truely appreciate my citizenship. To all the America haters I met along the way…suck it!

Thank You

Jakes, Paul, Iris and Mutsa, The crew at Karongwe Game Reserve, The crew at Moby’s Backpackers in Hermanus, Mark and Gail, Frick, Nick and the rest, India for beating me into the strongest me ever, Raj, Deep and the Pahari Family, Party-on Jon “JD” Dong, Dan the crazy bastard, “The Israelis”, “The Irish”, “The Irish 2”, Kinley and Dshering, Nature, Andrea, Rae, Travis and Kelly for venturing out to meet me in the world, Jersey Jay Scouser, Trevor, Karl, Glenn and Claire, Skinner, Gordon, and the cast of many who I met along the way.

Lastly, thanks to all of you who’ve been following me, it’s been great having you along for the ride, especially through the tough times. The last number I’d like to post is

4,317 = Visitors to my blog since it started. Wow! Thanks for your support and your readership.

As the theme music comes to an end I’d like to say, this has truly been a life changing experience and I am so lucky and eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to be able to do it. I'm not exactly sure what’s next for me (book deal?) what ever may come, I will try to greet it with the same spirit. I wish you all the best.

And the death of my blog implodes back into nothingness...