Jet Lag, Satchel Paige, and Greg Maddux

OK, so I've been totally delinquent. I blame it on jet lag, which seems to be unending. Every time I think I've got it licked, I pass out for four hours in the middle of the day.

The most important thing is not that I got home safely, but that Satchel totally remembered me. My parents informed me via phone (I cabbed back to their house, can you believe it? They made other plans-- the day I'm coming back from a six week trip) that Satchel had spent the day in vigorous play with his 'cousin', a shih tzu named Jackson who belongs to my aunt and uncle, and was pretty wiped out from all the activity. When they did come home, I was thrilled when he took one look at me, charged into my lap, and climbed up me, licking my face and making a little crying sound. It turns out six weeks was not enough time to break the puppy-owner bond. It was enough time for him to gain two pounds, for his hair to grow completely over his face a la the just-turned-on-to-drugs Beatles, and for him to completely wrap my parents around his little paws (as if they weren't already-- but trust me, it's gotten worse). Anyhow, he is adorable, we're all settling in well, and things are good.

Also, we went to the beach the other day so my dad could make some repairs on the deck and I could watch Satchel do his little freak-out dance in the sand. He and I took a nice little walk down the beach, and he got really excited about a dog tied up behind a house a ways up from ours. I debated whether I should let him go say hi since the other dog was tied up, when the other dog's owner came out and untied her. The other dog's owner was Greg Maddux. Full disclosure: I did know his family bought a house on this beach, so this wasn't a total surprise. But what made this even cooler was that before Satchel was Satchel Paige, he held the name of Maddux for about an hour. I personally overruled it on the grounds that Maddux was likely only a Dodger for one season, but it also had some historic significance as a name which made it suspect. Anyhow, Maddux's wife, other dog, and daughter all came out, and we chatted. During this conversation, I became the most awkward and tongue-tied version of myself. I could not say, Hey, are you Greg Maddux? We're huge fans, and guess what my dog's name is and almost was! I did use his name once in front of him (sans 'Paige', which he only gets when he's in trouble). While Satchel was proclaimed adorable by the Maddux women, which just proves they have eyes, he was in no mood to play with the other dogs and just pretty much wanted to break into their house. Even though this was a perfectly natural interaction, I felt as if at any moment I would be found out as a stalker so I took my leave and ran home to share our celebrity encounter. What a cool homecoming.

Oh yeah, the rest of Shanghai was great, and I have a zillion pictures. I'll post those soon. Now find me a place to live!