As Samwise Gamgee says at the end of LOTR, "Well, I'm back."
Just in time for the deepfreeze, ole Homie came home. It was a pretty great trip, and even though I cut it short, I can honestly say I have no regrets- I went pretty much full-bore the whole time (though for me, scuba diving, whitewater rafting, going to a ballet and researching Maori mytholgy at a library are all equally exciting activities, so . . . ), ran out of money and decided to suprise my girlfriend by coming home for Christmas. gabrielle remains in Kiwiland and I look forward to hearing about the many adventures that are in store for her.
Oh yeah plus I got my old coal mining job back.
It's really cold here in Edmonton, though, and I'm really jet-lagged. But on the plus side I have discovered that spending time in the arms of the one I love is even better than abseiling into a 35 meter black abyss, which is saying a lot.