this is how I knew I was back:

Or "call LowFace he'll hook you up"...

I knew I was transitioning back to Los Angeles when I was sitting in terminal 2 in Minneapolis. I knew that my flight was cheap, but seeing a homeless man in the waiting area was rather shocking. He looked like a bear, hunched over, hair white-yellow and matted, reeking of smoke, red swollen faced and sputtering. I had a hard time convincing myself that he was real sitting there. More like a premonition of things to come.

He of course sat right behind me on the plane. (I wish I were making that up for effect, but I am not) The pregnant orthodox girl and I share a glance and I know what she is thinking immediately

"please do not puke"

We arrive in LA 3 hours and 20 snoring minutes later. I pick up my bag head to the pick up area and there he is waiting outside smoking and sputtering. He is picked up 20 minutes later in a candy apple red Porsche.

I am definitely back in LA.

It is planes trains and automobiles back to my apartment. I wait patiently for the 720 along with 30 plus other tired Angelenos. I can tell it has been a while and mta is trying people's patience, especially since there is a Mayan woman on the corner trying to save our souls. She screams at a man smoking a joint on the corner, about marijuana being a gateway drug to hell. "READ YOUR BIBLE!" she screams at him, I think she is trying get a few of us sinners in her tirade as well.

I just want to get home.

And of course, she gets on my bus and sits just a little bit behind me and when someone laughs she says:

"We pray for those who laugh because only sinners laugh in the face of god."

She speaks in tongues for a while between stops all I can gather from this rambling on are the words "final year" in Spanish.She continues to try to save each one of us leaving us with a final message, like a fortune in fortune cookie.

Mine was "Remember Jesus loves you and he would never give up on you and you should never give up"

I guess it is a nice sentiment, to never give up. I decide to take her advice and file the rest away as nonsense.

What a way to be welcomed back, I missed you Los Angeles.