the great Assembly

Last year I missed the family assemblage while in Holland, and I swore it wasn't gonna happen to me again this year, so to Massachusetts go I. As is usual with the expat life, visits to The Homeland involve lots of scheduling, much conferencing beforehand, a lot of "what's your plan for _insert date_". It's also the Time for Stocking Up, so thank you USD for being in a particularly fortunate position for Those from Iceland (all twelve of us). Of course, others here have put in requests for cheap stuff so I will return with an assortment of products that people here are wanting (crocs for the boss's kids anyone?).

And going the other way, my parents have managed to become great enough fans of Iceland that my mom has not once, but twice requested baggies of that dried fish-jerky specialty, harðfiskur. The rest of the space will be jammed with wooly things, chocolatey things, and licouricey things. Fun times ahead as I descend on the customs dudes at Logan with a bag smelling suspiciously of a stale tidal pool.