Normal.

Sioux Falls is hardly an urban mecca, but I can go to Barnes & Noble and thumb through the new releases, then grab one and start reading it while having some apple cider or some froo-froo coffee drink. Maybe I can even sit down if those damn 16-year-old high school kids actually leave a table and their "studies" for a bit. And then I can go to the library and check something out because I'm not much for buying books anyway.

I can lay on my couch on a Sunday afternoon and watch football and make chili. I do not have to watch my one NFL game at 11 p.m. on Sportmania with terrible Spanish commentary dropped in over the top.

Next Sunday (or maybe Monday), I will climb in my car and probably drive to Madison for a day or two before heading home to Green Bay for Thanksgiving. I will practice in the history classrooms at the Humanities Building and I will savor whatever it is that makes that building smell like it does. I will get to spend the holiday with my family, and because everyone celebrates Thanksgiving here, I will not have to work.

Sure, I make less here and yes, I do miss the weather and the beach over in Valencia. There are a lot of things that I do miss about Spain, including some things that I didn't think I was going to miss. Next weekend we're going to do a concert production of Tosca, and while I'm sure it'll be fun, I'm also sure it won't be the same as what I got to enjoy last year.

I'm not sure how you put a price on normalcy - or if you even can. But I feel like that's what I've reclaimed, in some small part, by taking this job. I feel like I have a normal life again. And that alone makes everything else worth it.

In other news...

• Guitar Hero III is not really any better or any worse than any of the other Guitar Heros. If you liked the first two, you'll probably like the third. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking.

• While some fawn over their iPhones, I must say that my Treo 755p does just fine. And considering that I pay $30 a month for 500 anytime minutes, 7 p.m. nights/weekends, unlimited roaming, unlimited data, and unlimited texting, I think I'm pretty happy with Sprint. I've also got so many credit codes applied that I'm not paying my first phone bill until February. If anyone hates their provider and is looking to switch, let me know and I can walk you through what I've done to procure such a fine deal.

• I want an iPod touch. Really, I think I just like the commercial. I have a 5th Gen iPod video that does everything I need. I never use the address book or the calendar, and I don't watch videos on it.

• Living in a place that is predominantly Vikings country, watching them get throttled by the Packers today provides a special kind of satisfaction.

• The New York Giants need to stop wearing red jerseys at home. Once a year is still one time too many.