Broken Down

I'm still coughing my lungs out in Baltimore. I leave for home tomorrow, and I'm stuck in a coach center for a four hour flight, so I'm hoping I get shot or something before that. Anyhow, I've had a reaaaaaally bad past few months. I'm seriously considering cutting back on my travel. Yes, I'm getting to old for this, just like Danny and Mel. Hopefully, I'll survive the trip home in the morning. Got to be in Durham, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City next week. I'm getting tired just thinking about it. Later.

Flogged Again

I just made it to Baltimore, once again. I seem to be spending more and more time here... Anyhow, they had me in a smoking room, because my reservation seemed to have gotten messed up. I got up really early for the last couple of days for conference calls and other stuff. I got searched at the airport, harassed by the TSA, and my luggage looks like it has aged another ten years. I sat through the longest flight surronded by kids under two who were screaming and crying throughout the flight. Not a good day to say the least. Got to be up in a few hours, so I better sign off. I wonder how I've been able to survive throughout all this sleep deprivation. Oh, well... Later.

Nap Time

I decided that it was time to rest. I haven't started the normal work that I usually only have time for on the weekend. Amazing, isn't it? I guess I'll have to start getting my paperwork together for next week. In the past three years since I took this job, I have been going relatively non-stop. I guess that's my nature. I'm back home in California for another couple of days. I think I leave on Tuesday for Baltimore, so I'm going back to work now. I'll try to catch another break soon. Later.

Motor City Madness

After a long absence from the area, I returned to Detroit. I left San Francisco on a 6am flight, which is very unusual for me. Anyhow, this has been another one of those weeks that is worse than the baseline "Week in the Life" column that I wrote in my editorials last week. It's been a week of really tight connections, long sprints in Chicago and St. Louis, and the post-million mile depression. Anyhow, I'm in Pontiac, MI, a suburb of Detroit, and will be finally returning home tomorrow, if all goes well. I'm still sick, and coughing my lungs out, and I now have a few new opportunities to consider. The adventure continues... for now. Later.

One Million Miles

So, today, I finally have recorded 1 million miles with a single airline. As I fly multiple airlines all the time, this is an amazing accomplishment. Just had to mention it on this historical day. Anyhow, I'm at the San Francisco airport on my way to Detroit in the morning. See ya later.

Working from Walnut Creek

Yes, I waved goodbye to the moon over Parma, and started west for San Francisco, settling in Walnut Creek, CA. I'm at a wonderful Renaissance Hotel, which is a nice upgrade from the Courtyards and Fairfields and Hamptons and Holiday Inn Express hotels that I've been in lately. This bed is reeeeealy comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that I had to take a quick nap before checking my e-mail and working for the evening. If you're in town I highly recommend this place. Anyhow, back to work for me. I'm traveling back east to Detroit on Thursday morning, but at least I have another night in the Bay Area tomorrow. See ya. Later.

Moon Over Parma Again

My colleague came in from Chicago, and we're both waiting on the boss to go to dinner. Hope he gets here pretty fast. I'm starving. Apparently, it rained really hard in Cleveland, as the ground seem really wet outside. I had the drapes closed all day while I was doing my work, so I never really noticed. No moon over Parma tonight. It's starting to look really nasty out there. I guess the storm isn't over. Hope it blows away soon. I've got a job to do in Cleveland tomorrow, and then I'm due in San Francisco in the evening. Still have the cold and cough, and I'm still feeling rather miserable. Got to find some food, so catch you later.

Moon Over Parma

... or at least, North Olmstead. Close enough, since we're all near Cleveland. Just got in to Cleveland. Unfortunately, there's no food after midnight (bear in mind that posting time is noted in Pacific Time). To top things off, my hotel reservation was cancelled on Friday for some mysterious reason. Not the thing you want to hear at midnight when you haven't eaten all day, and are scrounging around the vending machines for potato chips and other strange looking expired food substitutes. Anyway, I got the hotel mess settled, and got some chips and cookies, so I'm happy now. I've got to get this internet connection straightened out before my projects in the morning, so I've got to go. Later.

California Dreaming

I decided to sleep in. Not a really good idea when you only have about thirty-two hours at home. I decided a few weeks ago to take Saturdays off in order to work on various household projects, and more importantly, to get a life. It's working out well so far. I visited an old friend today, and I'm going to try to catch up with everyone I've been ignoring for the last few years since I've been doing this non-stop tour of duty. Unfortunately, it's time to pack for next week's adventure. Got to go. Later.

This Is Living!?

Just made it back home from one of my less than stellar travel weeks. Urbana, IL; Meridian, MS, and Cape Girardeau, MO -- All in THREE DAYS!! These were some of the most horrendous flights I have been on in recent weeks. The turbulence was enough to make me worry. And let me tell you, it takes quite a bit of turbulence to get me concerned about landing in one piece. Delta lost my luggage, and when I got it back it looked like someone had run over it a few times. I've also been branded as an official oddity in Mississippi. Apparently, everyone was coming over to look at the "strange Asian feller" who got profiled at the airport. They must think I'm some sort of drug lord or terrorist. I probably should not have started this journey in the first place, after the ER incident earlier this week, but it's a living... I'm going to do a little work tonight, so I can take tomorrow off completely. Maybe I can get back to the doctor's office. Also promised a friend that I would help him out tomorrow... I've got to travel to Cleveland on Sunday, so it's off to work for me. Later.

Luggage Lunacy In Atlanta

This week is not shaping up to be one of my more shining moments. After spending Sunday night in the Emergency Room with a bad medicine reaction, and Monday in Long Beach at a job (one hour after discharge from the ER), I got on yet another plane to Urbana, IL. Got lost for the 203rd time, and almost didn't make it. Well, I got out of Urbana, through Chicago on multiple airline carriers, so they lost my luggage. Not a good thing, since I changed into some casual travel clothing before I left Urbana to get to my overnight stop in Atlanta. Well, I've got to get a few hours of sleep before my early morning flight to Meridian, MS. Later.

It's Official... I'm Sick

So, I finally broke down and went to the doctor's office to hopefully get some sort of cure all medicine for this week's worth of abuse. He gave me some more Robitussin. Oh, well. I'll probably recover as long as I can stay on the ground for a little while longer. I'm grounded until Tuesday, but I still have some local sites to visit, so work continues as usual. Back to sleep for me... Later.

And so I returned home . . .

. . . not exactly in one piece. Anyhow, I just got back in from Nashville. I was coughing all the way back. A very disturbing woman in front of me on the airplane kept leaning her seat back all the way to annoy me, so I'm sort of glad my coughing was annoying to her as well. Looking back at the week, I spent over 30 hours in transit. That's more than one whole day out of my week just traveling. If there's anything that can make you sick and irritable, it's that. I'm in town for a few days, then I'm off to some of those hard-to-reach cities: Urbana, IL; Meridian, MS; and Cape Girardeau, MO. That sounds like a fun week... NOT. Now I need some sleep -- in my own bed. Maybe I can get up early enough to get to the doctor. See you later.

Recovering in Nashiville, TN

Well, I survived Houston (sort of), and made it to Nashville, but I think I've exceeded my capabilities. There's no doubt about it. I've got a cold, and for the first time, NyQuil did absolutely nothing to supress it. I talked to a few of my colleagues tonight, and they suggested some Sudafed and Robitussin, so I went to the corner Walgreen's (there really is one on every corner). I also talked to my young friend James tonight about some computer stuff, which also reminded me that it's time for me to update my personal page with my new schedule. Well, I'm stuck here in Nashville until Friday, and I've got a cold. Double Whammy! I've got a speech to write for Monday, so I've got to start burning the midnight oil. Later.

Back Home, Once Again

Home again. I'm off to my friend Jon's place to meet him for lunch. I'm in my once-a-decade cleaning mode, and decided to clear out some of the closets and actually throw out some stuff. I took Friday and Saturday off to start this massive project. This is unprecedented in the history of my employment. After all, I've got junk that dates back to the '70's. Bear in mind, I date back to the '70's as well, so we're talking about a lifetime worth of stuff. I'm back to work tomorrow, and I'm off to lovely Houston, where it is possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk at this time of year. Hope there's air conditioning. See you on the road.

Reporting from Ocala, FL

After returning home last week, I traveled across the country to Florida. Earlier this week, I flew into Tampa, and then went to Fort Lauderdale and back up to Ocala. Long week.... Anyhow, I'm headed out from Ocala to the Tampa airport tomorrow afternoon, and will hopefully get home tomorrow night. I'm thinking of staying home this weekend for a change. See you this weekend.