Home For The Holidays

Holiday travel is one of those things that all road warriors try to avoid, if possible. In the last few trips during this holiday season, I've noticed that many people are just forgetting about common courtesy while traveling. In one trip, some vacationers were boarding with several oversized pieces of luggage. I don't know how they got it past security. Many families were traveling during the season. Most kids are pretty well-behaved, but I inevitably get some kid sitting behind me, kicking the seat continuously for the entire trip. Just before the Orange Alert started up again, a lady sitting behind me was complaining about the size of the aircraft, and the fact that we were on the ground pushed back from the gate for ten whole minutes. Then she proceeded to complain about the pretzels and drinks. She just wouldn't shut up for the entire trip. I guess some of this stuff is universal, but it does seem more pronounced during the holiday season. Maybe next year I'll stay home for the holidays. I'm off to New York tomorrow, which seems only fitting, as it is the first day of 2004. Happy New Year! Later.

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my readers. I posted this on another one of my sites, but I thought I'd run it simulcast here.

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the nation,
Another trip came up, much to my indignation,
The road warriors were home, all except for me,
I was trapped in Orlando on December 23,

The roadways were jammed. It was a terrible place.
And as for the parking, not even a space.
The airplanes were crowded, not even a seat,
For friends and family for the people to meet.

The wait time was longer, about two or three hours,
While waiting in line next to people who don't take showers,
The odor was alarming. It really did stink.
By the end of the line, I needed a drink.

I don't really touch alcohol, not even a bit,
But traveling before Christmas puts me in a snit
The alert level was orange, a step above yellow,
Which made travel nuts, and definitely not mellow,

The agents were nasty, and as rude as can be,
For the week I got searched, not two times, but three,
Wanded and prodded and patted and poked,
It would be easier to just shoot me, as I've often joked.

A woman complained about the size of the plane,
She wouldn't shut up, and said it again.
Her husband was patient, but she was so loud,
Her voice filled the airplane and disturbed the crowd.

The children were screaming really loud in my ear,
In the seat behind me, and kicking the rear.
Our plane trip was over, it was a long way to fly,
Through snowstorms and thunder that lit up the sky.

For luggage, in line, we waited and waited,
On the speaker was someone who seem constipated,
I'm finally home, and that being said,
Merry Christmas to all! I'm going to bed.

I think this sums up the week pretty well. And, as I mentioned on that other site of mine, I guess I can't quit my day job to become a poet. Happy Hoildays to all! Later.

Hibernation

I just got up, and it's after two in the afternoon. I'd usually be working right now, but since e-mail and other services are down right now, I just thought I'd goof off for a little while. It's been quite a while since I've done that. It's also been such a long time since I've had my usual weekly hibernation session. After all, without this session to recharge my batteries, I'd completely melt down during the week. As you can imagine, with my schedule lately, I haven't had too many chances to recharge. This is the first time I feel like I've actually gotten a good night's sleep in a really, really long time. It doesn't sound like I'm going to get much sleep in the upcoming months, so I guess I'd better enjoy it now. I'm back on the road again tomorrow, and then I'm going to take a well-deserved vacation for a couple of weeks. Later.

Passing Time

Yet another year has passed, and I'm still on the road. I'm on the road 51 out of 52 weeks this year. I spent the greater part of my birthday today in Minnesota, freezing my butt off. I expected to get stuck in Minneapolis, but they seem to have a good handle on dealing with snow. Much better than I do, anyway. As I mentioned earlier, I don't do snow very well. I especially attempt to avoid it on my birthday. I got delayed in Chicago today, and got myself a hot chocolate. That's about it. Not much excitement, other than the fact that I'm on the road and going to bed in Tampa, FL, tonight. So, another year, and a kazillion miles later, happy birthday to me! Later.

Going To Extremes

I can't believe I have to get back out into the field already. It's bad enough that I don't get to sleep any more, due to these early flights. My birthday is on Tuesday, and I'm spending it in Minnesota, and I'm getting on a plane to Florida after that. Talk about going to extremes, huh? Yep, it's Minneapolis and Tampa this week, and my flight is in a few hours, so I've got to start packing. What happens to these weekends anyway? I spent the weekend working, and I'm still not caught up. I seem to remember telling myself that I would stop working on Saturdays. I wonder what happened to that plan? I'm looking at the calendar, and you can congratulate me, because I've been traveling EVERY WEEK THIS YEAR!!!! This is a first for me. It's already the middle of December, and my first week that I'm not traveling (for business) is the week beginning December 29th. That's just not right. No wonder I've been cranky this year. I'd get a desk job, but not traveling would be an even worse shock to my system. Talk about extremes... Later.

A New York Minute

This has not been a good week for transportation. I wasn't supposed to get a car in New York, but I did, because my colleague had a plane delayed due to the weather in the northeast. Apparently, the 18 inches of snow made things run a little slower in Boston and New York. At least I didn't have to drive much in New York, since my friend Denise was able to drive around in the snow and ice for me. I do not mix well with snow, as I have mentioned earlier. I had trouble with the car rental people, as someone gave away my car, and I had someone else's name on my receipt. It took a while to get that fixed, and it took the hotel an hour to send a shuttle to pick me up at the airport on Long Island. Of course, I was waiting in the freezing cold weather, because they said that it would be there any minute. I returned my rental car the night before I had to leave, since I had one of those quadruple connections at 6am, before the car rental place opened. The hotel only offered shuttle service between 6am and 10pm. Since the hotel was relatively new, the taxi driver in the morning couldn't find it, and when he finally showed up it was 40 minutes before the plane was taking off. Then the real fun began. I flew into Boston, and had to switch terminals, but at least I wasn't traveling alone from Boston to San Francisco. Unfortuneately, from Boston, we had to connect in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Usually, I wouldn't mind a connection in Las Vegas, but we only got 10 minutes there, so what's the point of that? We got to San Francisco eventually, and had to deal with the fact that car rentals are really, really, really far away from the terminals, and it was really confusing to get there with the relatively new train system. It's off to Minnesota for me next week, despite my better judgement. I wanna go home!! Later.

Let It Snow . . . NOT!

A light snow was falling earlier this week in Youngstown, OH, and Kansas City, MO. I typically don't like to drive in snow, but these days, I really don't have much of a choice. I'm on my way to New York on Monday, and I've heard that they are expecting 18 inches of snow with no relief in sight until Tuesday. Not a good thing when you have to do the Los Angeles-Boston-New York-Boston-Los Angeles-Las Vegas-San Francisco-Los Angeles run within a four day span. Of course, at least I'm hitting major cities for the most part. My days in Hawaii and California (excuse me, Cah-LEE-forn-yah -- the new approved state pronounciation from our governator) have not really prepared me for any type of cold weather. In fact, driving in snow, looking at snow, being snowed on, or being within a 100-mile radius of snow, are things that I really try to avoid as much as possible. Get me back to my tropical island in the Pacific. . . Later.

Out Of Range

Well, my e-mail isn't working, but since I have an internet connection, I thought I'd blog a little. Allow me to catch up on my adventures of the week. I started in Springfield, once again. Actually, I had to drive an hour or two into Joplin, MO, for the evening. After an odd drive back into Springfield (by the way, there's no place like Springfield), I caught an early flight into Cleveland, which was delayed anyway. I was going to stay in Cleveland and drive tomorrow, but that plan got shattered when my partner for this trip had to fly into Pittsburgh. So, I rented a car and drove a couple hours into lovely Youngstown. Way too much driving on this trip... My cell phone has been in roaming for most of the trip, too. That means that I haven't been in what my cell phone company considers "civilization." My phone has been going in and out of service every few minutes in my hotel room. I guess this room in this hotel is the outer limit of civilization, at least, according to the phone company. Back to Kansas City for me tomorrow... Later.

Sleep Deprivation

The effects of sleep deprivation are not pleasant, especially when traveling through the holidays on business. As I have grown older, I have a lower tolerance and increased sensitivity to beaurocracy and stupidity. Maybe I've started to grow a little inflexible, but this kind of job will do that to you. I'm going to hit the magic 300,000 miles this year, which is a record for me. Getting there was not without its costs. This week, I had a long trip into Des Moines, and then another trip into Houston. Traveling during a holiday week is the first step down the road of insanity. There were a lot of families slowing the lines, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I arrived in Des Moines after midnight, and had to do a lot of "catch up" work, which only allotted me about 2 hours of sleep. After that, I had to catch a late flight into Houston (arriving at 1am), due to the cost of the flight, which caused me to have a grand total of 45 minutes of sleep before I had to start getting ready at 5am. I'm not sure how I was able to function, but I got through both days. It's a good thing I have an "auto-pilot" setting. Even with that, I don't recall too much of the last couple of days. Maybe that's a good thing. Another horriffic trip starts again on Monday. Later.

Delay In Dallas

The journey is sometimes more memorable than the actual trip itself. Earlier this week, we had a few weather issues which grounded me in Dallas on the way to New Orleans. It was one of those classical trips in which I started out at 4am, as you can see by my previous post. My connecting flight in Dallas was missing an airplane. In fact, the airplane got diverted to Sheveport, and couldn't take off again. So, they decided to get a plane from Little Rock to take us over, but, as you know, there is always the staffing issue as well. We were missing crew. This caused the flight board to move from 3:35 to 4:15 to 5:00 to 6:00 to 5:35 to 6:25 to 7:35 to 6:00 to 6:25 to 7:00 to 6:45. This was, as you can imagine, a bit unnerving for all the passengers. Well, we did take off, eventually, but there was another problem -- It was no longer a 50-seater. They got a 37-passenger plane, and 13 people were bumped. I wasn't one of them, though. We had another problem, also. If we didn't take off by 7:30, the crew's time would expire, and none of us would get there. Anyhow, it was a mad rush to get to the plane in the downpour, and get everyone situated in order to take off just in time. What an adventure! Later.

Battle Stations

I spent yet another all-nighter preparing for the next trip. Considering that the flight is out of LAX, and it is at some unreasonable hour in the middle of the night, like 7am, I decided that it was only appropriate. From the work perspective, I'm nowhere near ready to go. Don't get me wrong -- I'm almost packed, and I have most of my paperwork together, in preparation to leave for the airport. Even being up all night did not quite get me ready for what I needed for this week. I'm still backlogged with some tech work. I'm also not really mentally prepared to get on that airplane in the darkness of the night, once again. But I guess it's time for me to get back onto the playing field. Now, as I was saying earlier -- onward to New Orleans and Nashville! Yet another all-week trip begins once again. All hands to battle stations! Later.

Crash Landing

For every thing there is a first time. This week, I actually called in sick. You see, I think I got some bad curried tuna or something in Sacramento. I was scheduled to be in Dallas for the rest of the week, but instead, I got to stay at home and get some rest. It takes a lot to get me off the road. Granted, I felt like something from Alien was going to burst out of my gut. After all, this is the first time in over a decade that I called in sick, and it is the first time that I have had to arrange alternative coverage for an appointment. I'm usually pretty resilient, and travel while sick, dying, or zombified. I'm feeling much better now. I guess there's a lot to be said for getting some rest. Onward to New Orleans! Later.

Undulations Of Sacramento

I'm sure my friend Nancy will appreciate this post. I recently returned from Sacramento, and I ran across an unusal sign in a residential neighborhood -- Undulations Ahead. Now, being the inquisitive type of person that I am, I was wondering what exactly that meant -- undulations. The dictionary defines undulations as 1. A regular rising and falling or movement to alternating sides; movement in waves. 2. A wavelike form, outline, or appearance. 3. One of a series of waves or wavelike segments. Sounds like something that happens in -- well, you know. Anyhow, I was wondering what was so special about this neighborhood to have several warning signs about undulations ahead. Are people really that more prolific in this neighborhood than any other neighborhood in the rest of the country? Then, it suddenly occurred to me. There were bumps in the road. Why couldn't they just have said bumps ahead? Wouldn't that have been simpler? Only in California. . . Later.

Just Let Me Burn

Just when I thought there would be nothing to write about on my trip to Sacramento, I had another fire alarm incident, sort of. You see, despite the connection through Phoenix, and the flogging at Long Beach security yesterday, I kind of assumed it was just going to be another one of those normal travel days. Anyhow, when I arrived in Sacramento, I got a cab driver who didn't really speak English. I had no idea if he was taking me for a tour of the town or to my hotel. At least I got there in one piece. After I checked in to my hotel, I decided to go right to sleep. After all, it was around one in the morning. Around two in the morning, the smoke detector started to beep intermittently. Given the fact that I am one of those vertically-challenged individuals, I decided to stand on a chair to disconnect it. I was figuring that I just wanted sleep. They could just let me burn for all I cared at that hour. After figuring out that the smoke detector was connected to wires in the ceiling, I decided to call the front desk and got another room. Well, I just got home in time to go to Dallas on Wednesday. I'm off again. I must be, in order to do this job . . . Later.

Stringing Along

Once again, it's all about security. It's amazing. After a quick unpack and repack job, I went back to the airport for yet another flogging, less than 12 hours later. At smaller airports, you practically have to strip down to your underwear in order to pass through security. This time, as I was putting my belt back on, it got caught in one of the plastic trays that go through the x-ray machine. Unfortunately, the TSA agent decided to gather the trays with my belt buckle stuck in between the trays. As my belt was halfway on, and I was stuck to the tray, she decided that was the appropriate moment to stack the trays and move them, dragging me across the counter with them. Not one of my finer moments, to be sure. Well, at least it was a short trip. I returned home, just in time to go out again on Sunday. Until then. Later.

Back In Time

The temptation here is to sleep. After all, it's about 1:30 in the morning, and I just got back home. The good news is that I can sleep in my own bed. The bad news is that I'm scheduled to go to Phoenix tomorrow, I mean, today, then to Sacramento and various other locations on Sunday and beyond. Under normal circumstances that would be just another day in the life. This time, though, I just got back from Raleigh-Durham, and I'm noticing that the cross-country trips are really taking their toll. I got the official word that I might have some relief in sight, but even if they hire someone, it'll take about six to nine months to fully get someone up-to-speed with what needs to be done. I'm guessing that I'll fly apart long before that (if I haven't already). I should unpack, repack, and do all that other stuff, but I think I'll finish unpacking in the morning. Hope I have enough laundry for this. I just don't care any more. I'm tired. I could use some sleep. For me, this week doesn't end for at least another month. Onward to the Third Ring of . . . I mean, Phoenix. Later.

Grounded

This is the city. Los Angeles, California. I work here. It's a city devastated by many natural disasters. Fires ravage the surrounding areas of the city closing many airports, and other roadways. The devastation included many homes, neighborhoods, and entire communities. The fiery blaze can be seen in the distance, and to the untrained eye, nature's fury masquerades as hell on earth. Far in the distance, the smoke billows from the mountains. My phone started ringing at an unusual hour of the morning. When that happens, I go to work. I got a call to attend a meeting out of state next week, but I'm grounded in Los Angeles until then. The story you have heard is true. The names haven't been changed, because I didn't use any. It was Wednesday. It was humid and hazy and snowing ashes in Los Angeles. I am a Road Warrior, and I carry a laptop. Later.

Rising From The Ashes

I escaped from San Diego county, but the devastation of Southern California continues. It was an eerie drive up the coast in the semi-darkness filled with smoke and ashes. This has been one of the most harsh environments I've seen. Imagine if you will, regular Los Angeles smog to the tenth power. Not only can you see the air, but you can feel it as well. That's a bit disturbing, even for a person like me, who doesn't trust any air that I can't see. Well, after driving a few hours through the fire and brimstone, I finally got home. Due to some cancellations in my schedule, I've got more time at home this week. It's ironic that I finally get some time at home in Los Angeles in the middle of yet another natural disaster. I guess I just can't catch a break. The plot (and the air around here) thickens. It's a bit curious, though. I have this morbid urge to get a look at the fire from an aerial view. Yes, I actually want to get on an airplane. I think I'm going to be ill... Later.

Dining On Ashes

I've truly achieved the title of Master Of Disasters. After all, what kind of fool would be the only one on the freeway going into a city that's being evacuated? Me, that's who! I'm at a conference in San Diego tonight, and most of the county is on fire, and various parts are being evacuated. It's just like the winter -- except for the fact that it's warm, and snowing ashes all over the place. Far in the distance, you can see the fires burning bright. Kind of like having your own version of hell in the distance. It's a really surreal feeling. When I was setting up earlier this afternoon, many of the people who live north of San Diego were mentioning that they couldn't get home, due to all of the freeway closures. It's amazing. They closed the airport, so I'm doing a solo act at the moment, since my colleagues couldn't get in today. Early this morning, I finished writing the second installment to my Changing Times editorial, and I do recall saying something about being in the middle of many disasters. Well, I guess I spoke too soon. Here's another one for the books. Let's hope I don't need to evacuate before I'm done on Tuesday. I knew I was getting burnt out, but this is ridiculous. Later.

Alarms Don't Go Off In Weiner-Mobiles

I was shopping in the Baltimore area with a friend earlier this week. When we finished with our meetings, we stopped at Westfield Mall in Annapolis. We heard a car alarm go off as I opened the door to my rental car. As a seasoned road warrior, I often get cars with cool little clicker gadgets that turn on the alarm or open the trunk. I love gadgets. They're really cool. But I digress... This time round, the rental car company must have been running out of cars, because they gave me a downgrade into a really small red car, which we christened the weinermobile. When you have a Geo Metro-sized vehicle, you can bet that it doesn't come standard with an alarm system and cool clicker gadgets. After all, alarms don't go off in weinermobiles. It must be the fact that I'm a realtively short person, because logic never seems to prevail in any travel occurrence. That's why I get convertibles during the winter in the northeast, and minivans for which I can't reach the pedals in Canada. Oh, well. Later.

Honey, I Shrunk The Rows

I was doing some light reading, and found an interesting article that sums up some of the worst airline seats. Having flown all of these airlines, I agree. The cramped quarters on these airlines is intolerable. Contrary to popular belief, I don't fly in first class on every flight. There have been way too many times when I have been crammed in a coach center seat, with the person in front of me leaning back to crush my knees. I just had one of those wonderful experiences on America West today. They may not top the list, but traveling coach in center seats is really, really bad. I agree with the article. I prefer American Airlines with the wider rows. Anyhow, it took over 12 hours for me to get home once again. Despite the good trip up to Baltimore, I'm still ready for retirement. It's always been a long road home lately, and I think my day is finally over. I'm ready for some new challenges on the ground. Later.

Baltimore, Once More

I'm back in Baltimore, yet again. I'm stuck here until Friday, so I've holed up in a nearby airport hotel. I had the strangest experience on the way up. I came through Atlanta, and we naturally arrived late for the connecting flight. As I exited the aircraft in Atlanta, preparing for my long sprint across multiple terminals for a flight that was supposed to leave in ten minutes, I noticed that the gate was in the same concourse. Not only in the same concourse, but the same gate, as well. In all my years, I don't think that's ever happened to me before. I was actually using the same aircraft for a different flight. That was just incredible. Even though I arrived after midnight, and had to settle for take out food, the journey has been worth it. Time to pound the pavement again tomorrow, but until then, I'm enjoying the fact that I'm in the same hotel room for three whole days. After all these years, it just doesn't get any better than this. For every thing, there is a first time. I know, I know. It's not over yet. But, if only every trip started this way. . . Later.

Slowing Down

I took a vacation today, which really means that I had a whole lot of personal stuff going on in my life, so I couldn't get myself onto an airplane. I'm doing a cross-country tour tomorrow, so I guess that more than makes up for it. I've been considering scaling back a bit, as I have started to feel like I'm actually aging. I already written about my "dog years" theory in one of my editorials, so I'll leave the explanation to that. Also, it's starting to feel a bit monotonous. Kind of weird, huh? I mean, it's a different city every day or every few days. I feel like a moving target. That met my needs a few years ago, when I needed to be a moving target. My needs have changed, and I think it's time for me to start some new challenges. Don't worry. I'll still be here, reporting my misadventures from various ends of the country. After all, scaled back or not, once a road warrior, always a road warrior. Let's go to Baltimore -- yet again! Later.

The Pavement Pounds Back

I was just in Las Vegas on business. By the way, that is one of the most tortuous places to be on business. It is meant to be a vacation town, and there are way too many temptations there. But, I digress... I returned home without quite returning home. What do I mean by that, you ask? Well, it was time for a local trip. What a concept! I had to pound the pavement in Los Angeles, traveling to a site that was *gasp* just a few miles from my house. For some reason, the work day just seemed incomplete without the obligatory strip search and magnetic wand treatment. I used my own car, which was an unusual experience as well. It's a great car, and really fun to drive. I never realized it before. It's much better than all of the car rentals lately. For some weird reason, I'm a little more tired than usual. Maybe it's the local area that is the life-draining experience. Or maybe it's some of the other stuff going on at work. In any event, I'm back for another round of this tomorrow. Later.

The Great Luggage Race

My luggage and I raced home today. My luggage won, and I came in a distant second. The airline decided to bump me onto a different routing, thanks to a flight delay which would have caused me to get stuck in Atlanta. I guess they realized that I didn't like getting stuck in Atlanta more than ten times in a year. At any rate, my luggage actually made all the appropriate connections, but I didn't. I got back to LAX a little while ago, and for the first time in many moons, my luggage was actually waiting for me. Now, things like that just don't happen to people like me. Hey, I also got a travel voucher out of the whole experience, too. Amazing, isn't it? And just what I needed. *sarcastic grin* Traveling for vacation? What a concept! I need that as much as I need another hole in my head. ;-) Later.

Miracles Of Modern Medicine

Traveling while ill is one of the worst possible things you can do. However, when hundreds of people are depending upon you to deliver various presentations at a conference, you just can't ignore it. So, I caught yet another cold from a combination of various sick people around me, and being trapped in a sealed large Tylenol-shaped tube for over eight hours. Even my trusty sidekick, Demo Duck, couldn't help me get through this week. I found several miracle drugs, including Advil, DayQuil. and Claratin, but I probably cancelled a few of them out by taking all of them at the same time. Oh, well. Maybe Demo Duck can quack through my presentation tomorrow. Time for more drugs. Then, I need to get out of Philly tomorrow. Another meeting awaits in lovely Las Vegas on Sunday. If I have to get on another plane, I think my head will explode, so maybe I'll get lucky, and someone will shoot me before then. Later.

They All Say D'oh

I didn't see Homer Simpson while I was in Springfield. Disappointing, to say the least. However, I did have the cartoonish adventure through security. I forgot the pain of being in a small town airport once again. You can't wear belts, shoes, pants or underwear through the metal detector, or it will go off. I got to the airport, and for the first time in quite a while, I beeped through the metal detector. What set it off, you ask? Well, it wasn't the shoes, since I put them through the x-ray. It wasn't the belt, since that went through, too. It wasn't anything in my pockets, since all of that stuff went into one of those plastic tubs. The suspense is killing you, I bet. Well, it was the little hook on my pants. You know, the little metal hook that they put there in place of a button. What fun. I had to undo my pants, just so the TSA guy could get a look at my underwear once again. D'oh. As Chief Wiggum once said, "That's what they all say. They all say d'oh." Later.

There's No Place Like Springfield . . .

. . . but this time, we're in Springfield, IL. Getting there is half the fun, but only if you share the ride. After Tampa, I caught an early flight to Detroit. Had a great dinner at a restaurant near the spot that Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, and then moved on to the journey into Springfield. Let me tell you that it was a strange adventure. I was on standby on United -- as you already know, for me, having my eyes gouged out seems to be a more pleasant experience than riding on United. Anyhow, I got to Chicago relatively early. Unfortunately, the escape from Chicago proved quite difficult. Apparently, one of the planes caught fire on the runway in Chicago, and there were convicts on the plane. Evacuation proved difficult, so they shut down a runway and closed a few flights, and others were delayed. After a long delay, and a dramatic standby experience for my colleague who got bumped from the earlier flight, my colleagues and I finally got to Springfield. When we landed, it was dark outside, and we didn't see too many sites, other than the TJ Maxx nearby. But even in the middle of the night, there's no place like Springfield. Later.

Insanity Is No Excuse

I just came to the realization that I'm off again tomorrow. I know, I know. Insanity is no excuse. I don't know why the trip tomorrow surprises me, since I'm always in the field somewhere. You see, I just started having a life again, and I almost forgot what it felt like. Anyway, for those of you who know me, you can go to one of my other sites to get more information about that. Anyhow, I almost forgot about the regular routine. You know, a couple of loads of laundry, packing the regular suitcase, rotating the emergency suitcase for last-minute travel, prepping the work for the next day, etc. Instead of doing that stuff, I actually had a regular weekend. What a concept, huh? Well, I'm paying for it now. I'm in the middle of my second load of laundry, and starting the packing routine, a little later than usual. I'm thinking about cutting my six day work week back to five. What a concept! Get ready, Tampa, here I come. Later.

Elbow Man Returns

Welcome back, my faithful readers. I continued on the journey of the long road home last night. I eventually got here just before the sun came up, but on the way, I ran into Elbow Man once again. If you don't want to follow the link, I'll refresh your memory. Elbow Man is the guy in the center seat that really doesn't want to be there. Since he already has that bad attitude he takes it out on the people who are around him. I had a rather large fellow sitting next to me in the center seat. He was quite unhappy that he had to get up to let me get to the window seat. After that, he decided to place his elbow in my gut and his other elbow into the gut of the guy in the aisle seat. He read his newspaper and bothered the guy in front of him too. What a jerk. Fortunately, I only had to put up with him for a little more than an hour when I connected in the fiery depths of --- umm, I mean the Atlanta airport on my long journey home. There's more to tell, but I'll save that story for another time. Later.

I Have My Connections

Once again, it would have been kinder to shoot me instead of having to actually go through this horrible travel week. I'm never, ever, ever, ever, ever going to consider doing a day trip again. I got up at 4 this morning to catch a quick flight to Hartford. For those of you who don't know me by now, I am NOT a morning person. I go to bed at 4 am. I usually reserve that time for sleeping. After a long, tortuous presentation, I headed back to the airport. Because of the cheapskates in my company, I was not allowed to return on a direct flight back to RDU, so I could get more than three consecutive hours of sleep at any point in time this week. Instead of returning at dinnertime, I just now got back to my hotel in Durham. Connecting in Baltimore, and being forced to fly Southwest is cruel and unusual punishment indeed. I'm getting too old for this . . . Tomorrow night, after a long day at the office, I have the journey into the depths of hell on the way to the long road home. Yes, I'm connecting in Atlanta in a non-upgradable fare. Onward to Los Angeles! Later.

Triple The Torture

They should have just shot me today. It would have been kinder than what they put me through in Indianapolis. I'm beginning to hate Delta, because this is yet another SSSS ticket that they gave me. Then they delayed the flight, which almost stranded me in Indianapolis. Fortunately (depending upon how you look at it), I talked my way into a reroute. Unfortunately, that meant a trip outside of security and a triple search in Indy. I've been poked, prodded, and zapped too many times today at the same stupid airport. I think I'm radioactive from that wand that kept beeping over my head. Someone must have implanted a metal plate or something. Anyhow, they made me undo my pants three times, probably just to see what color underwear I was wearing. I just got to RDU after a reroute through Pittsburgh, and my luggage actually arrived here. Someone ran it over about three or four more times, based upon tire track marks, and the fact that it was caked and covered with mud. But I'm here, and it's just past 1am, so I've got to get some sleep. I just have to survive a quick side trip to Hartford tomorrow and the long road home the next day, and then I can put this week behind me. Later.

Bringing Chaos Back To Order

I'll have a side of fries with that. Just kidding. It's been a trying day. I've got to stop traveling on Sundays, but I keep getting sucked into these Monday deals across the country. You shouldn't have to cross three time zones, and go back one in order to get to your destination. That just isn't right. It all started at LAX early this morning. It's taking a LOT longer to get through check in, because they have just complicated the process by adding more blockades. First, you go into the line for check-in, which usually takes 30-90 minutes in and of itself, even for elite members in a frequent flyer program. You'd think they would let you check your luggage in there also, but no -- you have to go to another line for that. Unfortunately, since there is only one person working that line, it takes 60-90 minutes to go through. After you get to the front of the line, you're not finished. They were just teasing you. You have to go to yet another line to actually verify that your bag got through. If it did, that's great, but then you've missed your flight, because you've already been waiting for two hours, and your plane took off. Then it's back to the original line, and then you have to go back into the luggage lines again. Once you finally get a flight, you get to go through to the "get yourself frisked" line, because you changed flights today. Obviously, that makes you highly suspect that you are a terrorist or something. It apparently has absolutely no bearing on the fact that the whole luggage procedure with up to 5 different lines is retarded. Now, once you get frisked, you have to get to your plane, which has probably left, because the wonderful TSA has to make sure that you aren't carrying some sort of weapon in your underwear. I still don't get why they want everyone to undo their pants, or is it just me? Anyway, after finally getting to Atlanta, my connection was delayed, and I still had serious concerns that my luggage would wind up in Delhi, India, since I was heading for Indianapolis. For some reason, even I am not exempt from the stupidity of all of the chaos that our own wonderful air travel industry has created with government intervention. You'd think that elite status on four different airlines, most of them at the top-tier, would count for something. Wow, this post is turning into an editorial-length feature. I'd better save some of this for my October editorial page. Bedtime for me. I'm tired. Later.

Returning From Beyond

Well, I finally got my DNS changed to the correct location, so within a few days all of you should be seeing my latest rants for the last few weeks. It's good to officially be back. I hopeful that we will not have an absence of this length again. Back to the wonderful world of ranting about the TSA and other stuff. Now where did I leave off? Oh, yeah -- the Road Warrior Dragnet. It was a cool and overcast Thursday in Los Angeles. The captain called himself "Pilot Bob." The airline was Delta. My name isn't Friday, but I am a Road Warrior, and I carry a laptop. Later.

Ahead Of The Storm

A storm is raging in the Atlantic Ocean, and my friends in North Carolina and the rest of the east coast are currently bracing for the impact tomorrow. I'm heading into Durham next week for the aftermath. However, I just got back from rural New York. It's been a long week, and it's only Wednesday! Well, the TSA is getting a bit worse these days. After locking me out of my luggage countless times, and sending me through the security mess that requires you to take all of your things out of your bag, put them back in, and then take them out again for a random search. I'm grounded until Sunday, so I'll let you know about the aftermath when I get to Durham (with a quick side trip to Indianapolis). Later.

A Day Off

It's that time of year that I wax philosophical. Now, for some reason, I have a weird reluctance to get on an airplane today. So much so, that I have delayed my travels until Friday morning. It's just a quick weekend getaway. I haven't done anything like that in close to a year, and I feel that it is quite overdue. I've been working a lot harder than usual (which, for me, is really pushing it over the edge). I think in the past couple of years since that other 9/11, I've been doing more than my part as that "footsoldier in the new global economy," as one reporter put it. In that respect, the terrorists really did not win. I've been going stronger than ever, and for that, I think I deserve a day off. Not out of fear, but exhaustion. Later.

Lost Between The States

It was a pretty rocky start to the week. My pants split on the way to San Diego, so I had to make a quick detour to pick up some new pants. Then, I caught an uncharacteristically early flight into Cincinnati from San Diego this morning. I connecting to Chicago on a 6am flight, which was quite painful. The worst part was the fact that the Cincinnati airport is really in Northern Kentucky, so I proceeded to get lost in both states today. I wonder if I can count that twice. Guess not. Anyhow, that brings my count to 207. After two painful hours, I finally made my way to the hotel, where it's time for dinner. So, I'm off. I kind of have to be in order to do this for a living, don't I? :-) Later.

The Technical Difficulties Continue

I'm wondering if my site will ever come back up. I'm just finishing up some editorial duties on various other pages. I'm glad that I'm searchable, but it's kind of frustrating when my other service locks me out of changes for weeks. I'm off to San Diego in the morning, and then it's onward to Cincinnati for the day. I'm back on Wednesday, which is pretty unusual for me. It's just as well. Traveling on September 11th kind of gives me a funny feeling anyway. I've got some more editorial duties with that new book of mine, and one other site to do. Hey, at least it keeps me off the street at night. Later.

Search Me

Hey, I found out that I made it onto Yahoo!, MSN, and Google! Just use any search engine, and look for Beam-Out. Cool! I'm there! I've got my own spot on the World Wide Web as finally acknowledged by major search engines. Now, when this site comes back up, that will be even better. Don't you think? I'm still waiting for the changeover to my new hosting service. I'm sure it will come through soon. Until that happens... Later.

Proof Of Flogging

I drew one of the SSSS tickets again today, thanks to my one-way trip from Portland to Long Beach through Seattle. Anyhow, I got to go into the "flogging lane" in security. If they are going to frisk you anyway, why do they make you go through the exercise of taking all the stuff out of your pockets, shoes off, etc., and then do it all over again once you pass through the magic gate. That just doesn't make any sense to me. But then again, it's the TSA, who, by the way, once again locked me out of my luggage in Portland when I arrived from Baton Rouge. When all was said and done, they stamped my boarding pass, so I wouldn't be flogged in Seattle again. It's the Proof of Flogging stamp, issued by the TSA. This is one seal of approval that I could do without. Later.

It's Not My Imagination

Greetings, my faithful readers. I was going through security today, and the lady behind me got nailed. After she went through the rigourous search procedure, she came out and told her husband that she had "been through a whippin'." Now, I call it a flogging, but however you define the term, the TSA people are just ridiculous these days, especially at some of the smaller, more backward airports like Long Beach. That seems to be the only place where I still have to take off my belt, in addition to the shoes, and have the TSA people scan my pants zipper. Anyhow, I'm in lovely Baton Rouge, LA. And I think it's some sort of state law that you are required to have some gumbo while in the state, so that's what I had for dinner. My site is still down for a bit while I transition to a different hosting service, but I'm sure it will be back up and running shortly. Later.

Technical Difficulties

Well, my ability to post to my site is down for a while, but I'll continue writing, because someone out there seems to still be reading this stuff. How about that? The site has been up and down lately, and I've been locked out for the last several days, so I'm getting another hosting service. That should fix things for a while. It's a long weekend, but I'm at home, which is really unusual. GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! Anyhow, I'm off to Baton Rouge on Tuesday. Later.

The Third Ring Tour Of 2003

I just got back home from Phoenix, where it really started to cool down a bit. The nights were only in the high eighties, which is pretty good by comparison. I have been to Phoenix a bit too much in the last month, and since my August trips to the area are officially over, it's time to put a close to the Third Ring Of Hell Tour of 2003. Let's start gearing up for the 2004 tour! This last trip was the most difficult, with the sleep deprivation factor which was left over from the seven-hour delay out of Dallas. I wound up at my hotel after 3am, and when I started doing my e-mails, people were already up on the east coast responding to me. I then proceeded to get lost for the 206th time. However, this time, I was hopelessly stranded in the desert somewhere halfway between Phoenix and Flagstaff. What a trip! I think this is one for the books. Well, I'm home for the weekend, and then off to Baton Rouge, LA, next week. See you then! Later.

Stuck Between The Rings

I got stuck between Dallas and Phoenix. Due to weather-related issues, I was stuck on I-635 for well over an hour-and-a-half, which caused me to miss my flight, which was cancelled anyway. Well, that's not all that caused me to be late. Our meeting was delayed by over an hour, in which time they had us in a waiting area, and had us finish just in time for rush hour traffic. How rude! The airline was going to charge me a change fee, but I talked my way out of it. There was a big lightning storm along the way today, and it was a spectacular display, to say the least. To any road warrior, the first thought is always, "We're NOT taking off in that...". After the storm, things are starting to get back to normal -- delayed flights, lost luggage, and excessive passenger complaints. As I said, back to normal. I'm still stuck at the airport waiting for a flight. The next stop is Phoenix, which is known (in August) as the infamous Third Ring Of Hell. Later.

. . . Or Was It?

It was a relatively uneventful trip to Dallas. I got lost once again, which makes 205 times in my career as a road warrior. It was one of those classics, once again. I turned on various streets, accidentally getitng onto freeways going in the wrong direction, without any nearby exits. After an hour, I found my way to the hotel, which turned out to be much easier that I thought. The weather isn't too bad today. There was a brief shower earlier today which cooled things off a bit. I've got a couple of meetings in the morning, then it's off to the races, or at least, back to the Third Ring Of Hell tomorrow. That should be something. Later.

It Was All A Dream . . .

I'm off to Dallas in the morning, and I'm thinking this entire week was all a dream. After all, when do I get over five whole days at home? Unhead of, to say the least. I've noticed this recurring theme of TV shows going on in my blog lately. At least we're getting some of the old primetime favorites. You wouln't want me spouting off stuff about some late night Ronco Fry Daddy or some sort of Real Estate infomercial, would you? That would probably be a bit more appropriate, but really strange. I'm sticking to my story, though. This has all been a weird dream. If it worked for an entire season of Dallas, then it's good enough for me. Onward to Dallas, then it's off to that Third Ring Of Hell, once again. Later.

Desk Duty

This is the city. Los Angeles, California. I work here. It's a city that is heavily traversed. Various modes of transportation are available. We have over 500 miles of freeway that stretch in many directions throughout the city. We've got more commercial airports than any other metropolitan area in this country. It was Thursday, and it was warm and humid in Los Angeles, and I was working through the evening at my desk. It's a strange feeling for a road warrior to actually get some time at his desk. I was spouting mundane imitations of Dragnet on my blog. The story you have heard is true. The names were not changed, because I didn't use any. I am a road warrior, and I carry a laptop. Profound apoligies to Jack Webb. Later.

Trapped In The Third Ring Of Hell

Still Phoenix... Still August... Get me outta here. My flight -- the last flight of the day out of here -- was cancelled due to damage to the airplane by a luggage cart. I've got a meeting tomorrow morning in Los Angeles, and I'm on a 6am flight, which is not my favorite time to travel. It's still over a hundred degrees in the shade, and I still have to come back to Phoenix next week. Aaaaargh! Ok, we've established that my state of mind is not that great, especially after fighting with hotels and airlines to get all of this stuff paid for. At least I'm home for the rest of the week. Haven't done that in a while. Later.

Return To The Third Ring Of Hell

I'm back in Phoenix in August. Got in after midnight, and it was still about a hundred degrees. I've got to stop coming to Phoenix in August. The sad part is, that I'm back here again next week after a short stint in Dallas. This was one of the few visits that the TSA people forgot to lock me out of my luggage, although they seem to have run over it with another truck. I'm still sick, and I think my doc-in-the-box really needs to go back to medical school. The floggings continue tonight. I'm traveling back to Los Angeles, but I won't make it home until tomorrow night. Later.

Flogged and Blogged

I got back home yesterday, with the usual difficulty. Took off the shoes, belt, and all of the other stuff for our friends at the TSA, and they still locked me out of my luggage. I still haven't gotten much sleep in the last few weeks thanks to those silly pills that my doc-in-the-box gave me a while ago, and the stress in the homefront. On a more fun note, I've added a few more links to the side of my regular and archive blog pages. My friend James will be starting a blog shortly, so I'm sure it will be a fascinating experience. I have added a link to his blog site on my side bar. Anyhow, I'm on United tomorrow, and they practically strip search me every time I use them, so that ought to be fun. And the floggings shall continue... Later.

Darkness Falls . . . Down A Well

I managed to escape the Northeast Blackout of 2003, which affected Detroit, Toronto, New York, and various nearby areas. I'm still in DC, and I probably will get delayed, bumped, or scrambled tomorrow with all my flights. After all, I've got to get back home in order to fly out again on Sunday. Like I said, I don't think I'm making much of a difference out here any more. It's not because of the job, but rather, it's the fact that I think I've finally gotten to the point that I have outgrown it. It's time for some new challenges. But that's a story for another day. Later.

Who Moved My Cheese?

Like a rat in a maze, I made my way through Washington, DC, in the middle of the night. I was trying to find my way to my hotel this evening. Unfortunately, I could see the hotel, but thanks to all of the one way streets and confusing signs, I circled the town for more than an hour within complete view of the hotel. I have now been lost 204 times in my career with this company. I should have retired after number 200 in Baltimore earlier this year. It would be nice to feel like any of my travels actually makes a difference for anyone. Oh, well. Later.

Sleepless in Seattle

I've wanted to borrow that title for a while now. I landed at SEA-TAC earlier today, and it wasn't raining, which was a big surprise. After all, it rains over nine months out of the year in Seattle. Anyhow, my colleague and I drove from the airport into Bellevue, one of the suburbs in the area. I'm still not functioning on all thrusters from last week's adventures, but I'll get by. I haven't been able to sleep very well in the last few days, and I'm sure tonight will be no exception. I don't leave for Washington, DC, until Wednesday, but I'll move to a closer airport hotel tomorrow night. Back to work for me. Later.

Escape From The Third Ring Of Hell

I'm back at home, after escaping from Phoenix. This week really wasn't supposed to happen. I traveled across the country to Durham, NC, and caught the last flight out to Phoenix. I woke up at a reeeeeeally early hour for a conference call that never happened. I still have my cold, apparently. I had terrible muscle spasms throughout the trip, and I fell down on a short set of stairs after one of my meetings, and sprained my ankle, once again. I'm taking the rest of the week (or at least what's left of it) off. Next week, it's Washington state and Washington, DC, in that order. Later.

The Third Ring Of Hell Revisted

Of all places, I had to get back to Phoenix in August, the hottest month of the year. I landed in the middle of the night, and it was still about 100 degrees! Of course, my frame of mind after close to eight hours of travel from Raleigh-Durham was not all that great, either. The worst part is that I have multiple trips into Phoenix this month, and my travel desk seems to be wanting to route me through Phoenix for most of my upcoming trips this month. Not the most pleasant prospect in the hottest month of the year... I'm cutting this week short and going home tomorrow (I guess I mean today). Home on a Wednesday night -- what a novel concept! I don't think I've been home more than twice on a Wednesday night in the last couple of years. Anyhow, I've got to get to bed. I've got a call at 7am. Brutal! One of these days, we've got to synch up these time zones a little better. I always seem to be in the time zones that the world forgot about. Later.

Dazed And Confused

Since I'm home for about thirty-nine hours, I decided to go back to the doctor for the cough. It seems that every time I get any new medication for this cough, it gives me some sort of interesting side effect. The first one landed me in the ER when I thought I had a stroke. The second one sent me into the state of confusion. No, not California. It was still a really strange place, though. This last set makes my blood pressure go up quite a bit. I've decided that I'm not going to keep up this pace any more. Not physically possible. In the meantime, though, I've got to pack... I'm off to RDU later this morning. Later.

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.

Reporting from Baltimore, MD

I'm in Baltimore once again, and for the first time in many years, I'm feeling time zone challenged. I think it has to do with that nagging problem of aging. I was planning a lovely six hour drive to Durham tonight, but I found a flight that gets me there this evening, which sounds a bit more sane. I'm starting to think that I'm getting a little to old for this...

Greetings from San Diego

I woke up this morning in Phoenix, which is currently synched up in time zones. This has been a good week, despite a few travel setbacks which you'll see in one of my editorials later this month. I'm back on the road again, and I think things are starting to get back to normal, for the first time in quite a few years. This time, I'm not working myself to the brink of destruction. Seven days a week is a bit too much... I've started to actually take one day off every week, which I haven't done in several years. Since I have control of my schedule, I'm attempting to be a bit more humane to myself. I've got a conference call at 5:30 in the morning, which I consider cruel and unusual punishment, so I've got to sign off once again. Take care, and I'll talk to you from one of my adventures in Baltimore or Durham next week. See you then!

My So Called Life (at least the part of it that wasn't stolen)

It's strange what you can get done when you are actually home for more than 48 hours. It's been a really wild experience, aside from the identity theft and other goofy stuff I had to deal with. I actually had time to catch up with a couple of friends this weekend. Who would've believed it? More editorials are coming your way soon. For the first time, I'm finally catching up with life. Amazing what 96 hours at home can do... I'm on my way to Phoenix tomorrow, so take care and travel safe. I'll be back... (Isn't that what Arnold said?)

Back Home from Hawaii

I went to Hawaii, came back, and here I am again. I am waiting for the next adventure, but I have four whole days at home, which I haven't had in a long time. After a week back home in Hawaii, I am ready for retirement. However, I know that's not yet possible... at least this year, anyway. My next adventure takes me into the Phoenix and San Diego area later next week. I'll do my next report from the road. In the meantime, I think it's time for more storytelling, so I'll work on my editorials this weekend. Catch you later.

Turbulence Over Texas

Just got off a really bad flight. I used to think bad flights were ones that had the passengers applauding when we landed. However, I have some new criteria. For the first time, I started thinking about retiring from all of this based upon the awful turbulence. Sadly, this was a really short flight from Dallas to Houston, which usually lasts less than an hour. One more day in Houston, and then it's onward to San Antonio. See you later.

Greetings From the Homefront

And so I returned. I finally made it home from Minneapolis, and before I head out to Dallas on Monday, I thought I'd say hello to all of my readers out there. It was an unusual week, as I was in the same hotel for three nights earlier this week in Baltimore, and three more nights in Minneapolis. I acutally started to get used to the bed. Anyhow, by standing still for a few minutes, I also noticed that my momentum started to slow down a little, which might not be a bad thing. I'll let you know during my tour of Texas next week. I'll be reporting from either Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio. I'm getting tired just thinking about it. I've got to visit my bed, which I haven't seen in quite a while, so I'll see you next time.

Baltimore Unlimited

I've been in Baltimore, Maryland, since Sunday night -- well, rather, reaaaaaaaly early Monday morning. It's nice to be in the same hotel for a few days. I'm visiting various places around Maryland for the next couple of days. The Baltimore airport is really an unfriendly place for luggage. A strange woman, who was obviously a leisure traveler was being very obnoxious in baggage claim, and I stopped short of telling her off. Advice of the day: Don't mess with me after fourteen hours of travel. I think I crossed the country a few too many times in the last couple of weeks, as noted by the discovery of a few more gray hairs on my head than last week.

Portland

Once again, I crossed the country to land in Portland, Oregon. About five thousand miles in less than thirty-six hours. Not bad. At least I'm here for a couple of days. I think age is catching up with me, though. I had a couple of interesting experiences on the last few flights, so I think it's time to update a few of my editorials. I'll work on that soon. Talk to all of you later.

Boston Flogging, At Least The Seafood Was Good

Well, I made it to Boston, which is my intermediate stop on the way to Portland. No, not Portland, Maine -- I mean Portland, Oregon. And yes, I just flew in from Phoenix. I had one of those travel days, complete with the usual flogging from the good old TSA. I think it's time to start writing yet another editorial about this. However, I'm really tired, and I have to be up in another few hours, so I guess I should get some sleep. Good night.

Ping Pong, Anyone?

...and the adventure continues from Phoenix, Arizona. After a quick stop at home, I hopped another plane to get here. After a brief flogging at the airport, it was a relatively rough flight without any major incident. At least this time, I had a nice dinner. That's something I might not be able to do during the rest of the week. I'm off to Boston later on Wednesday afternoon, so I'll sign off for now.

Burritos In Ohio, Indigestion At 35,000 Feet

I'm reporting from Columbus, Ohio. It was a bit of a rough trip, thanks to the weather, and the fact that I got stuck in one of those nasty coach seats with no leg room. Bear in mind that I am a relatively short person, and when I complain about leg room, it's really got to be bad. I got in really late, too. It was another one of those microwaveable burritos for me tonight. One of these days, the airlines really need to start feeding us more than peanuts when we cross the country (or at least more than two time zones).

And the adventure begins again...

Welcome to my Personal Log. This is a section for my ramblings about current events on the road. Hey, it's cheaper than hiring professional help!