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.