The beauty of vacation

I stayed up until 5:30 a.m. reading Dan Brown's new book. Good, but his editor really could have cut 60 pages.

I hate my freakin' cell phone

I cannot connect to Facebook. Well, sometimes I can, but other times - like right now, for no apparent reason - it tells me "you must log in first." Uh, hello? I've entered my password 40 times! It's like the problems I was having text-messaging Blogger. I'm not blaming Facebook, though. The common denominator is this stupid phone. Only two more weeks 'til I can cancel it!

Go Sox

You know how you always forget one thing when you go on vacation? This time, for me, it's socks. Start of a 10-day trip and I realize the ONLY pair of socks I have is the pair I wore yesterday! Guess I know what my souvenir of Canada is going to be. Maybe I can find a pair with little maple leaves...

Reno 4-1-1

We are back in Nevada. I learned a new phrase tonight: "Reno pretty."

LONG week

Monday I was tired and bitchy when I got home - possibly from not getting much sleep on Sunday due to all the caffeine keeping us going on the drive home. Tuesdays AND Wednesday I had meetings at church. Tonight I had to drive back to Sacramento for a meeting tomorrow. That means tomorrow night will be a 5-hour drive in the other direction. And on Saturday we have committed to an event 40 miles out of town at 10 a.m.

Las Chance

The Husband just went to stick money I didn't even know he had into the airport slot machines.

;-)

I just saw a convertible Hummer and the first words that came to mind were "wide stance."

Only in Vegas

Can you use the bathroom with Elvis (two of him in fact) AND a guy wearing a lion mask.

Day-um!

I just spent $15 on two scoops of ice cream. It would be cheaper dropping money in the slot machines.

Leavin' on a jet plane

I always think maybe I'll run into someone I know at the Wichita airport but I never do. Maybe it's karmic retribution for not spending time with any of my friends in town.

Home

Well, it's "only" in the 90's in Kansas. Dad & I went to the bank this morning and saw half the town. That's about the extent of the excitement.

9/11: The Aftermath

After navigating airport security at 5 a.m., I could kill Osama bin Laden with my bare hands!

Great Lesbian T-Shirt

"I'm not his girlfriend, I'm his competition."

Bumper sticker

"That was Zen, this is Tao."

Virginia was only preparatory

Charlottesville at the end of April? No, that's not hot. Sacramento at the end of May... THIS is hot! The last time I can recall being this hot was Miami Beach in July. But that was in a swimsuit, not a navy pinstripe suit.

Whoa-oa it's raining again

Went to Buffalo Wild Wings with a colleague. It decided to rain on us on the walk back to the hotel. Fortunately, that also cooled things off a little; it was mighty humid on the way over.

Just over 24 hours 'til I'm back home. Can't wait!

Bar food creme brulee

Creme brulee is not supposed to be cold. But I guess any creme brulee is better than no creme brulee at all.

April showers

It is raining now. The heat has definitely gone away.

El Presidente

Today we got to meet Vicente Fox, ex-president of Mexico.

What's weird

It's the end of April and we're on a university campus, but I've scarcely seen any students. Everything seems so quiet. Maybe tomorrow...

Priceless

I just saw an Under Armour commercial - using music from Schoolhouse Rocks!

Danger, danger

The same shopping center with the Boston Market (the only place within walking distance in this heat) also has a Banana Republic. At least I got a Mother's Day present.

Free advice for hotel contractors

Ever notice how, whether you're at the Travelodge or the Ritz-Carlton, there's always a towel bar hanging on only by the combination of deep screws, heavy wallpaper, and sheer determination? Here's an idea: reinforce the bathroom walls where it's logical to mount a towel bar!

Feelin' hot, hot, hot

Ate breakfast by the pool and I think I may already have a sunburn. I thought I had a small tube of sunscreen in the travel bag, but I'm not finding it. It's supposed to be "unseasonably warm" this weekend, but I may get to see a thunderstorm later in the week.

Wouldn't you know it?

We don't have Boston Market at home, so I didn't cut the Boston Market coupons out of the Sunday paper. Guess what's the closest restaurant to my hotel!

A one-hour flight delay is not a catastrophe

For the majority of American history, the idea of getting from one coast to the other in a single day was science fiction. In fact, for large stretches of American history, the existence of two coasts seemed fictional. Still, when you've been up since 3:15 a.m....

I am not used to urban life any more

Dulles airport is SO crowded!

Try a new posting method

Let's see if Blogger likes this better.

2nite on TV: The Ten Commandments. 2nite @ the bar: Hieroglyph hand stamp.

Well, we are thru security at the Austin airport and the flight to SFO says "on time" so far (knock on wood). 7 short hours and we'll be home.

For St. Pat's Day, we are at a town named Gruene (German for green, and pronounced "green" by the Texans).

Meals in TX so far: BBQ. Pizza (college town). Chicken fry. Johnny Rockets. PF Chang's (chains we don't have @ home). Mexican. Tonight?

3rd try: Eventful day. Outlet mall. Met up w/ friends. Saw documentary. Got invite to premiere after-party (not as glam as it sounds).

Isn't it interesting the formative experiences we have as children? I'd rather go to the dentist than shoe shopping any day.

Thanks to the time zone, I almost made it thru an entire SNL... Almost.

Drove back downtown but there was no parking by a theater OR a bar, so we came back to the condo.

Tonight we tried to go to another theater, but the movie was sold out.

Tonight I had the best pecan pie in history!

So far, SXSW seems less "scene" and more "networking" than Sundance, but maybe it's the venue. 1st film was @ convention center.

Saw 1st film - documentary about town in Ohio.

Rock hit the windshield of the rental car this morning. Great. This ain't gonna be cheap.

Well, we are here. It's a big crowd.

This 'hood is crawling with (straight) strip clubs. We attempted to go to a gay bar in the area but it had "gone the other way."

I'm gonna try this post 'til it works! Condo = "rustic cabin" btw 2 freeway-adjacent strip clubs.

Blogger is pissin' me off again. Yes, Sprint IS a supported carrier - it worked this morning!

Our ride to the airport was half an hour early. Our first flight is half an hour late.

Ya gotta luv the mall food court. Nothing says "America" like eating crappy Chinese between the woman with Subway and kids with Sbarro.

I've often wondered why Taco Bell didn't have enchiladas. Turns out the spork is not an effective cutting tool, even paired with a knife.

Happy freakin' new year. I feel like crap this morning and there wasn't even alcohol involved. I got food poisoning last night!