I left home yesterday (Sunday morning) at 6am. I was supposed to fly out at 8am but my flight was delayed. I suppose that would have been a great chance to go back and get my walking stick which my subconscious had conveniently forgotten but instead chose to consciously forget. I am so tired of the walking stick.
My first plane left at noon and arrived in Dallas around 6pm. Dallas was a long walk from one terminal to the next then waiting and frustration. I’ve flown Delta for so long I’ve started to take for granted good customer service. American Airlines does not compare. I arrived in Austin around 8pm, waited for luggage, waited for a shuttle to a hotel, talked to a neat person also attending my geek conference (aka Drupalcon).
I had a light breakfast, early lunch and no other food. I arrived at the hotel hungry to discover that it didn’t have a cafe, that nothing was in walking distance, that the only option was an overpriced tv dinner sold at the front desk for the microwave in the room. At least the bed was comfy.
I woke at 6am, had the Best Western powdered egg and mostly meat breakfast, then walked about a half mile to the nearest Car2Go. I just didn’t feel like dealing with a cab. Walking out of the Best Western I was hit by a wall of humidity and heat. There was a field of scotch broom the size of small trees. Flowers bloomed. Yards were full of cactus the way small ornamental trees are planted in Portland.
An hour to get to the hotel to find out the room hadn’t been changed from the person who didn’t go to my name (the person who went instead) and checked my bags so I could go to the conference without dragging them around. I took the class on security which was fun, ate conference food for lunch, conference food for early dinner, some socializing, my annual Rackspace t-shirt.
Back at the hotel my stomach started rebelling from the poor food. I went to a late dinner at a nice Italian restaurant called La Traviata. Duck confit and pinot grigio. I’m feeling much better. I’ll write up more another time. The pool opens at 6am and I hope to wake up just about then and try to swim a bit before breakfast.
Rebekah Golden 