Tuesday

June 12, 2001

vintage flood postcard

It's disturbing to discover that you are doing the same old boring thing you did last year on this date. I haven't done the journal for one year continuously, but I was making a pretty good effort last June. So, I was thinking I could have one of those 'one year ago' features. Geez. One year ago I was, um, driving to Houston! For a meeting.

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Only this time I wasn't going to do it all in one day. So I'd gotten a room. I left the office in time to get to Houston and check in and rest a bit. Then I went to Pappadeux with a colleague to discuss business.

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I got back to the room early. It is one of those cheap suite deals that has a kitchen and everything. But then you find there is one serving of coffee and NO filters for the coffee maker. And you call and they say you have to go to the front desk to get a filter. And they dole out *ONE*. Except they accidentally gave me two. I felt really triumphant. I didn't have two packs of coffee, of course. I had a heck of a time getting a connection on the dial-up so I gave up working. And I watched TV and read a novel and fell asleep.

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I've spent plenty of hotel nights alone in my time and they are always a little depressing somehow. You are comfortable enough and sheltered and have a bathroom and little soaps and towels. The AC works. It's fine but it's just so depressing compared to home. Especially if you aren't in the Four Seasons or something so you don't have a down pillow (we have six on our bed at home and I can always wrest one or two or even three from the other occupants). Instead there are three pillows but none really work for you.

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Anyway, there is nothing to complain about. Lots of folks are trying to dry out there houses here in Houston, downtown is really a mess. The news is full of pictures of piles of furniture and carpet outside. People drowned. There is an underground city downtown of underground garages and pedestrian tunnels and they flooded. I have nothing to complain about.

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