Blahblahblahblahblah... gate

That's what I just heard over the PA system. I'm at the San Diego airport sitting in a wicked uncomfortable chair and waiting waiting WAITING for my plane to arrive. It's not late, I'm just early. And I really want a coffee or some sort of sweet pastry, but there are no restaurants close to me, and, as my bag weighs roughly 50 pounds because it's stuffed full of conference materials, I'm not lugging it to find a restaurant, regardless of how hungry I am. I shouldn't be--I ate breakfast this morning, including 3 pieces of bacon (there goes a week of not eating meat... but it was delicious). Maybe I'm just emotionally hungry because I'm missing my family. That must be it.

Anyway, I'm contenting myself with the free internet provided by the SD airport. Internet can, sometimes, replace a cinnamon roll.

Really eager to get home. This week has been good. I question the effectiveness of my being away from work for a week during what would be my third week of employment--the biggest value-add to my job now is being AT work, reading old materials, and finding out what the hell is going on. But, that said, it was a good conference and I enjoyed myself. I learned a lot, too. In Mass, things were, for me at least, a little simpler, given the fact that regardless what I was talking about, it was more likely than not that 1) people were going to look at me like I was crazy (with a select few exceptions...), 2) the Legislature wasn't going to fund it anyway, and 3) that the program I was proposing was going to be included in the Readiness Initiative, so why even consider it now? Because after all, the Readiness initiative was composed of hundreds of people with little to no tie to public higher education, and led by people with little to no experience or expertise in higher education, public policy, government, or, you know, THINKING.

Rant finished. But my girls from Mass know what I'm talking about. Indiana rocks.

I don't mind traveling, really. Sometimes I enjoy it (the physical getting from place to place, I mean--I always enjoy it once I get to my destination). I particularly enjoy travel when I can get a cheap upgrade to first class on a long flight (worth it!!!!), when I don't have huge layovers at airports like Kansas City or Cincinatti, and when I arrive home at a reasonable hour after a relatively short trip. Today is not one of those days. Not only do I have an HOUR to go before my flight leaves, I have an hour plus flight to Phoenix, where I have an hour and a half layover, and then I have a 3 hour flight to Indy. GAH! I'm not getting home till 10:00 tonight. That is me spending roughly 11 hours either in the airport or in the air. Somebody has got to invent a teleportation device. Why hasn't this been done??? Come on, market economy!!!! Do your job!

At least I have window seats. When I flew in, I sat next to a young woman with a little baby boy--2 months old. As you know, I have the fever, so that mommy-ache inside of me didn't mind my situation at all. But my brain screeched--sitting next to an infant on an airplane is, perhaps, one of the worst travel-based things ever. Because you're a captive audience to his or her poop, throw-up, lullabies, etc. etc. etc. But this little guy, who was named Parker, was delightful. I don't see any small children, so I may dodge a bullet.

There's a guy eating an Arby's Roast Beef sandwich... Torture!

Yours in misery,

Haley