I’m in a nondescript hotel room in the nondescript city of Orlando. Yay. I don’t want to travel for work again in the foreseeable future.

My mood, I think, is impacted by the fact that I’ve hit a couple minor frustrations on the trip. I just went down to the attached mall to pick up food at the mall but the line at Subway, which sounded good tonight, was a mile long. I tried to get upstairs to order room service but my key wasn’t working correctly and I had to input it into the door about fifty times before the door opened. Now neither the wireless connection nor the wired internet connection are working. The cord that attaches to the wall appears to be broken and won’t stay secure in the computer jack. Yay. The hotel is sending someone up to check it out. I wonder which will arrive first, my pasta or the computer repair person. I need the net connection soon because I have to find the shuttle service’s phone number so I can arrange for a pick-up tomorrow afternoon. Of course, I have to check the conference website first because I don’t remember my presentation’s start time. Can you hear my teeth grinding? Sure you can.

Today wasn’t a total loss. This morning I replied to all my student teachers’ journal entries and read a couple chapters of an action researcher’s first draft. Then I cleaned the kitchen (and the kitchen was dirty, I tell you) and left the house in good condition for M and the boys’ return from school. I also did the YMCA elliptical and played an hour of basketball before lifting weights. The flight wasn’t bad. I finished the book on the guy who left Microsoft to start Room to Read. The last half was perfect plane reading; I never bothered putting on my headphones. After arriving I was worried the shitbag Mears company would fuck up my shuttle but they were ok, and the driver, a young, skinny guy, was nice.

Ok, the computer repair guy was just here and he said the line was broken. He’s getting another wire. Yay! I was right.

M and I talked a little tonight. T apparently had a bad day at school yesterday. He told her about it last night. I guess it hurts that he didn’t talk with me. I don’t want him to be like me at that age; I tried to hold everything inside. That worries me, esp. on a night when I’m hundreds of miles away from my family.

Ok, the computer guy hooked up his cord. Let’s see if the connection is working. More later, maybe.