A Relaxing Workday

After a stressful week during which Nicole and I had to figure out how we were going to move out of our current residence due to some pretty intense fumigation of the entire complex. With that and wedding planning stress building up, I had a trip with a long layover in Palm Springs and found it a perfect time to get away from it all and just enjoy the 90 degrees and sun while the rest of the country gets snow dumped on it.


Nicole accompanied me for this trip and after arriving late last night, we got breakfast at Sherman's Deli across the street for some omelettes. After that we walked around the downtown area for a bit, checked out a couple of the stores, and then walked into the Palm Springs Museum of Art, which was simultaneously marked "free" and also "$12." We ignored the second sign. We didn't spend much time in it, but checked out the Andy Warhol section. Nicole has always been partial to Campbell's Soup.

From there we checked out the rest of town, which seemed to consist of elderly folk and young kids roaming around aimlessly. Nicole stumbled across a statue of her idol, Lucy Ricardo. Lucy was also the namesake of Nicole's childhood guinea pig.

After returning to the hotel, we sat out by the pool for a while and came to the conclusion that nobody is in school today. There were a lot of kids for a Tuesday. Evidently spring break is still happening.









After this very taxing day of sitting in the sun, I had to go to work. Somewhat surprisingly, the most direct way to go from Palm Springs to Los Angeles in the evening is through San Francisco. Nicole narrowly got on the plane. I assume we can thank some geriatrics who were struggling to get their rascal through security and missed the flight. Nicole got the last seat on the plane.

Then in SFO, we had a three hour layover to do some more sitting. While we were eating a dinner from Klein's Deli, we spied Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, ordering a pizza next door. He looked like a sad shadow of his former self. The imagery of a large man in a fleece ordering a pizza in Terminal 3 is disheartening enough, but knowing that he was once one of the most powerful governors in the country is sad. I actually felt bad for him. But we musn't let former NJ governors bring us down. Nicole and I had a fine trip to a city that is a mere 2 (maybe 4?) huor drive from LA.

Short, But Sweet

I believe we are all familiar with the popular idiom, "Better to have loved and lost than to spend 24 hours in North Dakota." Don't know that one? Oh well, we can burn that bridge when we get to it. Point being, I was none too happy last week being stranded (on an off day mind you!) in scenic Minot, North Dakota. I could not leave the hotel for fear of being blown away. This week, I am in a much better mood. My overnights aren't amazing because I am still stuck with Fresno at the end of the trip and Cincinnati tomorrow, but I got to have some sun at least for today.

Although brief, I was able to spend the morning in Palm Springs, where the temps quickly jumped up to 90 degrees. LA's weather has also been lovely. It hasn't been as hot, but the rain has stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun returned to Southern California. My disposition has improved. My landing at Palm Springs was one of my best of all time. See? My performance improves when the environment is better. I had a nice breakfast at the Jewish deli down the corner and then sat by the pool for a spell. Ah.

Birds were singing, children laughing. The world was happy and gay. And on that note, I will share with you an account of one of Palm Springs biggest annual events -- the White Party. No it's not a gathering of Trump supporters, but rather one of the largest gay extravaganzas in the country. You see, the captain I was flying with had been here during said event and said that she saw photos of men's faces on every door going down the hallway of the hotel. She asked the flight attendant (who had specifically bid to be overnight during the white party) what the photos were for...

He said that you post your picture outside the door and gentleman callers (if you will) peruse the options as they stroll the hallway and will knock on your door if they like what they see. The person inside the room will then check the peephole and decide if they fancy you and welcome you in if the feeling is mutual. It's like Tindr, but with immediate results. I found it all quite fascinating.

Anyway, said event was not happening while I was there, so the atmosphere was fairly mundane. Today it's my leg from PSP to Houston and then we go from Houston to Cincinnati. It is supposed to be rain mixing with snow there, but at least I had some time to soak in the sun before leaving the beautiful weather behind. It is like I am solar powered. There should be enough saved up to get me through Ohio. In any event, I'll be here blogging here for you, as the expression goes, until the cows freeze over.

Happy Xmas!

 With just one day of recovery after my ambitious journey around the world, I set forth on one of my busiest days of flying ever. If you count my deadhead from LAX to PHX, it was a six leg day. Yuck. I knew it was going to be a stressful day when I had to hunt for parking at the employee lot. The airports were packed with holiday travelers. After quick turns in Tucson and Yuma (flying through a significant storm cell on the way), we flew from Phoenix to Palm Springs for our overnight.

On arrival at the Renaissance Hotel, I was informed I didn't have to sign in like the rest of the crew because my room was already assigned. Hmm...interesting. When I entered, I heard christmas music playing on the radio and saw this fine display of cookies and milk on the desk. Somehow, Nicole had managed to arrange this through the hotel. I sat there staring at it for some time trying to figure out how it got there. I checked the closets, but no Nicole. In any event, I ate them alone in my room with great ceremony.

The fat man with a beard had no chance at getting to those cookies. Maybe that's why I didn't receive a visit from him. Like most people in Palm Springs, I went to a Jewish deli on Christmas. It was packed. Everyone around me was going the traditional route and ordering bagels, lox and capers, or Latkes with applesauce. I went with an omelette and bagel. Praise be to bagels. Challah-lujah. Merry Knish-mas! Hamantaschen New Year! Ok, I'll stop. Matzo been all that food going to my head. May the rest of your holidays be stress free. xoxo