Hasta Luego

I had visions of having a Town Car sedan pick me up to take me to the airport tomorrow morning...that was after I decided it was too much to ask my favorite wife to get up at an ungodly hour so I could be at the airport before 6:00 am. Then, I checked on the costs. The costs have risen since I last took a sedan to the airport. They want $85 at a minimum, plus a $10 pre-6:00 am surcharge, plus $7 for tolls (?), plus a 20% gratuity. I wanted a 5:15 am pickup, but I'll be out the door, as it turns out, around 4:00 am. Woof!

So, instead, I've arranged for SuperShuttle to drop by; they name the time, based on my flight time. They'll be here between 4:00 am and 4:15 am. Even with a tip, though, the cost is only $30. Of course, there may be 3 other pickups and six other riders, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $130 for a ride to the airport! Criminals. Thieves. Republicans.

I'll try to sleep on the plane. Then, I'll take a short cab ride to a multi-million dollar home on one of the Fort Lauderdale canals (with direct link to the Atlantic Ocean), exchange pleasantries and paperwork, and be on my way back to Texas. The weather forecasts call for rain all over the southeast for the next few days, so I doubt there will much of an opportunity to have the top down. Plus, the temps here in Dallas dipped into the low 50s last night and never got over 55 today; tonight, the forecast is for the mid 40s. And it's all heading east. Oh, well, I'll be happy to have an opportunity to have a blast of cold air in the face from time to time, having had few such opportunities for the past many months. With good timing, good roads, and decent weather (coupled with staying awake and alert), I may make Tallahassee on Tuesday...certainly, I'll get at least as far as Gainesville. Then, the next morning, I'll push west toward New Orleans, jutting north and westward just before I get to the Big Easy. I could, conceivably, make it all the way to Dallas on Wednesday, but I'm not going to overdo it. I may intentionally take it a bit easy so I can play a little more hooky.

Whereever I am on Thursday morning, I have a 5:00 am Central conference call with a group of Asia Pacific folks. So, if I'm still on the road, I'll need to make certain I can get a high-speed internet connection on Wednesday night for my early-morning Skype call on Thursday. Yes, hooky sounds a bit more interesting now. If I'm going to have to interrupt a good time for sleep on Thursday morning, I might as well take a little time off from the office that day.

It's 9:00 am in Big D, time for me to go to bed since I have to be up at 3:30 am for a refreshing shower, a quick shave, and a long wait for coffee. Buenas noches y hasta luego, amigos!