Tuesday

May 16, 2000

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I'm so boring

I gave my speech today in the conference. Except for knocking my microphone off one time, I didn't fall down or anything. (Actually, things like that keep people awake laughing at you.) Actually, it was really OK. I got a pretty good crowd, good questions and one of IBM's experts attended and later said it was a good and accurate talk. (I made him anwer a couple of questions. So there.) He's really a nice guy, though, and not pretentious. The other experts in the area didn't come.

I attended a few more sessions, but spent most of the day medicating what I think is an allergic reaction to this hotel. I had room service with one of the Nancys. How festive. For lunch, which I missed because of talking to a guy after my presentation and tearing down, I had a Baby Ruth bar and Fritos. Really.

I went to the company party for about thirty minutes and went outside to breathe some air outside the killer hotel. All this and they didn't give me a mini-bar and I have to drag the bedside phone to the desk to use the data jack. That means draping the cord across the floor and we know how clumsy I am.

The company party had, I understand (I was still snoozing at the time) armadillo races. I saw a somber Japanese guy in a hat sitting on a longhorn steer getting his picture taken and turned away in shame. A guy was having shoot-outs with various employees at the door. The band played 'Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother' during the brief period I was there. I think it was a nice and well-received party. I just wish I'd felt like having a beer or something. One thing: the killer hotel has kept me from drinking a drop of alcohol for days. Not that I'm trying to quit. Just a note.

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So...more hours of sleep, sleep, sleep inside the beast that's trying to kill me. Hey, I think I spent some trying hours with poison ivy surging across my skin in this same hotel. Maybe I'm just having a flashback.

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