Flashback ... to the 1800s

This is a story from ... today, in a county in East Texas:

ANDERSON COUNTY, TX (KLTV) - Many Texas Courthouses fly both the American and Texas flags, but the Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine now flies three. The third flag is the first Confederate flag. Anderson County Commissioners voted Monday to approve flying the flag. They declared April Confederate History and Heritage Month to honor those who fought the Civil War.

Cold In Oklahoma City

Saturday in Oklahoma City.  Yesterday was so gorgeous:  sun and seventy degrees; today it was cloudy with highs only near fifty, with a stiff, damp wind that left wind chills in the 30s.  I'm so glad I did the memorial and some walking around yesterday.  Wow, was it cold!

Today I went had a nice breakfast at the hotel, then headed out to the Oklahoma Museum of Art, then to have a look at Bricktown and its canal and riverwalk.  Next, I took to the car and explored some neighborhoods, popped into a western wear store, and went to the mall for sock shopping and to Target to get some undershirts.  Undershirt and sock shopping is not very interesting but it was productive.

I was struck again today by how empty Oklahoma City is.  It feels as if it's been evacuated:  there are no people and, while there are parked cars, there are almost none driving the streets.  It's all very, very odd, as one sees.  This is just a sampling, as I'll update my website shortly.

Fifty Before Forty

Just in time for my big four-oh, I finally made it to my fiftieth state, Oklahoma.  I flew into Dallas last night, overnighted there, then fetched a rental car and drove up to Oklahoma City this morning.  My God, what a long four hours that was!  It's a pretty boring drive, but I can now say I've been to every state!  There are some I want to loop back to (I was only nominally in New Hampshire, Kansas, Idaho, and Michigan), but this is still a milestone for me.

As I type, I'm freshly back from the Oklahoma City bombing memorial.  I was very impressed.  I wasn't to going to go to the museum, just the memorial, but I did and I'm glad I did.  I'll be putting more verbiage and photos on my site later, but, for now, here's a taste of the beautiful and elegant reflecting pool and one of the gates.

The Birthday Trip: Buenos Aires

Finally settled on where to go for my big four-oh:  Argentina.  Headed down to Buenos Aires in June.  Second time to Argentina; second time to the Southern Hemisphere in just a few months.  Now, to the planning.

We Should Rename Metro Center Purgatory Center

What a hallacious commute this morning!  It was my worst commute since the Metro accident year before last.  There was some problem that caused single tracking on the Blue/Orange, downtown.  So, that meant that trains in both directions were sharing the eastbound track.  What did that mean for me?  I spent almost a half hour on the platform, awaiting a train eastbound while five westbound trains serviced the station.

 

That's only part of the problem.  The other issue was the crush of people.  Metro seems to me to be completely broken, something to be avoided if possible.  It's sad.  Other folks also had commuting hell, but at other stations.  Metro does like to spread the misery around.

 

http://unsuckdcmetro.blogspot.com/2011/03/am-commute-open-thread.html#idc-container

The Strange Ways of Hotels

This past week I gave in and tried Priceline for the first time.  I'd already booked in at the Hilton Baltimore for a Friday night, at a rate of $166 per night, which I thought was way, way too high.  But, it was for a special occasion, so I was ready to bite the bullet and pay.

Just for kicks, I thought I'd bid on Priceline to see what things cost.  I bid $65 per night for two nights at a four-star property.  Nothing.  So, I bid $85 per night for two nights.  The result?  I got TWO nights at ... drum-roll ... the Hilton!  The exact same hotel, for half price!

Now, the only downside is that I won't get any of the Diamond benefits or earn any Hilton points while there, but, really, are those benefits worth anything approaching $160 additional dollars for a two-night stay?  No way.

Look, I'm willing to pay a little extra for the points and the Diamond benefits, but, at this rate, I'm happy to abandon earning points altogether.  With the money I'm saving I can buy breakfast (the only real Diamond benefit Stateside), and come out with about an extra $100 in my pocket.  Come on, Hilton, please be realistic!

Home From Africa, In One Piece

We made it home last night at about 6:30.  Even though the flights were very, very long, everything went as smoothly as it could have.  We had good flights, complete with very pleasant service, nice smooth landings, and were even reunited with our bags when we arrived in Washington.  What more could one ask for?

Now, it's time to unpack, do laundry, and settle back into life.  So glad I took off an extra day to do all of that.  I'm sure my colleagues are pleased to not have to deal with a jet-lagged, exhausted Quade.

Back to reality tomorrow.  Oh, and I am working on my website so that I have a journal of the trip and so that those who are interested can share our photos and my musings.

Happy Monday...