Sunday, August 19, 2012

Day 978 - Janet's Birthday

I wonder how many hours I've spent on planes? A lot. I don't fly very much anymore, but whenever I get on a plane, the whole routine seems so familiar. It just takes longer these days with all the additional security at the airport and planes that are even more crowded than they were twenty years ago. Today's destination was Las Vegas. It's Janet's birthday today and she loves Las Vegas.

Some of you may remember my last trip to Las Vegas. That trip was a disaster. I had injured my neck just before we left and was in terrible pain. The pain killers my doctor gave me didn't work and gave me hallucinations instead. I saw bugs in the bathroom that Janet said didn't even exist and I had to sleep sitting up in a chair. I hardly left my room the entire time we were in town. At the time, Janet swore that she'd never travel with me again, but things are much better this year. I feel great this time around. Of course, some things never change. I'm up in the room writing the blog and Janet is already off gambling somewhere. We'll meet up later.

I continue to be amazed at how connected the world has become. Our plane had WiFi and everyone just continued using the Internet while they were flying. Remember when those TV's used to descend from the roof of the place and the flight attendant would come by and give you a headset? Not anymore. A lot of planes don't even show movies anymore. Everyone is doing their own thing on their laptops, Kindles, iPads, and phones. Who would have thought that I could be flying over the Grand Canyon and be able to check in on the dogs using a live webcam.  Yep, they're doing fine.

I'm terrible at packing. I always take too much of some things and not enough of other things. I often forget the basics, like a toothbrush, or socks. I think I remembered everything this time. We'll see. I'm glad I remembered my little 4G hotspot, because I couldn't seem to login to the hotel's free WiFi. When you go to Las Vegas, cab drivers at the airport always ask you if you want to take the fast route to your hotel. I've finally learned to say no. "No, I'd rather take the shorter route," I said today. "Oh, you want the lower fare," said the cabbie. The fast route just means that you drive faster on the freeway in the opposite direction of your hotel. Since the airport is located right next to the strip where all the hotels are, you really don't need to go on the freeway anyway. We were at our hotel in minutes.

Wish me luck. I never win in Vegas, but there's always a first time.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day