Remind Me That I Love Traveling....

I was blithely humming along I-55 on my 3 hour trek to Decatur IL, listening to my current audiobook, when a thought slowly began to take form.....I didn't remember putting my suitcase in the trunk.

Pulling over to the side of the road, I checked it out. The trunk sported our LCD projector, a wrench, a gizmo to take the nuts (bolts?) off the tires and -- nothing else.

Turn around, go back another 40 minutes, thank Jesus that I hadn't gone any farther than 50 miles, and head for home. The suitcase was politely waiting for me where I had left it, by the door of the garage. I heaved it into the trunk and set out again.

Dusk fell, and so did the rain....poured!!! Rainmakers -- here we are again. Just ask us to do a program wherever there is a drought. We'll take care of it.

The hotel was a new Hawthorn Suites. I got our key, went up to the room, turned right around and went downstairs to the desk again. "Carole and I are really good friends, but we would REALLY like to have two beds please." "Oh," said the rather geeky attendant, "there is a pull out couch as the second bed. It should be all made up for you."

Yes there was a couch, and yes it was made up. It was miserably uncomfortable. The combo of the pull out couch and the refrigerator that cycled LOUDLY every hour or so wasn't exactly conducive to restful sleep. The room was also a handicapped room. If you have never been in a handicapped room, they are wonderful for people in wheelchairs. I hung my dress on the ironing board holder. The sink was tiny and had the only mirror in the room. This is for two women trying to get ready for a professional program at 6:00 am???

We always try to get to where we are going at least 20 minutes early to make sure all the AV works and everything is in order so we can start promptly at 8:00. At 8:15, we were still working on the recalcitrant AV equipment. The wireless keyboard didn't work. Neither did the clicker. They gave us a mouse to switch the powerpoint slides, but it only worked sporadically. I finally went out and got our projector and hooked up our computers. Ahhhhhh......

We got back from lunch for the second session (we do two of these programs each day), and evidently it was the day to test the fire alarm system. It was a very loud DONG - DONG - DONG -- right in our room, 28 dongs every 5 minutes for 40 minutes.

Carole did a magnificent job of yelling through it.....and finally it stopped. Until the afternoon shift came on, and it started again during our video....

Next week this will all be funny.

Meanwhile, remind me why I travel for a living??

Oh yes, by the way -- today we are at another hospital (where the AV is working perfectly and there are -- so far -- no fire alarms) and received an award for "Making a Difference" in Breastfeeding Education for our Building Bridges program from the Illinois Department of Health.

Combat pay? Maybe this is why I love doing this....

Yep, it is.

The Beast -- Wounded, but not Fatally

Last Friday, a week ago, I was on my way to make rounds at the hospital, where about 1 1/2 blocks from home there was a horrible, grinding and scraping sound as the Beast came to a sudden halt. I gingerly got out of the car, and amid a horrid smell, there was the right front tire, deader than the proverbial doornail.

I called our favorite car-fixit-place, and gave them my name and said, "My car just died." "Oh," he said, "The Lincoln?"

You know you've taken your car in waaay too many times when all you give is your name and they know the car.....

So they took it away on a flat bed -- evidently you don't just *tow* a Lincoln, and Chris drove me home -- you also know you've been there waaay too much when they know exactly where you live and don't need to ask directions any more.

Called me back later with the news. The good news: it's fixable. The bad news: not until Monday afternoon -- and I was leaving for Springfield on Sunday. The worse news: it was gonna cost me....

But the really good news was -- I was only one block from home, and not on I-55!!

The ball bearing that does something funky with the tire on the left side had shattered and punctured the tire. I had had the right one replaced already (I think this is sort of like knee replacement surgery -- or maybe hip replacement -- in a person), but had had plenty of warning with the Beast just dying in the middle of the road for that one.

So -- I rented a car to go to Springfield. It was a nice, 2009 Toyota Camry (30 miles to the gallon!!).

But it wasn't the Beast.

She is home now, and driving just fine, thank you very much. But the verdict is that it might be time, just might be time to start looking for a new car.

I'm going to rent a car to go to Vincennes this coming week -- Bob is nervous about me taking TB on a long trip.

Another car?

I'm not ready.....

I need a bit longer.

Of course, when I have to actually pay the bill for this last surgery, I might be a bit closer to readiness.

Maybe.