Denvention: Coda

[stoutfellow]

On Monday, the convention was over, but my vacation wasn't, so...

As usual, I woke up several times that morning before finally getting up at about 5:00 (or so said the clock). I showered, made some coffee (the Westin-Tabor puts small coffee makers and individual-sized packets of coffee in their rooms), and - the clock showing 6:00 - put my feet up to read for a while. The proposed breakfast had been set for 7:00 at the Corner Bakery near the Sheraton, quite a few blocks away, so at 6:30 I headed out. Once aboard the MallTram, I pulled out my pocket watch to check the time again. (My current watch is of the old-fashioned kind, with a protective metal cover which must be opened to reveal the face. Checking the time is not a matter of glancing at my wrist; it's a several-step operation which among other things involves the potential of damage to my thumbnail. Have I mentioned just how much I hate wearing wristwatches?)

7:30. Uh-oh....

I asked the next passenger I saw with a watch what time it was. 7:30, yes.

By the time I got to the appropriate stop, I was already rather frazzled. Lateness - my own, that is - is a bugbear of mine, to an irrational degree. I was still a couple of blocks from the restaurant, and couldn't remember (so disturbed I was) where it was. Eighteenth, yes. North of the Sheraton, yes.

whereisitohmygodishouldbeabletofinditiatetherelastnightohmygodTHEREITIS!

I took a moment to compose myself before entering.

I spotted the table where nlbarber, mbernardi, and growlycub were sitting, all having finished their breakfasts. I explained what had happened (leaving out the freakout) and, in an effort to be fair, explained it as being due either to my misreading the clock or the clock being wrong. I went up and ordered some food, and returned to the table. The conversation mostly centered on the lamentable state of the educational system, and I had a story or two to toss on the pile. At last we got up to leave, and someone - I think nlbarber - in an effort to end things on a more pleasant note said that it had been a great convention. This met with general agreement, and we parted.

I returned to the hotel and verified that it was, indeed, the clock, not my eyes, which had betrayed me.

I considered sightseeing, but didn't want to go too far; however, I saw that the Art Museum was only a couple of blocks from the far end of the MallTram line, so I headed that way... only to find that the Art Museum is closed on Mondays. I wandered around the area for a while - the Public Library, the History Museum, and several other points of interest, including a small but pleasant park, were nearby, but dammit, I'd been in the mood for art. Finally, a bit disgruntled, I headed back to the hotel.

I stopped off to talk to the concierge about the clock, and about my early departure the next morning. (My flight was to leave the airport at 6:30.) After some discussion, we arranged for a wake-up call at 4:00, and I went back to my room, where I spent most of the rest of the day reading. Before turning in, I set the alarm on the (now correct) clock for 4:05 (suspenders and belt, y'know).

I woke up at 3:55.

(Actually, I had awakened at 11:00, 12:00, 1:15, 2:30, and 3:30 as well. See above: lateness, bugbear.)

The rest of the trip home was uneventful. I reached St. Louis a little before noon and home around 1:00. The next day, I went to the vet to bring Ben (and Murphy) home.

And that was my vacation.

Comments

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Dratted clocks. And dratted art museums.

Fun as the con was, it's good to be home, isn't it?

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The whole vacation was great, but home is home.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Today's NY Times has an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/arts/design/21arti.html?pagewanted=1) on Denver's Art: "Denver’s Unconventional Art, Ready for the Convention"

Love, C.

[sunlizzard.livejournal.com]

Just a curiosity: Since you do not drive, how do you get from the STL airport to home? Surely not a cab that whole way? And when you travel, how much of a restriction does it put on you not to just be able to drive to the airport at your convenience? (Such as for me, unless I fly out of Roswell--which I can now, though it's hugely expensive--I have to add up to 5.5 hours to any flight schedule because of the length of drive to either Lubbock or Albuquerque.)

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Yes, I take a cab. This was the first time I'd done so in a couple of years, and the price has risen quite a bit. (There's also a new $2.00 "gasoline surcharge", which is understandable.)

If I arrive during reasonable hours, it's possible to take the MetroLink (there's a station in the airport) into East St. Louis and transfer to a bus into Edwardsville, which would leave me two blocks from home, with luggage, in the best case scenario.

I will have to think about this some.

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

I do the patchy sleep thing the night before too. Isn't it AWful!!

[filkferengi]

You too? The catch is, I tend to do it a couple of nights before the con because of adrenaline, arriving at the con already short on sleep. Then there're first couple of nights in a strange place when sleep is choppy. Well, you get the idea. Fortunately, excitement about seeing listies adds some nice momentum.