After spending far too many days in Oklahoma City, I was all set to head home on Tuesday when I had to scramble to change my return home to stay over in NYC. Quite literally, as I was finishing packing to check out of the hotel. I was wanted to handle the pickup of 250 or so books from Christie's. I had to figure out packing materials. Print up documents. Rework my return tickets. It was tense and told on me.
The main thing was, my ticket on Southwest was a full return, and I had to check a bag. My flight change was in Baltimore, but Southwest won't let you just end a flight midway; you have to cancel the flight and rebook it...which would have cost an additional $200. And changing my flight to go into Newark or La Guardia was even more.
I wound up shipping my suitcase to the office via FedEx and just left Southwest at Baltimore. I stayed in the airport, using their wifi to book a train up to Penn Station and a single room on Amtrak from NYC to Buffalo. That sounded like fun and was nice, enough... and a rather interesting adventure, unto itself.
I got the materials I needed, got the job done in the time I had...in fact, I got done just as our driver showed up to collect the boxes. Then I grabbed a quick lunch at a cafeteria across from Christie's and got to Penn Station just in time to catch my train.
I like the train, but I think I'd have preferred being in coach; the singlette (as they call it) was a bit cramped and it was hard to get decent Wifi in it. And...it had a toilette. As you can see. It's got a lid that lowers and makes it a little table. And the blue flap above where my laptop's power cord is plugged in...is a pull-down sink.
The seats recline and even will become a single bed, but there's also a bunk above them, directly over your head as you're seated...and it rattles. I found that by lowering it a little, it stopped...but it also would slowly descend closer and closer to the top of your head. Very spooky.
I did get a nap, and got a meal with my ticket. A decent cod with mashed potatoes and some kind of bean salad. Tasted good. Overall, it was very relaxing...and we only got in an hour late.
But...through all of this I was fighting off a serious funk, and it caved in on me, Thursday. I was at work then and Friday...and Saturday was a complete waste. Well...not complete; I did get laundry done. But nothing else. My brain went into shutdown mode and I just drifted through the day.
It wasn't as bad, today, so I was able to work up some sketches for a client's project. I'll finish them up and send them to her, tomorrow. Just preliminaries, nothing worth showing anyone...but it helped me get past my blue mood.
I know what it's from -- frustration. And self-flagellation. Seems I really have given up on film. I've canceled email subscriptions to things like InkTip and MovieBytes and ISF, because it's silly to keep pushing work that no one wants. I've taken the awards down off my wall and put them away. And I applied for Medicare since I'm now eligible to do so, emphasizing how complete my mismanagement of my life has been.
I should write an existential novel about a man who dreams and never does...call it The Story of My Life.
The main thing was, my ticket on Southwest was a full return, and I had to check a bag. My flight change was in Baltimore, but Southwest won't let you just end a flight midway; you have to cancel the flight and rebook it...which would have cost an additional $200. And changing my flight to go into Newark or La Guardia was even more.
I wound up shipping my suitcase to the office via FedEx and just left Southwest at Baltimore. I stayed in the airport, using their wifi to book a train up to Penn Station and a single room on Amtrak from NYC to Buffalo. That sounded like fun and was nice, enough... and a rather interesting adventure, unto itself.
I got the materials I needed, got the job done in the time I had...in fact, I got done just as our driver showed up to collect the boxes. Then I grabbed a quick lunch at a cafeteria across from Christie's and got to Penn Station just in time to catch my train.
The seats recline and even will become a single bed, but there's also a bunk above them, directly over your head as you're seated...and it rattles. I found that by lowering it a little, it stopped...but it also would slowly descend closer and closer to the top of your head. Very spooky.
I did get a nap, and got a meal with my ticket. A decent cod with mashed potatoes and some kind of bean salad. Tasted good. Overall, it was very relaxing...and we only got in an hour late.
But...through all of this I was fighting off a serious funk, and it caved in on me, Thursday. I was at work then and Friday...and Saturday was a complete waste. Well...not complete; I did get laundry done. But nothing else. My brain went into shutdown mode and I just drifted through the day.
It wasn't as bad, today, so I was able to work up some sketches for a client's project. I'll finish them up and send them to her, tomorrow. Just preliminaries, nothing worth showing anyone...but it helped me get past my blue mood.
I know what it's from -- frustration. And self-flagellation. Seems I really have given up on film. I've canceled email subscriptions to things like InkTip and MovieBytes and ISF, because it's silly to keep pushing work that no one wants. I've taken the awards down off my wall and put them away. And I applied for Medicare since I'm now eligible to do so, emphasizing how complete my mismanagement of my life has been.
I should write an existential novel about a man who dreams and never does...call it The Story of My Life.
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