Travel

Every once in a while I travel outside the region. Flying from ND is never fun and is usually connected to delays and an exhausting schedule. Except for those first giddy flights to far flung locations years ago, flying is a chore, despite the fact that I'm not actually doing much of anything.

The key is to bring a few books and take it all in stride. I left Sunday morning for three days of meetings and training, returning home 1 a.m. Last night. The flight going out was delayed, while coming home was smooth and seamless. I spent much of the time reading Naomi Klien's great book This Changes Everything. It is a book that everyone should read. I had been ignoring it for some time, since I've read so much on climate change over the years, but Klein offers an important look. It is the type of book that should come with a bullet and instructions to make a 3-D printed gun so a person despairing of an intractable situation can erase their carbon footprint after reading.

In DC, we stayed at the Gaylord Hotel, a monstrous place sequestered in a little square of sterile, suburban sameness of upscale manufactured community. The Gaylord is another "over the top" hotel with rooms like small studio apartments and cavernous, spaces of faux luxury. Why do I need two queen beds and all that space that seems like a waste?  Still, even though I am more of a Super 8 sort of guy, I'm guessing this kind of place isn't too much more than a Super 8. Usually, I take a little time in the evenings to explore, but this time I didn't have the energy or the time. After supper it was back to the hotel to crash like a tired old man.

The cavernous lobby of the Gaylord

Three days at the Census Bureau were informative and enjoyable. I always come away with something new. The training extended for two more days, one of which was a CIC Boot Camp that the steering committee (that I'm on) put together. Unfortunately, I had to get back to SBC to handle some things otherwise I would have liked to see a little more of the DC landscape.