A busy week - first, today, flying to our headquarters in the south for three nights, and then to Seattle on Friday. My employer expected me to fly home from our headquarters in the south on Thursday night, and then get up early the next morning to fly to Seattle for a day-trip. I thought otherwise, and persuaded them to let me change my flight home from our headquarters in the south to take me directly to Seattle the night before my business engagement. I decided I'd also stay over an extra couple of days because I haven't been to Seattle in quite a few years.

The morning started rather anxiously. My flight wasn't until 1.00 p.m., so I had the morning free to go to the gym, and pack at my leisure. But at the gym, I felt rather out of breath; I seem to have developed an occasional asthma, for some reason. Anyway, I could only do about two- thirds of my work-out.

Back home, I started to get some other things done, now that I had some extra spare-time. And, as usual, I shot myself in the foot by getting preoccupied with other stuff, and left myself with a bit of a frantic rush to shower, pack, and get to Oakland Airport on time.

But once I was in the airport, and had found out that I'd been upgraded to first-class, I was able to relax. I'm rather sinfully fond, I confess, of business travel. Giving it up would definitely be hard to do, and provides one more reason for my ongoing conflict about how seriously I should look for a job-change. It's shallow of me, I guess, but I like the upgrades to comfy first-class, the four-star hotels, the expense account, and the variety and stimulation of the travel. I even like setting up a new routine, however brief; a new place to work-out, new bookstores, observing strangers, imagining other ways of life.

Now I'm in the air headed for Dallas and I have two seats to myself, and can spread out. Ah, they've just bought me a bowl of warm peanuts - yumm :) I'm feeling pretty darned good. Can't say I'm looking forward to the three days of technical training ahead of me, but at least my friend, Marc, from the office will be there too. We're planning on going for a run tomorrow evening through the beautiful private forest belonging to our employer's CEO and founder (one of the richest men in America.)

our headquarters in the south, Tue, Aug 21, 2001, 7:35 PM

I've been so horny recently. It's been one of the longest times I've gone without sex in recent years - several months, not counting the little cam incident in London with Brett :) And, since giving up protein bars, I've lost the little bit of fat I was carrying on my stomach, and I feel strong, youthful and lithe - well, at least as youthful and lithe as a thirty-six year old can be :) I'm staying in the same hotel where a cute front-desk clerk has been flirting with me for the two years I've been visiting our headquarters in the south. Maybe this will be the trip where I give in to temptation!