Thursday, September 21, 2006

Konagod Update

Well friends, here's the deal. I had a very busy day at work and had zero time for doing much blog reading and certainly didn't have time to post anything new as you can see. I have several drafts in the works though.

On Sunday my plans are to drive to Arkansas to visit my mother for her 83rd birthday. She broke her hip last year around the Thanksgiving weekend. I rushed up there for a quick overnight visit and planned to go back in January. Here we are nearing the end of September and I still haven't been back.

I dread this more than you can imagine. Not that I mind going there or being there, it's the getting there that drives me insane. From Austin it's about a 9-hour drive. Why not fly?


Well, I don't fly much since 9/11/01. I flew back once after 9/11 and was searched 4 times by security during the trip. That basically put the nail in the air travel coffin for me. I'm not saying I'll never fly again because I will. I'd like to go to North Dakota again to visit txrad's relatives and that's not a driving option currently. But for short hops, why deal with the hassles?

I could leave here at 7:00am and be at the Austin airport at 7:30 for an 8:30 flight which would put me in Little Rock around 11:30. By the time I got my checked bags (since I can't take my beloved toiletries on board) and got a rental car, I'd be doing well to be on the road by 12:00. My mother lives 2 hours from Little Rock which would put me there around 2:00.

By leaving at 7:00 and driving rather than flying, I'd get there around 4:00pm. Air travel would grant me a total time savings of about 2 hours. Not worth it. Not even close. And I don't have to deal with several strangers running their hands across my my body and into my privates. If an airline wants to pay me $300 to fly up there, I might take 'em up on the offer.

I do plan to blog while away. There's not much else to do in a decaying old delta town.
Meanwhile, I'll see you back here tomorrow and Saturday with as many blog posts as I can cram in!

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