(trees near Cranbrook)
Not-so-suddenly, I have business cards again! Thanks, Meghan and Raf: I love you too!
Note to future self: carry one whole box of business cards on the road from day one. Do not complain about the added weight/bulk. It will be worth it. You will thank yourself later.
On November 2, I woke at the crack of dawn to drive from my hotel to Troy, MI (45 minutes) to pick up my favorite denim jacket, which I had forgotten under a table when presenting to high school students on October 31. Is it worth the drive? Arthur asked.
For fashion, yes! Then, I drove to Grosse Point (45 minutes) to do my last Michigan presentation. Good response; bad parking!
Then it was off to the airport (again). Detroit's has a very weird connecting tunnel between Concourse A and rest of the airport: a futuristic (as it might have been defined in the 1960s) chamber housing the people movers, complete with an ambient space music soundtrack and a colored light show flashing on opalescent wall panels: red/green/blue/pink-orange, etc. It's not exactly the most soothing experience, especially when the whole place is bathed in red light. A week later I would find that the futuristic people mover corridor has also landed in O'Hare: Chicago's light show is relegated to the low ceiling of a concourse connector where zigzag lines of glass tubes field waves of rainbow light.
After a brief layover in Baltimore (this was the first time I'd been back in MD since October 14!) I flew to Hartford for the National Portfolio Day, where I was hit by a level of exhaustion/fatigue that I had not yet experienced this travel season. I was however, still inspired to continue my series of photographs through the peep hole in my hotel room door.
The Portfolio Day went off well, and then it was off to Boston, easier said than done, thanks to the remains of Tropical Storm Noel/a Nor'Easter. This was probably the most inclement drive I have attempted so far: hard rain/strong wind/low visibility. Two hours of fun! I was so glad to arrive at Logan Airport, drop off my car, and take a cab to the hotel. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, our faculty were all good sports and a dream to work with at the Boston event.
[Brief interlude: home to Baltimore for five days]
On Friday, I broke away from our busy visit day to fly to Rochester, NY (delayed but otherwise uneventful). Another good portfolio day, but the weirdest/worst brunch spread that I've seen yet: who serves egg salad and tuna salad for breakfast? The reception was just a touch better in terms of food, but it wasn't much of a celebratory atmosphere. Now for the fun part: I couldn't get a flight from Rochester to Minneapolis after the Rochester Portfolio Day, so I stayed the night in New York, flew to O'Hare at 6:30 in the morning, then connected to my flight to MN for a 9:30 arrival. I drove straight to MCAD for the portfolio day (brunch was better here–it sounds petty, but that's one of the categories I use to gauge a successful portfolio day). From 12N to 4pm I reviewed portfolios, and again in the recurring theme of travel season, I drove to my hotel and passed out.
I attribute most of my ability to survive these trips to bottles and bottles of vitamin water, which is the unofficial sponsor of my travel season. (Marsha's too, as she tells me).
Yesterday, after an in-school portfolio day, I made a beeline for The Mall of America where I shopped for a great winter coat, and suit-separates (at no sales tax!)
Yes, the thrill of the mall is another recurring theme, second only to the joy of seeing your hotel room at the end of a long day.
Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. Look, here's one outside my window:
1/10,000 is ready for a close-up, Mr. DeMille:
Ama challenged me to get a shot of the strange but tasty eggs at the Hampton Inn breakfast bar. I was too self-conscious to snap the eggs in the buffet warmer, so this was the best I could do:
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