Traveling

I am wondering about the concept of "traveling for work."

I am in Atlanta for an academic conference on core texts, presenting a paper on incorporating social media in student composition. Here is what my day has been like thus far:

-Drive two hours to the airport, find a place to park.

-Wait for bus to take me into the actual airport.

-Ride shuttle bus.

-Wait to get on plane.

-Get on plane, sit in cramped middle seat , smell strange smells.

-Fly to Atlanta.

-Wait for train.

-Take train to hotel. Listen to vagrant preach about Jesus nonstop.

Now I'm in a hotel/business center that is far away from...well, anything. Nothing in walking distance, anyway. It's ask for a shuttle bus or pay up to a cab. So I'm sitting in the hotel room, flipping channels, waiting for the inevitable club sandwich in my future.

I can understand how people who continuously do this for work can eventually feel...detached.

"If you woke up somewhere else, could you be someone else?"

My "view."

Damn! Duran Duran are playing here in Atlanta tomorrow night! And I just can't get a ticket or get away to the show even if I could. A paranormal occurrence for sure.

Just went down to the book tables. Rather anemic. No science fiction, either. Not that I expected any.

I read an interview with David Mamet about writing. He says there's tension in most any everyday situation. Who wants what and what happens when they don't get it? After today, I'm sold on that concept. I really need to notice more.

There are all these trees around here. Wasn't expecting that from a large city. Not used to it. It's actually sorta woodsy.

Academics are certainly a contentious and pretentious bunch. I so despise meatspace social climbing and "networking."

But I have to do it.

Maybe I'll post more tomorrow.