4300 Miles (and some links)

My sister is now a Dr.  A Dr. of literature, so if you meet her, she will not be able to diagnose that weird rash that you can’t get rid of.  Not that this should stop you from asking her to take a look at it, just for my amusement.  Her graduation was this past Thursday.  My wife and I had decided that I should go out to celebrate with her.  Then we decided that it should be a surprise.  Here’s my 4,300 mile 41 hour adventure.  (All times are local.  I knew you’d want to know)

Thursday

5:50 AM-  Depart LaGuardia airport NYC.  I spend the half of the flight sleeping, and half of the flight wondering if I had awkwardly leaned on my seat mate while I was sleeping.

8:45 AM-  Arrive in Houston.  I wander the airport trying to look like I know where I’m going.  Eventually I find my gate.

9:20 AM-  Depart Houston.

10:40 AM-  Arrive in Albuquerque.

2:00 PM-  I had made prior arrangements with my brother-in-law for them to pick me up while I posed as a hitchhiker.  He pulls over and I hop in the passenger seat, completely surprising my unsuspecting sister, who was riding in the backseat with her two year old son.

2:15 PM-  We all enjoy Mexican food at Sadie’s.

5:15 PM-  We arrive at the PIT, where my sister will celebrate her awesome accomplishment.  For those of you who don’t know sports, the PIT is the basketball arena at the University of New Mexico.  In 2014, a travesty of corporate renaming dubbed the PIT, Wise Pies Arena, aka The Pit.  Thanks for ruining another stadium/arena name corporate America.

6:15 PM:  The esteemed faculty march in, wearing their robes and poofy hats.  It seems to me that they are all in a competition to see who can look the most like a medieval poet.  The head of the math department wins.

6:45 PM:  My sister receives her degree.  Yay.  I capture the momentous occasion in a series of fuzzy photographs.

7:00 PM:  I have the following conversation with my nephew.

“Tio,,,,,, Tio”

“Yes”

“Tio”

“Yes”

“Tio”

“What”

“Tio”

“Yes”

“Tio”

“Yes”

“,,,,,,,,,,UP”

7:30 PM-  The graduation ends and we take pictures.  My nephew continues to insist that he be allowed to ride the elevator when he gets back to the hotel.

8:15 PM-  They drop me off at my hotel.  We take some more pictures.  I assure my nephew that he will get to ride the elevator.

9:15 PM-  I’m out.

Friday.

6:00 AM-  I’m up because, hey, it’s 8:00 at home.

6:45 AM-  Free breakfast buffet.  The whole reason I chose this hotel.  Biscuits, waffles, hash browns, eggs, coffee, fruit, salsa.  Yes.  More please.  Those hash browns aren’t great, but they’re free.  I think I will have just one more helping.  Everyone in the place is polite and properly attired.  What do I mean by that?  Well, I was once at a hotel breakfast in Kentucky, where a family arrived in the breakfast room,,,,,,, none of them wearing shoes.

11:30 AM-  Depart Albuqerque airport.

2:38 PM-  Arrive in Houston.

3:00 PM to 4:00 PM-  Wander the airport trying to decide what to eat.

4:15 PM-  Decide to have pizza.

4:45 PM-  I am disappointed in my food choice.

5:45 PM-  Depart Houston.

10:17 PM-  Arrive at LaGuardia.

I would like to thank my wife for encouraging me to go on this trip.  Unless you are an insufferable overachiever, you only get one PhD graduation.  We are very proud of my sister and I’m very happy I was able to celebrate with her.

LINKS

• It’s the 35th anniversary of Magnum PI.
• It is also Ted Nugent’s birthday.  Here’s the Rolling Stone bio of the world’s only sober rock star.
• Really interesting story about a guy who jumped off of the Golden Gate bridge and lived to tell about it.
• Last but not least.  This little girl’s family was killed in a fire, and she was severely burned.  All she wants for Christmas is cards.  Make an extra trip to Hallmark.