Conference karma

How long does it take to move from "what a terrific hotel room!" to "what a dump!" I suppose it depends on what I had to go through to get there.

My room is really lovely now that I've got the wireless access figured out and found the coffee and determined that the bathroom exhaust fan isn't coming on no matter how many times I press that button. I don't need six pillows, but who's complaining? Well, I could use a little more warmth, but the concierge probably can't do much about the weather.

The trip was uneventful and, at times, even pleasant. My flights were mostly on time, and I had aisle seats on both. The crying baby in front of me was too adorable to be annoying, and besides, there's no point in getting annoyed by crying babies on airplanes because what are ya gonna do--toss him out the window? 

I had a great chat with a fellow conference-attendee at one airport and an even greater chat with my seat-mate on the flight to Savannah. He was the perfect seat-mate: friendly and interesting while on the ground, nose in a book while in the air--and he gave me some great local insight on places to see in and around Savannah. 

Of course I can't see anything yet because the sky is dark and overcast. Sunshine is in the forecast tomorrow, but today looks just dreadful. Whose brilliant idea was it to schedule eight concurrent conference sessions at 8 a.m. in a hotel where it's impossible to find a simple breakfast for under twelve dollars? I should have brought some granola bars.

My session is at 1:30 this afternoon and I'm as ready as I'll ever be, so I could skip the 8:00 session, but here's the thing: I've given papers at those wretched early-morning sessions and I know how lonely they can be. There's nothing worse that getting up at the crack of dawn, dressing your professional best, and showing up at 8 a.m. ready to knock the socks off the audience, only to discover that the audience decided to stay in bed. So I'll attend an 8:00 panel just to build up some good conference karma.

First, though, I've got to find some breakfast. Will someone please fax me a bagel?