Time Lagged

It turns out that my concerns about the time difference in Reno were well-founded. I managed to stay up until 10 local time last night, but the last half hour was a struggle. Then I was wide awake and starving at 6 this morning. Fortunately, there's one 24-hour restaurant in this hotel, so I was able to have breakfast (the other places didn't seem to open until after 7). I was surprised that there were people in the casino at that time of morning. It wasn't exactly rocking, but it wasn't dead. I did notice that instead of the cocktail waitresses working their way around the casino, they had a coffee and donut cart. I also saw them disinfecting the slot machines. A casino at 6 in the morning is kind of pathetic. I don't buy into the glamour at the best of times, but this removed any last shreds there might have been.

I had a pretty good trip yesterday. I took the bus to the airport and decided to get off at one of the stops that transfers from my neighborhood bus to the airport bus instead of riding all the way to the transit center while fretting that I'd miss the connection (because the bus from my neighborhood is always late). That meant standing outside for a while, but it wasn't too bad. Then my plane was full of Vietnam veterans on their way to a convention in Reno. The one sitting by me reminded me a bit of my dad, and I'd bet he was a retired officer (with my upbringing, that's something I've learned to recognize). When he saw me tear through the American Way crossword puzzle in just a few minutes, he offered me the puzzle in his New York Times, and then at the end of the flight he got my bag down from the overhead bin, then asked every other lady nearby if she needed her bag. Otherwise, he read his book and I read mine and we didn't feel obligated to chat, so he was pretty much the perfect traveling companion. This plane had in-flight entertainment, so I plugged in my phone's headset and listened to classical music, except for when they showed an episode of Parks and Recreation.

Once I got into my room, got checked into the convention and got something to eat (great discovery: the appetizers and drinks in the Italian restaurant bar are half-price during the late afternoon when my body is craving food -- I inhaled a pizza and then was surprised when I got the bill and saw it was half-price), I made a quick Walgreens run to pick up some toiletries (cheaper than paying to check a bag) and snacks, then hit the indoor swimming pool to loosen up my muscles.

Nothing starts at the convention until about noon today, so I will likely end up taking a nap soon. I may have been awake at 6, but I'm still sleepy, and tea isn't helping.