The stars at night are big and bright

So here I am, on a business trip. I'm adventuring across Texas on a work trip, driving a Prius in the land of trucks. Things aren't necessarily bigger in Texas, but there are certainly are more country stations.

I'm visiting universities in southern Texas to talk to some of our authors and make connections. It's terribly intimidating, especially when I have to drop in on professors who never answered my polite e-mail asking to set up a meeting time. Mostly I smile and nod a lot and then hold out our flier. I do get to hand out business cards. Woo hoo.

My buddy is the GPS that my work bought for such trips. The computerized lady calmly tells me to stay right while I'm tensely dealing with Houston traffic. It does get annoyed when you ignore its instructions and dejectedly says "recalculating" until it finally declares "make a U-turn when you get the chance" and stops talking. Perhaps they can add a polite conversation function?

Houston looked like many big cities, but the countryside on the way to College Station (home of Texas A & M) was beautiful. White picket fences, cows, fields with dots of flowers.

Staying in a hotel alone is strange. I remember when we'd travel, all we'd want to do is sit and watch the cable, so to have it all to myself is kind of like "wow, here I am!" Continental breakfast is still my favorite part, though.

So, let me say it because I can - "I have an early meeting tomorrow." Hopefully I'll have some (good) stories to tell later!