Getting ready...

...for another three days on the road.

It's the usual routine: slapping a couple of changes of duds in a carry-on bag, getting things in order for the cat-sitter, making sure I have my boarding passes printed out, blahblahblah....

I've done it too many times. It's almost automatic.

One difference is that I'll be heading off to bed in a while, in preparation for a 3:00 am wake-up and, ultimately, a 6:15 departure from LAX. That's ugly.

Thanks to the wonderful ways of modern air travel, it'll take me seven hours to get to Raleigh-Durham. By way of comparison, seven hours after I lifted off to start my trip last month, I had landed, picked up my car in Newark, completed the drive to my hotel in Connecticut and was enjoying a martini....

I would have had everything done except for a late call last night asking me to crank out a last-minute story for a client. I did some fast research this morning, and turned out the required copy this afternoon.

Fortunately, this trip is all casual. I've packed dark pullovers (they don't show the sweat so much) and Levi's. And a cap, of course, since I've got plenty of out-in-the-sun time. The weather at my final destination was 93 with 100% humidity when I checked around midday. There's some chance of thunderstorms, too. I can only hope.

For some reason I'm feeling great reluctance to get on that plane tomorrow morning. I'm hoping it's simply because at the end of such flights, I always feel grubby and short-tempered.

Have to go. I need the money.

I'm supposed to be back Friday afternoon. I'm hoping I'll have pictures to share with y'all.