It was snowing yesterday; it was a beautiful scene. The flurries dancing in the wind and then deciding to stay by attaching to the ground and anything in their path. I took the opportunity to take photos in the park of the snow dusting the trees. It was a magical time to be at the park and my attitude was still positive when it came to the evening ahead.
The phone rang at 1530 just as I was applying a coat of nail polish. I answered and asked what good things awaited me. I found out and questioned that I was to be deadheaded to Houston to sit at the Marriott Hotel on ready reserve... excuse me, what?
I got dressed in civilian clothes and headed to the airport. The bus was not in its normal pick up spot since everyone and their dog was in town for the ball drop. An unlikely person told me where to go and I followed her thinking it was the perfect reminder that the year was going to be behind me soon.
I got a salad and joined the other nine people who had the same misfortune as myself. We sat miserably on the flight for four hours wondering what would happen to us. We got to the hotel to find out that we didn't have rooms so luckily someone took charge and got things worked out.
We agreed to meet in the hotel bar in ten minutes to ring in the New Year, the CST new year since the ball dropped while we were waiting for our rooms. I was the second to arrive and immediately scoped the room for a midnight kiss. Nothing promising considering there was maybe 25 people and of them 20 made up this odd Mexican family singing old tune karoke. I am talking about a fat ten year old girl trying to sing Frank...they don't go together. Rich and I waiting for the others and ordered a double from Donna who informed us the bar would be closing at midnight. I stood there thinking I could be at a black tie penthouse party right now. What the hell is going on here. The others showed up and ordered a drink to go and went back to their rooms to order room service. After ordering my own bottle of wine (yes you read correctly) I walked up to the cutest guy in the room and struck up a conversation. He was a Texan and after five minutes I decided that I would have to down the whole bottle of wine to want to kiss him.
We meet in Dale's room and listened to music and tried to make sense of why we were here. Four gay guys, a latino girl, and myself in a hotel room new years eve. I begged one of the guys to kiss me at midnight local time and you would think I was asking them to kiss a fish. I got a peck from the petite one.
I went to bed sending no well wishes to anyone like I normally do because try as I might, I had nothing positive to say.
I woke up and drank the $5 bottle of water in my room and then headed over to the airport for breakfast and coffee. Thank god for coffee. I wander around a bookstore and then another for a good hour. My book is almost at an end as I read it on the way here and I have no computer. I didn't bring it because if I am send to Central American countries they take it in security. So my only sanity is left at home. I bought a book, a paper, three bottles of water, some jerky, a postcard, and some dried fruit for my hold out in room 4178.
It felt as though I was in a foreign country, as most Texans feel they should be their own country, it is suiting. The stupidity that surrounded me as I walked through the airport just amazed me, that all the fat asses that are down here. Here is a perfect example. I finally decided on a book and was finishing up my transaction when a high school girl came up to the counter.
"I am looking for Wuthering Heights."
"Wandering what?" replied the uneducated cashier.
"Wuthering Heights, we are supposed to read it for class."
"Who wrote it?"
"I am not sure."
It was at this point I stepped in and explained that it was a classic book and I think maybe Hemingway was the author, I am not sure though.
"Heming-who?"
"Earnest Hemingway, a literary icon." I said.
"Can you spell that?"
Good Lord please get me the hell out of this place and back to the land of intelligence, healthy food, bars that stay open til 0400, and my sanity.
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