Blogging from Mickey World

Greetings from Orlando. I'm here for several days representing my company at the International Christian Retailers' Show. I don't expect to see Mickey or Minnie, however. There was a rain shower just before I arrived, so it's cooler and less muggy here than it was at home. I think I could have driven here almost as quickly as this whole trip took by air and land. James drove me to the airport, leaving home around 12:30 for my 2:45 flight. By the time I got inside the airport, it was already posted that the flight was 15 minutes behind. It ended up being about 50 minutes late taking off. Then, thunderstorms north of Orlando made us take a circuitous route to the airport. I thought I was going to be picked up at the airport by my colleagues who were already here, but while I was getting to the Atlanta airport, my boss called to tell me that he had arranged a rental car for me. When the flight landed, I made my way to the rental car counter, where I got behind about 40 people waiting for their cars... and four agents working the counter. I stood for an hour before it was my turn. Then, when I went to the assigned car, I opened the door and discovered that the interior reeked of cigarettes. So, I went back to the agent and asked for another car. Finally, I was on the road. The toll road. Two of them in an eight-mile stretch. By the time I found the hotel, it was more than seven hours since I'd left home. And the actual flight was just over one hour. I had dinner at 8:30 p.m. and I'm hitting the hay (a sleep number bed) very soon.