My first impression of Alabama: damn, it’s hot and humid here. I am not used to this anymore, thankyouverymuch, I am here from California, the hot, but dry Central Valley.
I can easily stand an average summer temperature of 95°F without breaking into a sweat, but I get to 85°F Alabama and I am instantly soaked stepping out of the airport. Just lovely. The four pieces of luggage, that I was lugging around with me, did their part to help with that. Damn it, can you imagine how freaking heavy a laptop bag with TWO laptops (one personal, one work laptop) is? And how much heavier it gets if you have to schlep it through two airports? I ask you, where is this razor-thin, featherlight MacBook when you need it? (Note to self: I have to look into that.)
The first sign that I was entering “the South” was the guy on the plane next to me who pulled out “A Christ-Centered Life” and a bible (you know, to cross-reference!) mid-flight. I was slightly amused to see the typical “stereotypes” thrown at me so early into my trip.
The next indication wasn’t long in coming when the people at the airport pretty much sounded uniformly like “Bubba J” to me. Heh.
The flights yesterday were nice and uneventful (that’s the way I like it). On the first flight (LA-Houston) I watched “Before Sunrise” for the umpteenth time, I just don’t get bored with this movie. On the second flight (Houston-Huntsville) we had our own little major sheet lightning show right outside my airplane window. Sweet baby Jesus. I was a little scared. There was this monstrous cloud that was hardly visible, because it was so dark outside already and then the lightning lit the whole sucker up from behind and from all sides. It was breath-taking. I was glad though that we were a safe distance away (it wasn’t even a bumpy ride at all).
Here’s my amateur attempt to capture the spectacle with my cell phone camera (timing it right was pretty much impossible):
I got into Huntsville around 9:30 p.m. and met two of my fellow workshop attendees on the shuttle bus back to the hotel (one of them I had previously emailed with, how funny is that!?). I think the shuttle driver, a sweet young kid, was a little taken aback by my inquiry about traffic conditions for Friday afternoon.
You know, my Californian-programed mind was planning ahead, thinking: Friday afternoon = rush hour =allow at least 1 hour, when it usually takes 15 minutes, to get to the airport. He was shaking his head and said, slightly amused, ” there’s no traffic in Huntsville.” My response, a little embarrassed, “ah yes, of course. That’s good to know.” ;)
I have a pretty sweet two-room suite with a king size bed and the first day of the workshop was great (except for the fact that my laptop was pretty much useless, because I couldn’t run the software for which I am taking the training, and it’s a little frustrating to not be able to do a ‘hands on’ training, to say the least.)
I’ve been frantically working with our IT guy from the office, who’s been a life saver so many times before, but we have not yet figured out what the problem is. I am hoping to have better luck tomorrow.
Kristi
September 14, 2009 at 10:19 pmuh…I would have cried if I had seen that sight out my window! Glad you’re enjoying Bama.
.-= Kristi´s last blog ..Me So Literary =-.
Viviane
September 15, 2009 at 12:00 amThat lightning looks really cool! Great pictures. Enjoy Huntsville.
Maribeth
September 15, 2009 at 4:50 amThere is a great museum there where Wernher von Braun worked on rockets for NASA. We took out Berlin, Germany friends there when we went on a east coast camping trip with them a few years back. It was a lot of fun!
.-= Maribeth´s last blog ..Puppies & Babies!!! =-.
miss crazy
September 15, 2009 at 6:41 amwell girl, enjoy your geek-week (as i like to call it) and i will see you in just six days! :) HDGDL!
Stefanie
September 15, 2009 at 7:25 amThat’s what I thought when I first arrived on the East Coast: It’s freakin’ humid here. When it got hot in WA, it was usually really dry which I like. But here in DC, I sweat when it’s 75 degrees. It’s crazy. Enjoy Alabama. And have a great flight to Germany.
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..Bits and pieces about the current me. =-.
ute
September 15, 2009 at 7:43 amhaha. you crack me up! sorry to hear about your laptop trouble that blows, but everything else sounds pretty great! I am happy for you!! its crazy weather here too but nothing close to 85. haha. love ya
emmysuh
September 15, 2009 at 10:47 amYup, welcome to the South, aka it might only be 70 degrees but it feels like 99 because of the humidity.
Can’t wait to hear more about your adventure in the South.
Carolina
September 15, 2009 at 11:41 amI love that you said “sweet baby jesus”…cracked me up! And I love to laugh..so much appreciated!
Welcome to the sweet, sweet south my friend! The humidity is out of control..but not more than the people! OK..I feel that I can say that only because I’m from the sorta south that is Texas.
I loved your detailed post about your experience thus far!
I hope you have a good time :)
.-= Carolina´s last blog ..A Fearless Weekend =-.
Steffi
September 15, 2009 at 11:44 amI would have died in an instant with the lightning!!!
Enjoy your time in Alabama.
.-= Steffi´s last blog ..Weekend =-.
Susi
September 16, 2009 at 8:23 amEnjoy your time. I hope the computer is fixed now! That sucks.
Viviane
September 16, 2009 at 9:08 amI must have put my email address wrong in that comment up there, but I hope you know it was me anyway. I just wanted to let you know in case you are trying to reply to it, it won’t get to me. I wrote the comment on my iPhone so I probably made a typo.
Terra
September 18, 2009 at 5:46 amThat lightening storm sounds terrifying – I probably would have cried.
.-= Terra´s last blog ..I love everyone. Except for you. =-.
Julia
September 18, 2009 at 7:56 amlove love love love LOVE that you used the word “schlep”!!!! :) hoff dir gehts gut!