Mon Dec 4, 2006 Huntsville, AL

I am definitely putting in a lot of travel time this year. I am now in Huntsville. No, not the correctional facilities in Texas, but the one in Alabama. I need to put in some face time with my counterparts there. I should be back in time for the Aeros game this Thursday. Betty and I get our badges and car pass before dropping off at the new Best Western on University. Everything is on University - motels, restaurants, stores, the mall, and yes, even the University of Alabama. Mike has the day off so he drops by and picks me up. We meet Lisa at the Macaroni Grill for dinner. The one in Clear Lake closed down even though it had plenty of business. I loved that restaurant. Lisa decides to do some Christmas shopping at the mall. Mike and I head over to their house. I'm glad that Mike drove. It's hard finding their house in the dark. Mike had just put up the Christmas lights - the big colorful lights. I help him secure his wireless router. Helping family and friends with their PCs is a regular event for me. I don't mind helping family and friends whenever I'm on vacation especially when they are showing me around. Mike had Battlestar Galactica still on tape, so we watched that before I called it a night. On the way out, Mike noticed that one string of lights had gone out. Figures... I bumped into Betty at the elevator. She had been visiting with her sister and her family. Traveling for work is much easier when you have friends and family in town.