Update from the Road--San Diego

For Captain Todd--full travel rig

It's 0528 local and I've been up for nearly 90 minutes, though it was a restless night that included a call to the front desk to complain about the miscreants in the room next to me who maintained quite the din onto the 0130 hour.  I am maintaining the East Coast schedule while here, and which means I was abed at 2030 after a delightful dinner at the San Diego Yacht Club with a friend and colleague of long-standing.

But that was yesterday, and I have skipped Sunday afternoon/evening, which cannot stand.  I arrived mid afternoon to a gorgeous SD day, got my rental and headed to my hotel for a quick workout before meeting the fair Skaidra and her husband Philip and little one Penny for dinner.  Skai and Penny live in the family house in DC, while Phil does his USCM business out here, but since it is summer and Skai has no teaching duties, she and Penny have decamped to San Diego for a bit.  We ate a steakhouse with an amazing view of the harbor, but I wasn't terribly enthused by the steak itself.  Had prime rib at the Yacht Club last night, which is generally a bad choice for me because it is a poor representation of the Art of Beef, and while it was tasty, it still is a long way from a good ribeye.

Very busy time out here with my client, good, hard day of work yesterday and stuff I think is important and that I like to do.  Today should be somewhat less busy, but a full day nonetheless.

When it ends, I'll head back to the room, get a little workout in, and then go where I know I'll get a good steak--the local Ruth's Chris--where I'll be met by a fellow of infinite jest with whom I worked here in San Diego many years ago on USS PRINCETON (CG 59).  THAT--was a great ship, a truly great ship, and the trail of success she's left in her wake--measured in folks who went on to command ships of their own, is wide indeed.  This guy will assume command of a souped up destroyer in December, and I'm hoping to arrange my travel here that month to correspond with that glorious day.

Thus far, my meticulous packing plan (ten days, cube method, one carry-on) is working fine, though I'll have to re-wear one of the dress shirts (packed 2, and a third requirement for one just popped up yesterday), but that shouldn't be too much of a hardship.  My client actually expressed concern for my health, wondering if my weight loss were not connected to some deeper malady.  I assured him it was nothing so serious, just runaway vanity.

Ok, maybe something tomorrow.