Trip to St. Louis

Wednesday I had to get on a plane to St. Louis for business reasons. And boy, was I excited. Not.

Getting on the plane in Memphis

I sat in the airport, all alone and carrying on all my luggage just to make sure it got there with me, until time to board. Once we boarded I found my airplane to be, effectively, a schoolbus with wings. Yes, Bluebird builds planes apparently.

Taking Off in the Magic Bus

During the flight they were kind enough to serve us water and pretzels. I conserved mine in case of famine.


Noah Feeds the Animals

After a long flight in which we all worried about sudden death from blood clots in our legs due to prolonged inactivity in a pressurized cabin we could at last see St. Louis down below. It took about 45 minutes to get there from Memphis. Wow, that was rough.


The Streets of East St. Louis


At the St. Louis airport I was fortunate enough to run into 2 other Giant Memphis Financial Corporation employees with whom I would be working. I skipped my rental car and rode with them. They dropped me at my hotel and we agreed on a time for them to pick me up in the morning.


At The Hotel
I Am So Bored.

The next day we set out for our destination, which was across the Mississippi river in Illinois.


Hey, Isn't That The Arch?

I think we passed the famous St. Louis arch, but I can't be sure. It went by in a hazy blur. The weather was horrible, sort of similar to Memphis' with the constant gray yuck. We didn't stop. We had no time. Traffic was intense.

Well, traffic was intense compared to some places. Not intense compared to Birmingham, Alabama, where any car that can't go at least 80 mph is considered a road block. But intense enough for a Memphis look-alike city considering we were following a lousy map and trying to find a tiny building in the middle of Butthole, Illinois.


Way off in the Distance Stands the World's Largest McDonald's

Once we reached our final destination we got right to work. I, having no laptop computer and no Blackberry to access email, stared at the walls quite a lot. But I did meet several important people with whom I would be working. I was as helpful as I could be whenever the need arose, which is good because that's what I was sent up there for.

After a full 8 hour day we were done. We discovered some glitches that will require a return trip, but for now we had done everything we set out to do and it was time to go back across the river to our hotels.


Drivers in St. Louis Are No Better Than Drivers in Memphis

Return Trip: Blowing By It Again

NCAA Basketball Tournament


Driving Really Fast

That night we went out to eat some famous St. Louis ribs. The restaurant had a million TVs all around and they were all tuned to basketball. Illinois was playing and beating the crap out of some poor team. Everyone in the place was cheering and screaming.

"What the hell do all these people care about Illinois?" I wondered to myself. Then I remembered where we were. "Oh. Well, I guess someone has to care about their team."

The ribs were great, but traveling and eating out packs on the fat pounds so once I got back to the hotel I went downstairs to the 'workout room,' which consisted of a glass-enclosed closet with 2 treadmills and a TV set, and I walked. The girl who works the nightshift, a pretty blond girl with blue eyes, came in and kicked everyone out of the pool. I could see this through the windows in the closet. She glanced at me briefly and smiled half-heartedly. I smiled back with a "I bet you get hit on a lot and really don't want me talking to you" kind of smile and kept walking and sweating. After I was satisfied that I would never walk far enough on the treadmill to make a difference I went back to my room and stared at the walls.


Are You Actually Hitting On Me In Front of Your Son?


And Then I Said To Her, I Said ...

The next day was simply the return trip to Memphis. My coworkers picked me up and we went straight to the airport.


Going Home


Leaving St. Louis


St. Louis - One Last Look


Little Boy, So Excited


Long Way Down


Back In Memphis - Chasing A FedEx Flight


At Last, Familiar Sights Down Below


Landing At FedEx International Airport


The House That FedEx Built


A Little More, A Little ... Oops, Crap! OK, Back It Up, Please.


Passing A Sleepy Goth Traveler As I Head Home At Last

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