Mortaine’s Blog

Hi. I’m the lady coughing her lungs out. I’ve progressed to the “my chest and ribs hurt” phase of the coughing disease from hell.

Yesterday evening I did a talk at the San Luis Obispo STC meeting, about videoblogging. It was interesting. It took me 3 hours to get there, and my GPS initially told me it would take 5 (yikes!) Fortunately, the GPS was inaccurate at such distances, and I made it with plenty of time to spare.

I coughed quite a bit during the meeting, which was unfortunate, but unavoidable. I had planned to stay overnight at a nearby hotel on the chapter’s dime, and then take my time driving home today. Unfortunately, when I left the meeting at about 9:15, I checked my phone and found a text message from John: “Your wallet is on the couch!” Yikes! And I had less than a gallon of gas in the car. Uh oh.

Fortunately, I’d sold one copy of my book for $25 cash, so I used that to buy gas ($24.45), and drove home at the speed limit, hoping I didn’t get stopped and asked for my license.

I saw a coyote about thirty minutes outside of SLO, but otherwise it was me, the open road, the night, and all the big rigs. I smelled pumpkin patches and asparagus fields, which I hadn’t noticed on my way down. Also a few sewer treatment plants, which I also hadn’t scented during the day. It was overcast, so when I came near a city, the lights shone up and reflected off the night sky, making even the little towns seem larger.

I passed a lot of trucks. I didn’t see any cops until Salinas, and then they were the only cars I saw, so I held off from getting the cough syrup out of my bag and downing a dose in the car. I nearly hit a dog– I think he was pit bull mix– in Castroville, but fortunately I slowed in time. The dog didn’t bother speeding up, just trotted across the road, unconcerned.

I made it home safe and sound and was in bed by 12:30 this morning.

Happy Halloween, everyone.