The team meeting last week was worth the trip (as always); we even got to go out on the boat late Thursday afternoon. Every time I visit, I find that I enjoy boating more — it helps, I’m sure, that I’m not paying for the boat! Or even the refreshments, come to think of it.

Friday morning, I decided I’d leave early so I could get home at a decent hour (6:30pm instead of 10pm or later). And so I bailed out of the meeting before we were quite finished — I’ll find out what I missed one of these days, I’m sure. But I made it to Stewart Airport with just enough time to gulp down lunch before getting on the plane to Chicago (I thought that a pastrami sandwich from the JetSet Deli was likely to be tastier, if not necessarily healthier, than whatever American was serving in coach on a two-hour flight).

On the way to the airport, I stopped at a rest area and picked up a brochure about the reconstruction of the James River Bridge in Richmond, Virginia (where I grew up). This seemed like a strange brochure to be giving out on a rest area on I-84 in Newburgh, NY, about 400 miles away from the construction, but they had a good supply of them, so I guess there’s a reason for it.

The flights home were OK; I got upgraded on the Chicago-San Jose leg, and decided that American gave me more legroom in a coach exit row seat on their reconfigured planes than they did in First Class on an MD-80. But the extra side-to-side space was appreciated anyway, as was the better food.

Landing in San Jose was a bit challenging — I noticed that we seemed to be awfully high as we came over the 280/101/680 interchange…and then we started to go up! A few minutes later, after we’d flown north of the airport, the pilot got on the PA and told us what we’d already figured out — that we’d been told to go around again because there was traffic on the runway. Diane had been watching my flight on thetrip.com and was wondering why the readouts suddenly showed the plane ascending and north of the airport! The second landing attempt went better, and I was home in time for dinner.

The weekend has been pleasant; we went to services yesterday morning (they needed us to make the minyan, and will probably need us again next weekend). Jeffrey’s watched a few movies — Jeffrey watched Invasion of the Neptune Men on MST3K (he says it’s horrible), and then we rented Star Trek: First Contact, which Jeffrey’s already watched twice (even though the movie is rated PG-13, we thought he’d be ready for it; he doesn’t appear to be traumatized yet, so I guess we were right).

I still haven’t heard anything from the doctor about my MRI results; I’ll have to call them this week if they don’t call me first.

Actually, that’s in the wrong order, isn’t it?

My flights were uneventful, but the drive from the airport to the Poconos was exciting — big thunderstorms, starting as soon as I crossed the border into Pennsylvania. It’s fun driving in the rain with trucks playing tag.

More later, perhaps; 10 of us are sharing a phone line, and on-line editing is somewhat tacky in this environment.

Much to my surprise, the hotel (Silver Birches Resort in Hawley, PA), has changed their phone system since last year, and I can get connected from here just fine.

The weather continues to be noisy and bright, though it is calming down a bit; they’re predicting more of the same for tomorrow afternoon, which may play havoc with our traditional after-work boating session. We’ll see….