St Louis: Roadkill and semi's and XXX shops. Don't you just love road trips.

Good evening. I made it to St Louis - a very nice hotel - Hilton - lots of marble everywhere. I had to pay $18 for parking so I sprung the extra $7 for valet - a treat - then got to the room and found out in-room internet is $10 a day. Sheesh, it adds up. But I am going to depend on the cute little laptop (which I realize now has no name. I wonder what gender it is. The one in my studio is a girl, as is the external hard drive - named after famous WOMEN designers - April [Greiman. Queen of New Wave] and Eileen [Gray. Modernist. Designed the table on the second floor landing]. I will have to think about other women designers to name this little cutie after. In the meantime, I am very dependent on her (her!) for company, a la Hal in 2001 A Space Odyssey.

Speaking of Hal, the elevator here is very high tech - there is actually a learning curve to it - the tall young man with the nice voice at the check-in desk explained it to me out of habit - I was pleased to note his mechanical delivery, indicating that he had said the same thing many times - I did not want to think he underestimated my problem-solving abilities, such as how to maneuver the talking elevator, especially since I couldn't read my room number on that little folder your plastic key comes in, and so I just asked him to read it for me, as I was holding 19 things and my glasses were buried deep within the pile.

Happy to say, my room is on the 23rd floor, which is cool since the higher the better - I am all about the view.

I made it here safely, obviously. Driving I-70 for 4 hours is no pleasure drive, I tell you, although I am proud to say I can keep up with the semi's (of which there are dozens and dozens), even if they are averaging 80 mph. I am all about the view AND making good time. Little Red Car did a fine job, as always, as did newly repaired iPod. I-70 from KC to St L is 4 hours of roadkill, billboards, XXX stores (I am not completely sure what all they sell but they must do a pretty good business as there are a LOT of them - like every couple of miles) and semi's.

I hate billboards. Most of them are selling themselves, actually. Rent me! Just take it down, please - who would've thought there is something to learn from Iowa (which doesn't allow them). Lady Bird would concur.

Ok, so I might go work out in the Fitness Center, and also will meander to the lobby and see a) where I can eat dinner and b) if there are any conference related activities I can join in, since I don't have info on that as of yet. The working out notion is feeble, though, as I opened the Shiraz I brought with me, and we all know wine and 30 minutes on the elliptical is just not a good pairing.

My first glass is empty; which activity will win out, we shall see.

Ok, so I'm here. Have a good evening. I am lonesome - good thing I have the laptop Eleanor to keep me company. (I thought maybe Lady Bird, to thank her for her Keep America Beautiful efforts but that sounds goofy - so I was running through the list of First Ladies and something about Eleanor is working for me. Humble, down to earth, but nonetheless a good conversationalist and you should see her do the Merengue). I left Travelin' Troll in the car - hopefully he hid successfully from the valet guy - I know a glow-in-the-dark troll is a truly covetable find.

xos/mom