REGROUPING!

Want to start off your day with a beautiful piece of art? Okay, stop by Lee's site at Caribbean Colors: http://Caribbean-colors.blogspot.com and catch her Oriental Watercolor pieces. They are spectacular!

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My body is still decompressing from 18 days on the road and an average of 9 meetings a day. I still managed to squeeze in some fun and photography. The lost Jump Drive turned out to be in a Fed Ex Kinko's drawer and I had it shipped "Priority Overnight". Now I'm only missing one of 4 Kodak disposable camera's. As I'm fond of saying: "Go ahead and laugh. I can't hear you in Ohio anyway" (and even if I could, I'd be laughing along with you). As fate would have it, that particular camera contained my most important memories: photos with Al Topping, my friend Mary Ann, another friend named Mary, Bud & Cathy Buckley, numerous shots at CNN in Atlanta, The Pan Am AWARE store (inside The Pan Am Flight Academy on 36th St/Doral on the outskirts of Miami International), the blank-looking building that was once the headquarters of Eastern Airlines next door where I landed my first BIG magazine interview with my friend of 10 years, the late Marty Shugrue, shots of beautiful sunsets and the strip of beaches near my hotel in Deerfield, Florida; there was Epcot Center in Orlando...then Poof! The camera It went missing. But I'm undeterred.

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Funny that I mentioned Marty. We were seated in Colonel Frank Borman's old office on the 9th Floor of what was once referred to as "Building 16" (it even had it's own Zip Code). Marty was both the Operating and later Liquidating Trustee of Eastern Airlines. I had my Panasonic cassette tape recorder and a stack of blank tapes on a large circular table and my photographer who was assigned to me was in the corner snapping photos when Marty received a call. The Creditor's Committee was about to have a teleconference with him and we needed to vacate his office for about 40 minutes when I realized that I had misplaced my keys! Always a "cool head in a hot spot" Marty said calmly, "Just go back and methodically backtrack". I've never forgotten this or anything I'd learned from Marty over 10 years. Even now, I have taped to my wall 5 places where I've backtracked and realized that I missed one hotel gift shop where I bought bottled water and a USA Today newspaper. So, "through hook or crook", it will turn up.

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Yesterday was taken up with me crunching numbers from my travel and later, visiting my Aunt to deliver souvenirs (that's always fun--giving gifts and watching excited faces aglow with wonder). Today was less hectic. I sold an extra SKB hardshell guitar case and had the oil changed again, and the tires on the car rotated. Despite the fact I've never watched "The Sopranos", I'm in the market for an Office Shredder. I did manage to reassemble a list of tremendous movies for "Friday Movie Suggestion Night". Of course I can't say anything until Thursday's of each week. But I can tell you that Blog buddy David M. Bailey's CD's arrived in the mail and I have them in the car to listen to this week. Lastly, I have started catching up with each of you on your BLOGS. I have missed all of you and since my body is still craving sleep, I'll sign out here. See you tomorrow!

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Listening to: Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67/ Egmont Overture, Op. 84; Seizi Ozawa-Boston Symphony Orchestra.