I am currently in Amarillo, TX. I actually chose this hotel I’m at precisely because they have in-room Internet access. How geeky is that.

The first two days of my sojourn to the West Coast have been pretty good. The first leg, from Chicago to Springfield, MO via St. Louis had some nail-biting moments, as I was taken surprise by rain, and I feared that the road would suddenly freeze over, sending me careening off the Interstate. But this southern route is definitely more interesting than I-80. I guess it’s all the Route 66 memorabilia.

This second leg, from Springfield, MO to Amarillo via Tulsa, OK and Oklahoma City, OK, was somewhat easier, since I started much earlier, the distance was somewhat shorter, and the weather was nice. (Wow. This entry is sounding truly inane. What can I say. I’m tired.) I did, however, take some interesting pictures. And I was plagued by my submandibular gland again, probably just a stone stuck in my Warthin’s duct, although, of course, being the hypochondriac that I am, I started wondering if my salivary gland might be infected, or if I had Sjogren syndrome, or lymphoma. I’m not sure if I started feeling sick because of sialadenitis, or whether I had, yet again, caught a virus, or if I had had too much caffeine, too much sugar, and too much nicotine.

Now I don’t have anything against fat people, since I do identify, what with a body mass index definitely above normal, but, damn, are people in the Heartland fat! Oh, to be a cardiologist in Texas. I’d have to have a drive-thru cath lab.

OK, I’ll stop being mean.

Tomorrow, I’m aiming for Flagstaff, AZ, which is looking like the more grueling portion of my journey, being the longest leg. Plus, I’m crossing the continental divide, although hopefully it won’t be as arduous as crossing the Rockies up by Vail, CO.

Anyway. Just wanted to say I’m alive and well. Hopefully my next hotel has Internet access too.