Portmanteau Suitcase

I’ve been traveling a lot the last few weeks. Even when I’ve been in town, it’s for events that are out of the ordinary. First, I went to the Triological Society (Trio) meeting at the Hotel Del. It was a nice opportunity to attend interesting talks and to participate as a panelist. Unfortunately, it was also an opportunity to get norovirus/norovirus-like illness as so many people were sick the last two days of the conference. I thought I was safe since I felt fine on Saturday but oh my gosh, Sunday was a much different story. I will spare you the details, but it’s funny that we were worried about Coronavirus and it was Norovirus that took us out.

The next weekend, I took an extra two days off and made a casual loop of the United States. First, I saw SMS in Palo Alto. We went to Watercourse Way, an onsen-style place in Palo Alto. The hot water felt great! On Sunday, I headed to Boston immediately after their huge blizzard! I landed without a problem but my parents were still in DC (we were supposed to meet). So, I hopped on the United app and booked myself a flight to see them- last one of the night!

I spent a day and a half in DC. We went to the National Gallery of Art since the East Building is closing soon for renovations. There is a nicely laid-out exhibit of contemporary art (~1900-on) in four vertically stacked galleries. Mom cooked a great dinner and overall, it was great to have some time with my parents. Plus, I got bonus sister time when Brady came over for about an hour on her way home. That’s always very special! I was so happy it worked out since she is super-busy with work and family.

The next day, I went up to Walter Reed and got a few errands done in a mostly efficient manner. Mom and Dad were worried whether I would make my flight but I had faith! On the way back, I was upgraded to Business class to IAH, where I had dinner in the Centurian Lounge. It was a luxurious experience!