Today I write my blog from the wild blue yonder – literally. I am writing as I sit on a Delta flight heading from Minneapolis to Atlanta. It is a beautiful morning up here above the fluffy clouds. I sit here with my cup of Burger King coffee, a head full of thoughts and an iPad that allows me to ramble on at my leisure. I will not be able to post my blog from up here in the clouds as I don’t have the connectivity I need – so by the time this hits Area Voices the day will likely be mostly over. That seems to be the way my travel days go – get up early, travel all day and arrive late afternoon or early evening. You wouldn’t think sitting all day in airports and planes could be exhausting, but it is. I have three flights today – Fargo to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Birmingham.
I have never been to Birmingham – the airport or the city proper. I have never been to Alabama period. So you know what that means loyal readers – I am an Alabama virgin. Hmmm…that sounds like a bad Ron White joke waiting to happen…I can hear it now…”You see there was this Alabama virgin and she met a preacher, a sheriff, and a pig farmer at the bar…”. Yikes, note to self…stay away from the bar – no scratch that…stay away from the preacher at the bar.
So, I am off to Alabama – Anniston, Alabama to be precise. I am teaching a FEMA course with my pal and colleague Dave McEntire. The pairing of Dave and me is always interesting. Dave is quiet, thoughtful, extremely polite and not prone to moments of dramatic flair. I, on the other hand, am not quiet, tend to go with what is there on the top of my head (therefore, not necessarily thoughtful), am polite – but only to those who deserve it, and am replete with dramatic flair. I think Dave should be paid hazard pay for having to teach with me. Of course he’ll never say that – he’ll just give a good-natured chuckle and graciously say he enjoys it.
Soon we will land in Atlanta. I have only been to that airport a couple of times before and my connections were close together those times so I have never had a chance o fully explore the shopping opportunities in the Atlanta airport. All I can tell you about the Atlanta airport from my brief visits there in the past are that the bathrooms are color-coded with pink ladies and blue men – I thought that kinda’ suited Atlanta.
My flight from Atlanta to Birmingham leaves at 2:00 PM and in what seems a semi-logical Alabama world is scheduled to arrive at 1:59 PM. Apparently Alabama is in the Central time zone (as an Alabama virgin I was unaware of this until today). So pray for Alabama for the next few days and the next time you hear a joke about an Alabama virgin you’ll
know how it came about. 
Day eight hundred and eleven of the new forty – obla di obla da
Ms. C