First Impressions

Landed in St. Louis around 4:00 this afternoon. My first impression was that it was very dark.

St. Louis is several hundred miles north of central Texas. It's also much closer to the EST/CST time zone line. Consequently, it gets much darker much earlier than home.

It's also much colder. I left a sunny warm clime (mid 70s) for a drizzly below-freezing icebox.

After I checked in and hung my clothes up in the bathroom with a full tub of hot water, I wandered down to one of the lobby bars. (Yes, the hotel is that big - it has multiple bars. It's also ritzy enough that the lobby restaurant is a Ruth's Chris steakhouse. I've never gotten out of one of those places for less than $100 per person. Sometimes the uncertain life of a consultant beats the hell out of steady employment.)

Unfortunately, here in the great midwest the bars are full of loud lousy music and smokers. My home-town hangouts feature quiet background sounds and very few tobacco users. I guess I've gotten spoiled.

Finally, while sitting in the noise-and-smoke-a-torium, I was watching a TV with subtitles (I guess there was no way anyone could hear what they were saying). I almost dropped my beer when I read "Justin Bieber tells Barbara Walters he'll cut his hair."

My God! Has the mainstream media sunk so low that this is what now passes for news? And is this the zenith of Babba Wawas' career?

It almost makes one yearn for Walter Cronkite...