dispatch from my bed, at long last

Even when you are jumping two time zones ahead, leaving at 8:30 in the morning and not arriving at your destination until after 1:30 the next morning is a long travel day. Northwest lost my luggage, and compounded this with a series of organizational problems that made the process of filling out my claim ridiculously protracted and miserable. Whatever else might be said about my impending change of affiliation from Madison to Northwestern, I'm feeling right now rueful enthusiasm about the prospect of switching airline allegiances from Northwest to United.

To get to the airport earlier today, we took the especially scenic route from Aspen to Denver, going over Independence Pass (12K feet) and driving along all kinds of twisty mountain roads. Just like when I made the same trip last year, I spent much of the trip feeling car sick. Remember how in "The Clockwork Orange" they condition the protagonist by drugging him to feel nauseous while overloading him with visual stimuli of violence? I feel like mountain roads do the same thing to me, but instead of creating an aversion to violence creating an aversion to nature. No wonder I'm such a passionate fan of The Great Indoors.