Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, here I am, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thanksgiving Day, 2008. Who could have predicted this? Last year, Thanksgiving was hideous, as it was the day on which I discovered my spouse's bad acts... I had hoped that, by this year, things would have gotten resolved. However, we're still in the throes of a dying marriage, I think, and it's a painful, lingering death. Maybe. Who knows... But, here I am, and I have lots of great friends, money in the bank, nice clothes, food in my cupboards, and a decent life expectancy ahead of me... So, it could be a heck of a lot worse, and I just need to stop whining and moaning...

I woke up with a hideous headache, to a cold, grey sky, and rain. On the upside, I found the Starbucks -- right across the street! I'm not sure if I'm coming down with a virus of some sort, or whether it's altitude issues (one wouldn't think so, since I've been high up for a couple of days), or -- perhaps -- it's a mild hangover (okay, two Cosmos last night and no dinner and then the jacuzzi might, just might, have had something to do with it)...

The drive from Flagstaff to Albuquerque was easy, and it's always great to see the magnificent landscape of the desert. Truly amazing rock formations... I don't think I'd want to do this drive again in this lifetime (!), but I've enjoyed it thus far. Later today, if the rain lets up and my headache abates, I'm going to take myself off to Old Town, and walk about. (Yes, I know everything will be closed, but that's OK... I need to get out of this hotel room!)

I was planning on staying here until Saturday morning, and then heading up to Santa Fe for a few days. Unfortunately, plans have changed (the way they have a habit of doing), and I'm going to have to head back to California, to attend a Board meeting of an organization I'm seeking to join, on Monday night. Blast! But, it's the right thing to do. So, I'll pull out of Albuquerque tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, and haul my sorry self back to California. I'm really so not looking forward to that long drive, right on the heels of the first drive... I did think about flying to California and then flying back to New Mexico, to resume the road trip, but there are other things that I need to attend to in California (including a memorial service for a friend's husband who passed away last week -- I had no idea, and she's really having a hard time, as well as another Board meeting on 12/8, which I will have to be at, if I'm one of the finalists for the position), so I think it's time to just bow to circumstances.

However, I still have my reservations to take off on Dec. 13th, for the East Coast, and then on to Paris, for Christmas. That's all bought and paid for, and it would take something massive for me to call that off. Like, I'm not sure what... But it would have to be spectacular.

Well, that's it for the moment. I hope all of you are enjoying the day, and take care!