Alpineglow

When I last posted we were just getting sight of the Coronavirus and cases were popping up in Seattle and NYC. But you could tell the fire was lit. I had a neighbor in St Louis who came into the country and was tested positive but in the time before they got results had gone to a school dance and god knows where in town before they finally went into quarantine.  Less than a dozen cases on the St Louis area. I took that as a sign it was time to go home and sit this out until things got better. They have gotten worse and now people are getting antsy and are breaking quarantine. I believe the shit is really about to hit the fan in ways we have not imagined. This is not a cold virus. Not even close.  The way it infects and the damage it appears to do is unlike and influenza virus we have ever seen. It 's also unlike a slew of other pandemics of the past in that there seems to be no acquired immunity! This makes a cure very difficult. Anyway, my dilemma is I have a work apartment in St

It's been more than a little while since I last posted a story on this blog. Lots of life changes and things have been very interesting if not a bit overwhelming.  Start a the top. Had a girl friend for 4 years with 2 children. We had great times and I loved raising them and am in close touch with them today. We had different life goals and split up a year and a half ago. Because my job at the time had a lot to do with my relationships I decided enough was enough and quit to seek new adventures. Life was stagnant and I needed change.  I left my old company last January to start with a new one in a role that required me to work in St. Louis Missouri.  My reasons for being in California ended and I comitted to aviod the state at all cost after the Paradise fires. My past burned up and there seems no reason to return. I bought a house in Reno in 2016 as my new homestead. I love the mountains and I love Nevada. Being close to Tahoe and the great Sierra is my dream.  In the spri

My lovely wife is less than 7 days from a procedure that may transform her life. I am praying for her and will be heading home this Friday to spend the week with her during and after the procedure. Once she heals we have plans to explore the area from Chicago to New Orleans and the east coast this year.

So this week we had a big deployment in Chicago. This meant I needed to find a place for a week it was close to the data center. It wasn't too difficult and I found an AirBnB 15 minutes from the data center. Very cute with all the amenities I need to survive here. A couple of things though. First, it's on the third floor. I have 2 suitcases and its very narrow. No biggie. Second, it's right off the runway of O'Hare. Wow! I mean it feels like I'm standing behind the plane. I once lived off the runway in Millington Tennessee when I was in the military. This is just like that. I live 5 miles from the airport back home so I'm familiar with the dull roar of jets. But this is off the hook. I feel like the owner should've put it in the description. Oh well, it was cheap and close. I guess you can't have everything.

--> Well I am now about 4 AirBnB stays so far and its going pretty well. I have learned a few little lessons like checking google maps for local eateries and attractions. The other is looking at the parking situation in the area the lodging is in.  All my hosts have been pretty great and I have been great. Some more communicative than others. I travel for business and sometimes plans change very quickly and AirBnB does not accommodate that too well and I have had to get a place in a hotel a time or two just because of sudden business changes. I tend to focus on the kitchen, lighting and relaxing accommodations. Lighting is super important to me. Most of these places have harsh lighting and I will shortlist places with good lightening. Softer and towards the yellow hue. Just my preference. Local shopping and attractions are important as is location safety. But in the downtown area’s of some cities it can be hit or miss. Overall I will keep using the se

--> --> So this week was my first at an AirBnB. I travel a lot back and forth to various cities around the midwest such as Chicago and St Louis. My work has been chaotic recently and our schedules have been all over the map. I work for a major computer systems an storage company and support accounts with technical and integration issues for a period of time during and after purchase. Customers are driven by their own schedules and that impacts my schedule of where to be and how to support that stay. AirBnB is great for the weekly visits. Usually you can get a whole apartment or house for about half of the cost of a hotel. But man you need to really look at the places you want to book. The verbiage can be misleading and the categories are confusing. If I say I want a house, sometimes that can be construed as a room in someone’s house. And it might not be as nice or private as you wanted. I know myself I like to relax after returning from a site a