1. I planned to take more pictures of the snow, but the battery on my phone died almost immediately after I took it out of my pocket. 2. I took two pictures and the screen went black; pressing the home button brought forth a picture of a power cable, which was frustrating, but -- small consolation -- at least I wasn't stranded on Mt. Everest. 3. I also planned to take more pictures of San Francisco, where I went for work this week, but it was raining most of the time. 4. Thursday morning I crossed in front of one the famous trolleys near Union Square. I had to get to the hotel where my conference was being held. 5. It occurred to me that I might start a new project taking pictures of hotel carpets around the world. 6. Hotel carpets are unlike any other carpets. This one, for example, features a mysterious language. "In the year 2017," it says, "the United States of America will be run by flying snakes." 7. This one depicts all the stars of the universe. 8. I was originally going to fly back on Saturday afternoon but switched my flight to Friday when it became apparent that the weather was going to be bad in both places. It was a good decision, because the new flight was on time and my original flight was delayed by five hours. Interesting fact: delays aren't nearly as annoying when you're already home. 9. I was anxious to see the snowy garden. 10. And the orange orchids. 11. And Clio, even though she's going through a phase where she refuses to take naps. 12. And Elektra, who is fixated on the flying-snake situation. "I feel like I've let my country down." 13. "My new year's resolution is the same as last year's. Unlike Clio, I want to sleep a lot." -- Dante 14. "I don't care about politics... I just want to see every hotel carpet in the world." -- Zephyr
[Note: Due to various commitments, I won't be posting here until February, at which point we will resume our regularly scheduled programming.]