On the road again: Silicon Valley, day 1

The travel gods ate today whole and barely noticed the snack.

The first leg of the flight, the shorter one, was almost as pleasant as it could be, courtesy of a first-class upgrade and a mostly quiet seating companion. I did have to explain to her how everything in first class worked, because this was her first time there, but that was fine. Less acceptable was her reading of my email over my shoulder, a practice she abandoned when I requested that she do so.

The second leg proved to be an American Airlines 30th Anniversary Celebration Flight. Half a dozen AA folks mingled among the passengers, attempted to spread good cheer, and gave away gift bags that contained certificates for thirty thousand free AA miles. What they didn't give us was our upgrades, so I'm afraid that Bill and I were rather less chipper about the presents than they would have liked. Still, the extra miles are a treat, and we thanked them.

Our seats on this flight were in an exit row, which is good, but wow, was it cramped. Working was rough, so for much of the four and a half hours we were on the plane I just sat and tried to doze, my shoulders rolled inward because they didn't fit in the space available between the bulkhead and the very pleasant and fortunately small guy in the middle seat. My back is only now beginning to un-kink.

Dinner was at a nearby Max's, which makes the best patty melts I've tasted. (I always email a picture of my meal to Elizabeth, who loves those greasy concoctions as much as I do, to torment her. When you work with me, it's all about the love.)

Work itself, of course, is not on the table for discussion; confidentiality is at the heart of our business.

Tomorrow, client meetings and a lot of time on the 101!