Travel Diary

It’s always risky flying out the morning of a show, but on the other hand, it’s a lot of money to book a hotel for an extra night. So risks must be taken to do these shows in other states.

It was a 6am flight. This of course meant waking up early. And early was 3am. And since I went to bed at 1:30am, this meant a very tired James when the alarm rang. But then again, this was nothing new. It’s hard. It’s always a difficult experience so early, but time passes and eventually I’m well-rested once again.

I got ready and was glad I left a full hour to prepare. Half an hour is just too short and goes by way too fast—especially if I want to record a video or two. Finally, I got into my Lexus and started driving. Yup. I was parking at the airport once again. Not AT SeaTac this time but close to it. I finally got around to trying a nearby parking garage, and it was close enough to not need a shuttle bus. I just hoped there would be open spaces, but at 5am, it’s a good chance.

Traffic wasn’t a problem, not at 4:30am. I reached the lot and after heading into the valet lot by mistake, I was directed to the correct one. Spaces were a plenty. I parked and relaxed a bit and then walked down the street, over the overpass and onto the Link platform in the parking garage. Again, totally empty at this hour. It was nice.

SeaTac was the usual business for that hour. It’s just a busy airport overall. But security was only about 5 to 10 minutes and I was through it quickly.

I had been upgraded days earlier so it was a first class experience for me. Granted, it’s a very fast flight, but still a nice bonus. I boarded in the first group. Well, actually I was the very first one to board. That was a nice change. It was a standard take-off and soon we were heading south to California. My home for 98% of my life.

We did get a meal and I chose the standard egg sandwich, which was an egg and sausage on a bun. It’s actually a decent meal and comes with some fruit. I ate about half of it. For a drink, I had water. It was 7am after all.

We landed in San Jose around 8am. Back in California again! The weather was great, and I guess it was vastly cooler than a week prior. I summoned Uber to take me to Pleasanton.

The Uber driver was great. He was from Afghanistan, but spoke English fairly well. I asked about his life here and his family. So no sleep on the drive. I don’t mind a nice talk sometimes, even when sleep is in dire need.

I got dropped off at the Best Western Plus in Pleasanton. I’d stayed there a month before and figured they did an okay job the previous time so why not repeat the experience. Like before, I was able to check in around 9am and I did just that. I even stayed in the same room as last time. Go with what you know!

There was time for a nap and then I got ready and walked over to the Stoneridge Drive Carpool Lot. Levi, Anna, and Dawn met me there and we drove to San Jose. Thankfully, there was a parking in the lot behind the restaurant, which is usually full. We brought all the props inside. This time we were upstairs, which meat far better sound, but a smaller room. That was fine since it was a smaller crowd. The green room was a hallway. This was the same as in five years prior when we did a private show there. No matter. It still worked out. Just a bit more difficult with workers traveling up and down the hallways.

As we were not getting any food, I headed out. Well, first to the bar to get a light beer. Overpriced of course, but I wanted a cold drink. Plus, I wasn’t sure if liquor stores were close by. Outside the place, a festive crowd was gathering for soccer game celebrations as matches were going on in other countries. I wandered down the street and saw a Chipotle place. It’s not something I eat often but I do enjoy it. I would also have plenty of leftovers to enjoy at the hotel. So I went it.

The price was high just like all fast food now; however, knowing I’d get at least three meals out of it made it a far better deal. Once I got that, I headed back to the Old Spaghetti Factory.

The show went great and the crowd seemed happy. We took photos before and after, and then packed up and headed out. This time, we were also taking Tony, so the car was pretty darn crowded. We dropped Tony off at the Fremont Bart station and then headed to Pleasanton. Alas, a huge amount of traffic caused by construction meant that this was a very long drive. More time to discuss dinner theatre topics I guess. Since I wasn’t driving, I didn’t mind very much.

At the hotel, I dropped off my pack, and then went to the gas station to buy a beer. Oddly, I was carded this time whereas I had not been during the morning. No matter. Just a bit strange. Then it was back to the hotel to sleep.

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