2000
| November 8, 2000 We start with the fact that the current competitors are not invited. So Troy cannot go. We have a table - me and women I do not know - part of the fun and adventure. We are served an unidentified appetizer. Something with mushrooms. Uneatable sorbet - supposed to clean the palette. Numb it more likely. The Raddison staff I take it know not about wine. Including champagne. (Not much about hotel operation either!) We are hungry. We want bread. Take that back - we want cover models! They seem to be in the other side of the room. One per table and not enough to go around! Should have the competitors in here. More fun! I met a few Fabio fans, had champagne for 1 hour, now I want food too. They are playing musical chairs with the models. Each course they get up and move. And each time we get missed! Probably because there is a man at our table - maybe they think he is a model! We are getting noiser. So far I had a wild trip in - because Troy waited for me and I let him drive the car . I always rent a car. Regardless (On this trip - that was, it turns out, to be a good thing.) We took the directions we had been given - and ended up on the loop around Houston. We finally stop for directions - I nagged, he gave in. (Guy thing.) It was a long drive in but we found the hotel. Stumbled over it actually. A long stretched out thing - looks like a bunch of motels strung together. No redcaps in site. No valet parking. Should have been a clue. Then we got our rooms - Not the main hotel as promised. Thank God my younger son is not here - we could not have navigated the wheelchair through the connections between buildings. And not over the uneven broken floor. Or into the old elevator - hung from the mid forties by the looks of it. But we have adjoining rooms - literally! That makes for conversation. The rooms are cold - no heat! Mine is 63 degrees. I tried to locate Skip and Pepper. They are to be at the Day's Inn and those computers are down. So of course I can't reach them. And of course I have to run a gauntlet through unprotected arches between three buildings to get back to the front and take a LONG hike to find registration and see that the posters arrived. And decide that the heels I brought will be useless - sneakers would be better. And wool socks. Because they don't have heat on very high anywhere and it is winter weather outside. Freezing. And I have evening gowns to wear. I got orientated. I paged the Day's Inn. I called home. So far. So good. I had tickets for tonight so I thought I would go. I threw on a dress and blouse (Bob Mackie burnout) and came to dinner. And so we sit - a little bad wine and something on the plate. Troy has press conferences and rehearsals and a whole different schedule. He is off doing his thing. We finally had bread arrive. And pork chops (very good - large serving). I skipped the bread and had the chops. I don't remember desert - probably cheesecake. We finally got a model. I didn't remember him. And then we got CJ. I remember him. I have photos his mother should not see (from 1993). And one of the Bartlings. I have photos of the three of them in sheets. With me sprawled across all three of them. I remind the one we have. He remembers that convention. OK. Dinner over I go back to my room. And set my hair. And do those other things one does when faced with a 63 degree room, It has been several hours since I complained about no heat - now - at 11 - I am sounding like a drill sergeant. Move it people! They finally send someone (I was half dressed). Two hours later they sent up extra bedspreads. I am fully undressed by this time. They also sent up a note. They turned off the power at 1 and back on about 4AM. Something about a transformer. (There was heat in the main building after that.) I left a wake up call (phones were on). This hotel is a joke. So were the three coat hangers. Three! For a woman! Motel 6 does it better! |
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