Today I having been delightfully optimistic about everything. My taxi was early (and I was ready!), a train pulled into the station just as I was rushing down the stairs, and the nice conductor lady re-opened the doors for me, and everything is just lining up right. I realize most of my elation is my viewpoint (usually I would be groaning that the guy three seats behind me just puked everywhere, but right now I’m happy I was in the lavatory when it happened, my stuff is clear from the splash-zone, and I can’t see it, because it’s back in coach. Whooooo!), but I’m going to grab all the good stuff that I can from this week and bottle it up, so I can survive the few weeks left of winter.

Overall, I live a pretty charmed and spoiled life. This past weekend S. and I went on a Valentines Weekend getaway to New York City where we trekked up the Empire State Building (which after a trip in 8th grade I still refer to it as the Eiffel Tower), saw Bodies: The Exhibition, wandered around midtown, walked through Central Park, and were sufficiently cultured as we explored MOMA. We stayed about an hour outside the city Friday, and Saturday evening, S. used his points to get us a swanky place halfway between Times and the Park. Lovely!

I really love hotels. I never went on family trips where we’d get a hotel – we would typically do the drive-12-hours-overnight-and-stay-with-family trips. Those were our “vacations.” My dad traveled a lot for work, so he came to despise hotels, rather than seeing them as a place to relax. Other than school trips, and my solo excursions outside of the country, I had never been in a hotel before applying to grad schools. That was the start of it – I traveled to interviews and wandered around the respective cities (I was only 20, not yet old enough to rent a car…). Then when I picked a school, my friends and I roadtripped down, not really knowing how to pick a good place to stay. Looking back at it now, I laugh thinking that we just looked for road signs on the highway indicating lodging, then called when we were in the parking lot, asking about rates. Since dating S., who is a hotel guru, I am now a Priceline expert. I know all the tips and tricks to get the swankiest places for the best prices. That hotel outside of the city we scored for 50 bucks. And it was a 3 ½ star fancy thing. Sweet. S. thinks my love for such things is adorable, which is pretty nice. I don’t know what I’d do if he thought I was nuts for bursting into the room, immediately curling up on the bed with the fun book that tells you about the amenities, then doing a mad rush around the room and bathroom admiring the toiletries and the coffee maker. Such luxury!

So, fast-forward to today. Since I’m following a public school schedule, I have a full week off in both February (now!), and in April. Unfortunately, these breaks don’t line up at all with traditional university schedules. S. and I had a three-day weekend together, but now I have all this time, and he is super busy. I had been contemplating taking a trip somewhere with sunshine and beaches, because I really, really, really hate winter. I looked at my miles, examined possible destinations and flights, but when S. and I decided to go to NYC, I kind of threw the idea out the window. I had already spent too much, and I couldn’t put up for another hotel for a few days, even if it did restore my sanity.

However, I have the best boyfriend in the ENTIRE world. He used some of his points and is putting me up in a nice waterview room in Fort Lauderdale for tonight, only a few blocks from the beach, and I am currently cashing in all my miles, as well as a class upgrade that expires today, and am writing this while sitting in first class on my way to sunshine! I’m only going to be there for a day and a half (I get in around 5 tonight and fly out early Friday am), but I am SO excited to get into my hotel, slip into a bikini, jump in the pool, splash around for a while, get all dressed for dinner, go to P.F. Changs on the water, walk along the beach at night, then spend all day tomorrow by the pool and in the sand. Delightful!

I’ll try to remember to update on my flight back, but I don’t know. I may be too happy to think about things like computers and technology…. :p