Musings in the former shadow of the Astrodome

 Maybe in days long ago one could say I was sitting in the shadow of the Astrodome. But not these days.

 I am spending the night in what’s meant to be an extended stay motel, mostly for people who have family or are receiving treatment at the nearby Texas Medical Center. I saw the Astrodome when I drove up Fannin but it is mostly dwarfed these days by Reliant Stadium and the Reliant Center kind of blocks all the shadow of the ‘Dome these days.

 As for my lodging, I am impressed. It’s a nice, clean little room with pots and pans and an electric range on which to cook and of course your microwave, coffee maker, a two-slice toaster medium sized refrigerator-freezer, TV, chair and bed. That about does it.

 The Homestead Houston Medical Center-Reliant Center’s room is not the more-than-I-needed suite at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Bethesda where I twice stayed while taking training courses for my part-time job. But for $41 and some change for tonight it’s a steal.

 Yes, $41-something. I decided to take a chance on Hotwire.com. This place showed up at around $55 per night on all the other travel sites. But with taxes and “recovery fees” (whatever that is) the total came to about $75. That’s why I double checked with the hotel to make sure I had the room at the stated price. If I don’t go all berserk and throw the refrigerator out of the window it might just work out. Hey, hotel people — if you are reading this — I’m just making a point. I forgot what it is though.

 It has been a foggy, rather mundane day. The fog and rain on the I-10 drive to Houston wasn’t too bad. About the only weird thing that happened is that some kind of synthetic-type material blew from out of nowhere and landed on my antenna. I don’t want to gross anyone out but it was covered with streaks of mud and, it looked to me at least, kind of like a condom. Perhaps it was a condom that made it through Hurricane Ike. Some people got antenna balls. I got rubber balls, bouncy bouncy. Fortunately, it didn’t stay long.

 Tomorrow I’ll see another neurologist at the VA. At least it won’t be a long trip, maybe a half-mile. I sure hope this doctor can put me on a path of either figuring out what is causing my neuropathy or not. As I think I have mentioned before, even if I don’t find out the cause then I can start developing a plan to live with this “nerve disease” as one diagnosis put it. This thing has interrupted my life. I tried to not let it. But so much for plans.

 And I’ve got arthritis coming from out of the woodwork. It must be the weather. I was hoping to meet up with my old high school friend and neighbor, Patti. But I don’t really feel up to going out now. That all pretty much sucks, if you know what I mean.

 Oh, I drove into a foggy Houston this afternoon on the day after the city elected it’s first lesbian mayor. At least, the first acknowledged gay person. And guess what happened? I didn’t get propositioned by hordes of gay guys once or not one gay person sneaked up upon me with intentions of kidnapping me for a “queer-eye for the straight guy” makeover.  Even though, I could really use a makeover. But I’m sure if some kind of calamity happens in Houston that the Rev. Pat Robertson will blame it on the citizenry having elected Annise Parker to lead the nation’s fourth-largest city.