Last night began with another vendor-sponsored dinner. I had the option of going on a cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway, or dinner and entertainment a nice restaurant. The thought of being stuck on a three-hour tour with no escape didn’t appeal to me as much. I opted for a venue with a way out, especially since I would still have work to do when I got back to the room.
The moon is approaching full, so I decided to wander on the beach for a bit. While out, I ran into Wanda and Susan from my district, also enjoying the moonlight. We decided that work and sleep could wait for a bit, so we came back to my room to fix martinis and gossip about happenings in District Five. Before we knew it, it was late, so Susan and Wanda headed on back to their place, and I tried to get some sleep.
Tried is the operative word here. Once again, Harleys ran up and down Ocean Boulevard all night. I peeked out at 1:00 AM, and folks were sitting out on their balconies watching the parade. I think the last time I saw before finally dozing off was 3:00 AM. With the work I still needed to do, and with getting to sleep so late, I wasn’t sure how many of the sessions I would make it to this morning. I’m just glad that this is my last night here, because I KNOW tonight will be even worse.
At 6:00 AM, very loud Christian Rock music started blaring from a stereo somewhere. I don’t know if it was someone’s idea of an alarm clock, or if it was zealot who wanted to annoy these sinful bikers. Regardless, I think it annoyed everyone and did nothing to endear anyone to their religious inclinations. I gave up, fixed a pot of coffee, and managed to put the finishing touches on the RFPs and websites I had to update.
That task done, I crossed the street to the Magnolia Restaurant for their breakfast buffet. In my sleep-deprived state I looked and acted a bit surley. I’ve also let my goatee get longer and thicker as of late. Combine that with the few extra pounds on my gut, and I fit right in the bikers at the cafe, sans vehicle. Two older couples seemed to be fascinated with the bikers, and were asking each where they were from and when they rolled into town. I got the same drill, obviously because of my appearance.
I loaded up the car and headed on home. I was ready to be free from bikers.