First day back to work. Feeling exhausted and very despondent. Not happy to be here. Post-Bouchercon reintegration gets harder every year. I want to be among writers and readers again. I wrote a lot in my personal journal about my adventures in Chicago, but they amount to the same thing everyone else is saying -- who I met and talked to, famous or not, and how late I stayed up drinking. So, for the blog, I broke mine into lows, highs, observations, and learnings.

HIGH: Not having anyone sitting next to me on either flight East (Oakland to Dallas, Dallas to Chicago).
HIGHER: Having someone sit next to me on the flight home (Dallas to Oakland).

HIGH: Successfully navigating the Red Line to Wrigley Field. Thanks, Annie!
HIGHER: Seeing my first baseball game from Wrigley Field. LOW: The Cubs losing 7-0. To the Dodgers!

HIGH: Meeting folks from the blogsphere: Dave White, Duane, Ray Banks (and his lovely wife), John Rickards, Bryon Quertermous.
LEARNING: It's pronounced "quer-TER-mus" (rhymes with thermos). LOW: No Sarah Weinman.

LEARNING: The timing of dinner is important. If you eat an early dinner (or late lunch) you will be hungry at 2am when you go back to your room, and food options are limited.
OBSERVATION: A $20 two-egg breakfast via room service is no more tasty than your typical coffee shop breakfast.

HIGH: Walking down Ohio Avenue. Eating dinner at Pizzeria DUE.
OBSERVATION: There are lot of tall endowed women in Chicago.

HIGH: Finally, after nine years of corresponding and buying his books by mail, meeting my writing guru and favorite author, William G. Tapply, and his lovely wife, mystery author Vicki Stiefel.

LOW: Jennifer Jordan calling me a freak because I don't like meatloaf. The food, not the singer.
HIGH: Hanging with my new buddy, Butch Snyder, and making him smile and laugh, while his Daddy, Keith, used the restroom.

HIGH: Many more new books on my TBR shelf.
LOW: Many more books on my TBR shelf.

HIGH: Taking a walk on Sunday with S.J. Rozan, Keith and Butch Snyder, Sean Chercover, Judy B (the one that runs everyone's life) to see the Pritzker Pavillion and the "Bean" sculpture that reflects the skyline.

HIGH: Riding the shuttle to Midway with Jill and Jeremy Lynch, and Sean Doolittle, and telling cat stories. We all have cats that display various neurotic and psychotic tendencies.
LOW: Security checkpoints, waiting for the plane.
LOW: Being in Boarding Group 6, the last to board, and not knowing why. No, it's not by row number.

HIGH: Having Monday off to catch up on sleep, read, and relax with family.
HIGH: The memories of a wonderful time.