On the road again: CONtraflow, New Orleans, day 0

Technically, the CONtraflow hotel is in Kenner and right near the New Orleans airport, but I think of this as a New Orleans con, and I'm planning to visit the city, so for the purposes of this blog, I'm in New Orleans. 

The day started rough, because I was in bed only 80 minutes.  I've spent most of today trying to convince myself that I was not short on sleep, because I didn't really go to bed yesterday.  Instead, I took a nice, long nap--because after all, an 80-minute nap is a pretty good, long one.   

I spent almost all of today traveling and working.  The exception was the dinner for staff and guests of the con.  We all gathered again at the Come Back Inn, where we had enjoyed a similar meal at last year's con.  Though this restaurant is exactly the sort of hole-in-the-wall, strip-mall joint it sounds like, its food is quite good.  I got to sample some muffaletta and some red beans and rice, and both were delicious.  

I travel a lot, and I pay a lot of attention to people, so I suppose it's inevitable that I encounter a great deal of weird behavior.  Sometimes, though, I start to feel like a weirdness magnet. 

For example, when I went to use the bathroom at the New Orleans airport, I found a young man stripped to the waist and giving himself a sink bath with paper towels.  He also cleaned his shirt and backpack with them. 

Odder still was my experience in the bathroom at one of the Admirals Clubs at DFW--odd enough that I expect some of you will think I'm making it up, though I am not.  As I walked into the bathroom, the sound of a phone ringing came from one of the stalls. 

A man answered the phone.  He sounded short of breath.  "I'm in the Admirals Club at DFW jacking off.  Let me call you back in two minutes."

Who says that to a caller? 

No matter.  I was out of there in under two minutes.