Travel to New Zealand: Houston TX- Leg 1 in the journey

I haven’t posted in quite a while. I think it’s because I think that this blog needs to be everything that I see other bloggers doing: great format, graphics, etc.  No offense, but there are many blogs that I read that have these features, but the content isn’t necessarily stellar. 

I also am very conscious lately of the rapid passage of time: I’m 54 years old. How many books to I still want to read? Will I have time?  Why am I waiting for me to try to figure out how to create the blog I want (appearance-wise), meanwhile my content is absent. I feel stifled. So, I’m going to just WRITE. Which brings me to today’s post. 

I am traveling to Wellington, New Zealand (I live in the eastern U.S.)  for work. Meeting a client in their office for 4 work days that span over a weekend. So, I’ll hope to make the most of the free weekend and do some personal sight-seeing and hopefully meeting some locals. In the meantime, the flights I have provide considerable layovers in Houston TX (where I am now) and in Auckland. 

I stopped for lunch after landing in Houston, and was treated to my waiter, Julio, who suspected that I might be vegan when I asked for the veggie burger sans mayo and cheese. He informed the that the burger itself is only vegetarian: he knows because his girlfriend is vegan, so he has a heightened awareness. He let me know that the only thing that I could get on the menu was the Greek salad (sans feta), and also let me know that the fries are fried in cottonseed oil, bu tin the same vat that the chicken fingers are. I thanked him for the info and passed on the fries. 

The salad was delicious. As frugal as I am , I thanked Julio with what amounted to a 67% tip (and asked him to consider going vegan). He said he already is considering it because of his girlfriend’s influence. That is all. My day is complete.