The Speculist

I love New York, but I become more ambivalent about business travel with every passing year. The most recent episode of The Sopranos* features a comatose Tony Soprano lying in a hospital ICU. On the brink of death, he hallucinates a different life for himself. He's not a gangster; he sells precision optics. In this dream world, his state of limbo between life and death is represented as a business trip.

All I can say is that whoever wrote that episode knows what a business trip is like. There is something surreal about breezing into town with a laptop and a suitcase, checking into an interchangeable room in an interchangeable hotel, and then setting out to engage in a bunch largely ritualistic, interchangeable activities. Tony's problem is compounded by a shattering loss of identity -- he accidentally exchanges his briefcase and wallet with another guy, whose identity he eventually assumes.

Simply put, we are not ourselves when we travel. We assume a distinct persona, often in spite of ourselves.

To bring these philosophical ramblings into the "new Phil" context: the only real surprise to me when I weighed in on Friday after flying back to Denver on Thursday was that I had only gained a single pound. This brings me back up to 264, for a total weight loss of 33 pounds. The on-the-road Phil has an approach to life, priorities, and a disposition which are often at odds with my own. Add to that the lack of sleep, lack of control over my environment, and the seemingly endless parade of goodies that midtown Manhattan has to offer, and I must say that OTR Phil did all right for himself.

* I acknowledge that I've been a little heavy on the TV-blogging the past couple of days. For all you TV lovers, you're welcome. For everybody else, don't worry. It's just a phase.