It is Sunday morning and my bags are packed… again. In fact I begin to wonder if I should even unpack from now on. I should just keep a luggage with all my necessary travel items. It would save me some time and more importantly minimize my frustration feeling that I am leaving my family behind for another extended period of time. Unlike my usual week long trip between the Midwest and DHL’s cin-tucky hub, this time around I get to fly our Brasilia on a nuclear medicine run all the way to the headquarter in Burbank, CA. We will stop in Dallas and phoenix. This brings a nice change of pace as it almost feels like flying for a passenger airline. Mostly because instead of watching the sun rise after another grueling 12 hours of night shift, I will get to see it set over the southern part of Grand Canyon National park with the lighted sky of Los Angeles in the far background. It sure beats my monotonous Nebraska run. Unfortunately this quick 10 hour trip to the west coast does not end in warm socal. I get to airline back tomorrow to Dallas where I will be spending the next ten days or so flying back and forth to Amarillo. I say 10 or so because by experience it sometime turns out to be longer… a lot longer. Suddenly memories from my long temporary duty assignment in Midland, TX are rushing back. Although I am being told that the northern panhandle is vastly different scenery wise, as a TDY pilot on a budget, I am more concerned about avoiding eating at restaurants all the time, having enough quarters to be able to do laundry and hope the hotel has free wireless internet. In that thrifty spirit, if I am lucky enough, every morning I might even make it back to the hotel on time to grab a free breakfast !