Even before I fly to Toronto, I'll be away for a week. I'll be finding myself in the Washington, DC area.
I have a week there, centering around a 3-day seminar in Reston. Everything is now confirmed, and I look forward to meeting some great people.
I'll be shooting for a dinner with Karen Bradley and Dick Bell of Democracy Cell Project; they had played gracious hosts back in 2005, and I'll be happy to hang out with them again. In the meantime, I'll spend a Sunday in Arlington, where the local Unitarian Universalist congregation's LGBT ministry is run by a very lovely lesbian transwoman, who had contacted and befriended me through Facebook late last year. Back then, there was a 7,000-mile gap, as I was in South Korea, but now I get to bridge that gap and strengthen the friendship (and explore the LGBT life in Arlington).
Also, between this trip, the Toronto trip, and a double Elite Qualifying Miles promotion at United Airlines, I'll have 18,000 EQMs toward the 25,000 required to retain my Premier status next year. The other 7,000 should easily be made up if I make a quick trip to Europe or the Far East later in the year. I'm finding the perks of elite status to be more rewarding than possible free trips, when it comes to frequent flier programs, so I'll play the game as well as I can.
Looking forward to the trip - and to adding to my social life.
