Flight down was smooth and quick — just 90 minutes from Chicago. I spent some of it reading, some of it talking to a lovely young man seated beside me (hi, Nathan, if you manage to find me here!).
He’s just 21, coming off a one-year stint for the military abroad; he works on regulatory engineering issues, including nuclear, which of course made me think of the West Wing San Bernadino nuclear power plant episodes — which he hasn’t seen, so I have now sent him off to watch those. I also told him he might like Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan series, which start with Miles at 17, trying to join the Imperial Service Academy — Nathan, the first book I recommended is The Warrior’s Apprentice. Enjoy! She’s a great writer (and a fast read). And I may take you up on that offer to help me with military stuff in my science fiction…
I also told him at some point (hopefully not shocking him too much) about my early days writing erotica, back when soldiers didn’t have much in the way of internet access. I was publishing stories on Usenet in the early 90s, and I used to get e-mails and postcards from soldiers stationed in the Middle East during Desert Storm. They had terrible dial-up internet, and their families mostly weren’t even on the internet at all; those boys were clearly so lonely. I’m glad my stories gave them a little bit of happiness. And I’m even happier that they have good WiFi now!
The timing of my flight didn’t quite coincide with the hotel’s airport shuttle, but I can access the free WiFi from this parking garage, so 45 minutes sitting on a bench isn’t such a hardship. It’s warm here — I think it’s going to be a high of 90F. The cardigan was quickly stuffed into my bag, although I may need it at the hotel, given air conditioning…
Back to that playlist. I’ve never been to Nashville before. I’ve *watched* the entire series Nashville, and I like the music a lot, but I haven’t actually done more than buy the soundtrack + a Carollina Chocolate Drops album (because Rhiannon Giddens is a goddess walking this earth). I started off my Nashville time with her “Hit ‘Em Up Style,” which was perfect, but now I want a Nashville playlist to accompany me while I’m writing this retreat.
Sometimes I need wordless music for writing, sometimes words are okay. So I’d love recommendations for both. I am very ignorant about country as a genre, so happy to have recommendations for classics as well as newer work. Whatcha got for me? 
