Marriott Platinum (aka, "Wearing The Marriott Underwear")

I used to look at the numbers, and think to myself, "Man, you'd have to be gone from home most of the time to get to Marriott Rewards Platinum status."

I guess I'm now officially "gone most of the time," because I have achieved the holy grail of Marriott Rewards, the Platinum Level. What this means, in real terms, is that when I show up to check in, I'm more likely to get a smile than a ho-hum-here's-your-key. And I always get a little something at the front desk or pre-placed in my room as a special "thank you" present. It's never anything to write home about- typically a bottle of water and a bag of chips, or a package of cookies, or, in today's case, a package of almonds. Nevermind that I can't stand almonds, the point is that they are free, right?!

Here's the thing I meant to write about today. I'm staying in a Fairfield Inn in Monroe, Louisiana, which is actually an old converted motel. It's the first time I've stayed in a real motel since I was a kid, but it's really kind of neat- I actually parked right outside my door, about 5 feet from the door of my van to the door of my room. And it's a great room for a mere $75 a night. Plus a free bottle of water.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Columbus, Mississippi, and then next week I spend 5 days in our DC office. I'll finish off that week with well over 400,000 points.