After Midnight

It’s only been two days, but it already feels like a week. We’ve done so much and covered so much territory that it’s hard to believe we only left San Antonio before 7 a.m. Saturday.

The drive was fairly smooth — no Houston traffic! — but we did pull off I-10 in Baytown to see some of the refineries and chemical plants.

Imagine, BP was fined $50 million for the Texas City refinery explosion. That was on top of $319 million already paid out. The mind boggles at such sums. To BP, it’s just the cost of doing business.

We stopped in Beaumont for lunch and then shortly crossed over the Sabine into Louisiana. We made much better time than I expected.

Dr. Lo drove our rented silver Impala and Tricia helmed the red Impala. Fantastic trunk space, which we needed for nine suitcases, nine backpacks, camera and laptop bags.

The road was a great place to get acquainted with Julysa and Alison, two of our photographers. D.A. is an old hand with The Ranger, but I haven’t spent very much time with these two.

I’m thrilled they will both be in my reporting class this semester. They are doing a fine job, though I did tell Alison before we had even left the state that she was already flunking my class.

I actually can’t remember why, but I’m sure it was an infraction of one of the hundreds of rules and practices I try to impress on my students and instill as habits.

While my constant oversight and direct approach can prove tiresome for some, irritating to others or downright intimidating to a few reticent students, I act out of a deep respect for my students’ potential.

And then I learn they don’t know who Jimmy Buffet is!