December 2, Valley Forge. First business trip. The pure joy of taking a rental car, driving two and a half hours to Pennsylvania (with good music) and checking into the hotel, meeting the client at their corporate headquarters tomorrow. Who knew I could miss that so much.

The Radisson, which used to exist next door to the casino, although in the same complex, is now totally absorbed into the casino, and is no longer called the Radisson. It’s a desolate place. On picture walls, beautiful women exult over their winnings; in fact, there are almost only drunken old men and youngsters in sweatpants here, as if on a class trip without class.