What is Alex Smith doing right now?

It’s Monday at 1:35 p.m. at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Alex Smith sits in one of the slightly-padded chairs, waiting for his flight back to California. It leaves at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Alex is full of Cinnabon and is feeling introspective and wistful. He thinks about the crazy game last night. What a wild ride!

Even though he wasn’t much of a part of it, it was exhilarating to be there. To come back so far and to finish so close to victory with everything on the line. Even watching from the sidelines, it was an experience he’ll never forget.

In his hotel room before the Super Bowl, Alex Smith took the time to doodle a bit on a pad of hotel stationary.

There was no practice on Saturday; just a short walkthrough for the 49ers. Even though he is unlikely to take a snap in the Super Bowl, Alex Smith can’t help but feel nervous. Nervous for his team and for himself.

He turns up the volume on his iPod.

Alex stood on a bustling street corner on Bourbon Street, furrowing his brow at a clutch of maps and handwritten notes. Finally he sighed in exasperation and started looking at the passers-by, trying to pick out someone who looked like a “local.” (This mostly involved looking for people not wearing grey “Super Bowl XLVII” crew-neck souvenir sweatshirts.)

Finally, Alex found a busker who was playing a rendition of “Call Me Maybe” on a guitar with two strings. When Alex had confirmed that the man was a local, he conspiratorially slipped a $5 bill into the busker’s open guitar case and inquired as to where he might find “the good Applebee’s.” The busker directed Alex to an Applebee’s storefront on General Degaulle Drive. Alex thanks the man and set off, a huge grin breaking over his face.

It’s another lazy day in Alex Smith’s hotel room in New Orleans. Alex lays on the bed, thinking. Finally, he gets up and rifles through his suitcase. He extracts an envelope and sits back down on the edge of the bed. He shakes a small stack of photographs out of the envelope and flips through them. Finally he settles on one. A photograph from high school. It seems like a very long time ago.

(via @USATODAYsports)

Attached please find resume.

I bought this little Moleskine book at the gift shop, because it’s important to write down your thoughts and also I don’t really feel like getting my computer out of the computer bag. It’s bad enough they make you take it out when you have to go through the X-Ray machine. What is WITH airport security, am I right, Moleskine book?

I figured I should jot down my thoughts, since I’ll be here a while. My flight isn’t til 2 p.m. and I got to the airport at 11 p.m. on Sunday night (always get there early!) and it’s just after midnight now. The guy who runs the shop where I bought this book was trying to close his shop but I told him I just wanted this one thing. He was still pretty peeved. Seems like I can’t do anything without making someone upset anymore. [frowny face]

Alex walks into the foyer and is greeted warmly by the realtor. There are a few other people prospective buyers milling around. “Hey, welcome!” says the realtor. “Let me show you around.”

“Mhm, sure,” says Alex, his eyes scanning the large living room for the complimentary snacks table. On a tour of the property, Alex feigns interest in the rooms and location, responding politely with an “mhm” here and a “sure, sure” there. He even manages to offer a mumbled, “Yeah might have to knock this wall down, sure” when the realtor mentions problems with “flow” between the den and sitting room.

Bowling! Everyone likes bowling! What better way to get your mind off your troubles than a little game or several of the old 10-pin? Alex Smith headed out to a Bay Area bowling alley on Saturday to see if he could lift his spirits with a little solo bowling action. Here’s how it went.

Smith arrived promptly at 11:00 a.m. as the alley was opening, in hopes of “beating the rush.” Luckily, there were only a couple of league bowlers working on their game and a trio of retirees enjoying some pre-noon highballs in the lounge. Smith requested a “quiet corner lane,” to which the attendant responded by staring at him bemusedly and assigning him a center lane.

by Alex Smith, quarterback

3 pancakes