Unintended Consequence of Traveling Alone: Selfie Abundance

Amsterdam was awesome. The city was beautiful, the people friendly and the food (for the most part) delicious. It was a great work trip and I was really lucky to be able to go. The only thing that would have made it even better was if Chef was able to go. Maybe if I'm lucky enough to go back to this conference I'll plan far enough ahead to bring him along too.

Anyway, one of the things I learned after looking through my pictures was that I apparently took a lot of selfies. I think this was mostly because I was alone, vain, and have been taking them before they went digital and had a name. I literally have hundreds of pics from holding the camera out in front of me all my life. So it really is no surprise that I have selfies galore from the trip.

Since I had them, I thought I'd tell the story through myself. Or my selfies.

This was right outside of the Anne Frank House. It was touching and amazing. And no photos allowed inside. 

Me and a piece of art at the Rijks Museum. I wanted a Rembrandt selfie or a selfie with Van Gogh's self portrait,
but they were always busy with crowds.

Selfie with a Kendra, my DC co-worker on our last night

Last Dinner selfie. I have to say that the tablescape was prettier than any wedding I've been too (sorry, friends)

"I'm on a boat" selfie. We getting ready to glide through the canals with champagne.

Selfie with my NYC colleague, Ed, while we made some pastries and chocolates.

Not technically a selfie because my hands were full. Here I am filling chocolates with a ganache.
Chef would've been so proud. 

Again, not a selfie, but me and another DC colleague Amaris making Dutch Apple Pie (of course)

So, I went to McDonald's. So what. After 4 days of meals with 10 ingredients per dish, you'd probably want a cheeseburger too. Plus they're a client, so that's technically just doing my job, right?

This used to be the Capitol building in Amsterdam
but the prince decided at one point it was too nice to be government and took it over. It was pretty sweet. 

Some large statue that someone told me was important.
There were always people gathered around it, so I bought in. 

What Do You Want Me to Bring You Back From Amsterdam?

Don't say hookers or hash. I won't be able to get either back in my luggage.

I've been so busy preparing lately that I haven't been able to blog or even think about my trip. I'm heading to Amsterdam this week for work. I'm so excited to go. At my last job, I left a mere two weeks before a trip to London was scheduled. So the fact that I'm getting to go to Europe (again) and the Netherlands for the first time is awesome. (Another bonus reason I LOVE my job.)

I'm going to escort and help a brand I work with present to some very exclusive movers and shakers in the food world. But the whole conference is set up to be fun and with free time, so I'm looking forward to going to the Anne Frank Haus and the Rijksmuseum. Have any other suggestions? When someone mentioned the red light district to me in front of a client, he replied "she can't go there. But she could go to the red head district." It made me smile.

Anyway, I leave on Thursday and come back next Thursday. If you don't hear back on an email or text, just wait. I will have Internet (theoretically), so I hope to post some pictures and document the trip. Wish me luck!

When You Look Like Your Passport Photo. . .

On left, my photo circa 2006.
On right, my photo circa last week

"When you look like your passport photo, it's time to go home." - Erma Bombeck

I didn't know the true depth of that funny little phrase until I got my first passport for my trip to Germany about 7 years ago. I had to get my passport updated with my new name and got a chance to right the wrongs of my old photo.

I cannot believe or rather I choose not to believe that even on my worst day I looked as poorly as I did in my old photo. I'm okay with the new photo. The woman taking it messed with my bangs because she said she needed to make sure my eyes were completing showing, but other than that, I'm happy. If I actually looked like the second photo on a trip home, I'd be ecstatic because I think I look MUCH worse after travelling.

What's your passport photo look like?

A Few Days in Chicago

I had one of those meetings where you aren't actually in a big city, but in the suburbs nearby and have no real opportunity to see the city. Once I literally had a meeting where we stayed in the hotel ATTACHED to a Tampa airport and never left. It was the business meeting version of the movie The Terminal.

This week I went to Chicago for a marketing meeting for a client. It was for about a thousand people, and you could tell that the organizers were determined to make it a good time. There was an awards dinner, a disco and an appearance by a special guest...Jamie Foxx. There was also a video greeting to the group by LeBron James. That doesn't normally happen at a lot of meetings that I go to. Not only that, but one of our clients is friends with the family that owns Superdawg, so we did get off the hotel campus for a one meal--and it was delicious.

Despite all the bells and whistles, it was a good learning event too. I also got to meet and see a lot more people on the client side, which is always a good thing. Did I mention that I love my job?

Here are some of my photos from the trip:

Not only did the hotel have my name on the screen only a few minutes after I checked in, but they also provided me with tampons for the duration of my visit. Classy!

The inside the hotel reminded me of a complicated game of Jenga.

My first visit to Superdawg--hopefully not the last!

The outside with the Hot Dog Couple

All beef Superdawg--I loved the peppers!

The packaging was classic and cute too.

Jamie Foxx had just come in from his stay at Comic Con promoting The Amazing Spiderman 2. He plays the newest villain and we got to see a clip. Looks pretty good.

THe other guy is George Leon from Columbia Pictures marketing. He was SO excited about this movie. Jamie Foxx was also very entertaining. 

I danced a little, but the disco was not entirely my scene.

Playing Catch Up

I've been lazy lately. Well, lazy with a side of busy, which makes for a bad blogger. So in an effort not to feel this overwhelming nag that I hadn't updated in a while combined with the dread of having so much to update, I've decided to tell the story in pictures (and skim a lot of it).

I went to Chicago for business meetings. This was my view from the gym's treadmill. I love big cities.

Chicago on the morning of my meetings. It was a perfect day and despite about 24 hours in the city, I was reminded how beautiful it is. Now if it had been January, the love might have been a little less enthusiastic. This picture was taken a few moments before I saw a group of NATO protesters. I was able to scoot out of town before the mobs hit.

I couldn't be that close to Indiana without having a visit. I went to Indianapolis and Bloomington to see friends that I hadn't seen in 20 months. That's way to long to go without my girls. I had to chuckle when I went to Kroger (not Ralph's) with Amanda and saw these gallon jugs of nacho cheese on sale for $6. Who needs this much fake cheese?

Dallas Exploration

The former Texas School
Book Depository

I've been busy in Dallas. I always get a little wound up trying to get stuff done before an event and I had my event this morning. It's my first big event at this job so it was really important that it went it perfect. And it went pretty well--not perfect, but pretty well. Two hitches: 1) the hotel would only let us rent so many microphones because they were hosting multiple events for the same conference at the same time. So our panelists had to pass them back and forth which drove me (and them, presumably) nuts, and 2) We are at a HUGE conference with three hotels that are "official" headquarter hotels. But none of them are really within walking distance of each other so our guests had to take shuttles to the convention center and then another to this hotel to get there. Basically, it meant that of our 296 RSVPs we had about 230 or so guests. That's a much bigger dip that at my usual events, but it's been duly noted.

However, despite all that, the event was lovely. The panelists were engaging and our staff rocked it out in helping. Overall, I was happy. . . and relieved. I took materials to our booth after the breakfast, unpacked what I needed to and then walked the convention floor. One BIG bonus of this convention is that publishers are often giving away uncorrected proofs of books and I scored six new novels. I probably could've taken about 6 more, but I have limited suitcase space. After the walking, I decided that I needed a break. I've been working since Thursday with convention stuff during the day and playing catch up on actual work at night. So I took another stroll around Dallas and decided that I couldn't leave town without visiting the sixth floor museum at the former Texas School Book Depository. I obviously wasn't alive when Kennedy was assainated,  but those pictures are so ingrained in America's history that I was really touched. The place is really well done with lots of photos, video and a self-paced audio tour. Very awesome. If you're in Dallas, check it out.

Here are some pictures from my time here:

The sixth floor --I'm at the turn of the motorcade looking up at the School Book Depository.

Another from the sidewalk in front of the grassy knoll up at the school book depository.

The School Book Depository is the brick building on the far left.
You might be able to see the "x" on the street on the right side of the picture that marks the spot of the first hit.

From under a tree on the grassy knoll looking at the spot where President Kennedy was shot.

What I love is that they actually do have a banner that reads "Grassy Knoll" on the grassy knoll.
It's like walking into live map.

Some art outside an office skyscraper that I thought was kinda cool.

A snapshot from the event this morning. Yay!

I did do some work while I was here :) Me at the booth

That's How Dallas Rolls: Christmas Decorations still out.
The city was taking them down when I was walking today.

Day Two: Charleston

The intersection that my hotel is near.

I walked about a mile in heels, which to me should count for double the calories, right? I think so. Today was my first day of the conference. It was actually fairly interesting and one of the great benefits was that I had some breaks in between sessions to get some work done. My hotel was about three  blocks away from the conference site, so I could easily run back and forth. It makes me feel so much less overwhelmed if I'm able to clean out the inbox of stuff and get a few easy things done while I'm away.

The decal that caught my eye.

As I was walking back and forth, I noticed a red dress. It was daylight and the sticker caught my eye. It was a Go Red For Women decal from my AHA days. I didn't pay much attention to the building, but moved along. Going back tonight I noticed that the building had the AHA office in it. And I was reminded that a friend from Murfreesboro is now the AHA Communications Director for the Charleston office (I gave her a recommendation which I hope didn't hurt her in getting the job). I might pop my head in tomorrow to see if she's in. Memories.

I had a nice day. Learned a lot and had some good food. Not too shabby. This place is super cute. I may have to come back again without a work excuse!

On The Road Again

I will definitely miss the palm trees and beautiful sunsets as I head from LA once again to Charleston, SC. I'm actually excited because there seems to be no snow in the forecast for Charleston which puts it a leg up on DC last week.

Off again, racking up some frequent flier miles so hopefully I can use them for a trip home. I'm missing my friends and family a lot the last couple of weeks and am mildly rejuvenated by the potential to have authentic southern cuisine this week. I saw grits on the menu and it nearly brought a tear to my eye. Add a few "y'alls" in there and I'm sure I'm gonna be a goner.

But for every minute of missing things, there are two of new experiences and discovery. I'll look to my left on the ride home and see a beautiful sunset backing the palm trees and have a peaceful moment in the middle of rush hour traffic. Not too shabby.

Lazy Sunday: Recharge my batteries

You can't really see the big
snowflakes through this DC
street scene.

I got in from Washington DC last night at about 1 a.m. PST. Which is 4 a.m. EST and frankly my body is still confused. It will be even more confused when I head to Charleston on Wednesday through next Saturday. It's weird to think that at this time yesterday, I was freezing my ass off in DC as big, wet snowflakes came drifting down. I was out and about in it and cursing incessantly at the same time. I'm such a weather wuss now. I was trading texts with Chef saying "So cold!" and he was texting back "So sunny and warm here already". I forget that this thing called "Winter" exists in other places. I think I've tried to block it out of my memories.

Anyway, I got home last night at 1 a.m. and had tried unsuccessfully to get some sleep on the plane. I grabbed my bag and got to listen to the taxi wrangler complain about the LAPD beating him up for "absolutely no reason! Second time in three weeks!". It was the middle of the night and apparently the dude wasn't picking up on my "don't talk to me, just get me a cab" face. I also had to argue with the cab driver to NOT take me through the scary neighborhoods at night to get to my place. I would think that not getting carjacked would be an objective in both of interests, but apparently, I was mistaken.

Yep, that's 85 degrees on October 30th.

Got home. Hugged Chef. Pet a cat. Or four. Unpacked. Went to sleep. Woke to bacon frying. Plopped on the couch. Made a grocery list and logged on to the Colts game while Chef went grocery shopping for us. Which was super awesome of him. Did some writing while trying not to cry in sadness and frustration at being 0-8. Went out for lunch, but was a little disappointed because our first choice was closed on Sundays. But we had lunch outside. Because while I had a freezing day yesterday, today was 85 and sunny. And one of those moments when I said "I love LA!".

Now to lounge on the couch and watch football, the TV shows that I missed all week, and movies. Not too shabby of a Sunday. What are you going to do?

My Time in Manhattan

Now this is more like it. I'm here for a work function tonight and got in yesterday. It's a completely different change of pace from New Brunswick, but New York is a completely different change of pace from most places.

Because I spent a lot of yesterday morning and Tuesday catching up, I felt pretty good about leaving in the afternoon to do some exploring. I mean, spending a 3 day weekend in Canada working a booth should buy me some goodwill for signing off an hour early yesterday.

I'm in Manhattan and to be honest the last time I was here both the World Trade Center and my mother were still standing, so that should tell you something. I might've changed a little in that time, too.

I went to one store specifically because I knew there was something that I wanted to get Chef. (He turns 30 tomorrow. Hard to believe because with that baby face he still looks about 18). I went, I saw, I bought, I conquered. I then decided it would be fun to try and walk back. In some red patent wedges. Not the best idea I've ever had, but I made it without having to amputate anything so SUCCESS!

I was just a few steps on my journey when a gaggle of gay men started pointed and looking at me. I instantly thought I was either in front of someone they knew or my mascara had officially melted in the heat and was running down my face. Turns out the answer was neither of those. One of the gaggle broke himself off and said "Where do you get your hair done?". Actually the first thing he said as he came jutting towards me was "Dont' worry I'm not going to steal your little XXX(store name here hidden for Chef's torture) bag." Then he asked about my hair.

"LA," I said.

"How long are you here for?," he asked. The gaggle exchanged nervous glances behind him.

"Two days," I said.

"Shit. Sorry, girl. I'm doing a fashion thing this weekend and just think your whole look is fierce," he said. "Would have loved to have had you."

"Thanks?" I reply and walk off with a little jaunt in my step (that only lasted three blocks before I realized the jaunt was unnecessarily adding pain to my feet. I can do 1-2 miles in those things before they hurt--after that, my tootsies are toast.)

After that encounter, the rest of my experience was pretty mundane. I saw Rockefeller Center (and desperately looked for Liz Lemon--to no avail), St. Patrick's Cathedral (which made me miss Chef although not for the religious connotation), Time's Square, Herald's Square and the Fashion District. Then I did a whore's bath (as it so happens yesterday was the hottest day thus far in NYC at 90 degrees), and walked to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. I'm glad I walked, because I ate like tomorrow was judgement day. And it was delicious.

Today, i worked in the morning then rolled out to walk to lunch with our freelancer and then walked back. Now I'm sitting here for another 30 minutes before I have to get ready for the event I'm helping with tonight. Then it's on a plane tomorrow for a low awaited reunion with Chef, the kitties and my own bed!

There are a few things I noticed about New York: 1) It's not nearly as intimidating as it was all those years ago. 2) Being here reminded of me of my first time when mom and Jack took me for a graduation trip and I inadvertently visited most of the places that we saw on that trip as well. 3) I prefer LA. I never in a million years would've thought that I'd say that, but damn, that weather is nice. And having grown up in the suburbs, the sprawl of LA -- "Los Angeles: Seventy-two suburbs in search of a city," said Dorothy Parker-- it just kind of hits home.

And I'm ready to get back there.

Like the Dollar Store Brand

Canada is like the dollar store brand of toilet paper. It's not Charmin, but like Charmane and it looks kind of like good toilet paper, but it's really just an off brand. That's like Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada.

I'm here for work. The place is clearly not a large town--about 45,000. And it's not super quaint and even though it has two universities, it's not a college town. At least not a US college town. It's like an off-brand Evansville. Except much smaller. And with fewer stores and shops. When the mall to hang out at was billed so lovingly by a local as "doesn't even have a GAP-- just a Sears" that's not a good sign. And so far it hasn't been.

The other odd thing is that it's on Atlantic time. Which means we're an hour a head of Eastern. Which means I'm four hours behind LA. And my body doesn't really know the difference yet. I have a feeling it will feel it soon though.

So, one day down and only 4 more here. And then two in New York. That's going to be a night and day difference. Kind of like LA to Fredericton. The one good thing is that the more time I spend here, the more I'm reminded why I love big city living. And it's always nice to be a little homesick.

Blame Canada

In a few days I'm heading to the other end of the continent--almost quite literally--for work. And each time I think of the trip, that famous South Park song goes roaring through my head and I instantly tap my toes singing "Blame Canada!".

Why am I blaming Canada? Did I not just mention that I'm heading there for work? Well aside from that, I'm also there for nearly a week in a small town and missing a holiday. Canadians either don't celebrate the same or don't have Memorial Day. So instead of kicking off the summer with a grill and a beach, I'll be spending my holiday in a booth and at meetings. (insert sad sound effect here).

Honestly, it's not that bad as I'm sure I'll make up the time later this month, but there's a long stretch between President's Day and now, so I was kinda looking forward to a long weekend. Oh well. Maybe I can find a nice place to have a good dinner and see a movie that Chef wouldn't want to see while I'm there. Besides, the Canada trip ends and I head straight to New York, so I'm sure that leg of the trip (albeit brief) will be pretty cool. I haven't been to New York in ages.

Anyway, please don't text or phone me and expect a response while I'm "international" (seriously how can Canada be international? That's just ridiculous). It's too damn expensive to respond. Another reason to Blame Canada.

Racking Up Some Frequent Flyer Miles

So there are a few things that have been rolling lately. Mostly out of town. In my new position I have the opportunity to see some of the US that I haven't seen before. Mostly some east coast cities. But tomorrow I get to head to an old home, of sorts. Or better yet, I get to see a person who is like a home to me.

I'm heading to New Orleans tomorrow for a conference and get to see my friend Wendee. I'm excited about that. Business travel isn't the most exciting thing, despite the romanticizing of it. There's always a lot of things to do during the day and by the time you finish up answering emails that have piled up during the day, you're tired and ready to grab a bite and hit the hay.

But business travel in a city where you have friends means you get to a dinner out with someone and an excuse to delay work. Plus you get to see someone you might not be able to for a while. It's the best of both world and a better balance.

So not only do I get to add some frequent flyer miles but I get to explore work and catch up with friends.