Yesterday I finished work at about 8:00 pm and returned to my hotel room. It had been a long week between Mexico City and then the return to CA with a day of business meetings. I was wiped out and glad that nothing was pressing on today's agenda. The news was reporting on sleep deprivation and I certainly have that. I decided that there was no reason to set the alarm since I didn't have any reason to wake up at 5:00 am. I figured I'd be awake by 7:00 so no big deal. Well I was tired. I slept like a log and when I finally woke up the clock said 9:12 am! It has been a long time since I've slept in that late and normally that happens when I'm overseas. Now I'm so tired and lazy I could go take a nap right now.
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So much for this week. We’re working in the dark although my picture got the backflash of the glass so it looks light but with no power, this assignment isn’t going as planned. As the batteries were running low on the computers it was time to relocate to the food court and get some power. For all the great times on the road, this is one of those nights where I’m bored in a hotel, the internet was down, and I had crackers for dinner since I didn’t feel like eating alone. Pretty sad day in the business travel life.
Back at the Airport
What a relief that this trip is short! I'm here through Wednesday afternoon and I can't possibly think of anything to write about at an airport that's new and different. I'm inside the Hilton again and now I get the airport street view. At least it's sunny. And I'm now 4 for 4 when it comes to problems getting through Customs here. Normally I come in on a tourist visa because there's less writing to do. Sadly, my Spanish has gotten good enough that I could have a conversation with the Customs agent and she realized I was here on business and I had to fill out more paperwork. Bummer. Then at baggage claim, for some reason I was chosen as a random match to make sure I wasn't stealing luggage. The person even had to keep my baggage claim check as proof that she had checked someone. But for all that, I got the green light was was able to breeze through the final inpection.
Must be the day. I just got to my LAX hotel and couldn't remember if the park & fly rate was valet or normal. I leave my car and go to check in and find out. The desk clerk gets a funny look on his face as he tries to pull up my reservation and disappears into the back room. He returns and says that someone else in the hotel has my reservation open and he can't get in. People check in and out while I wait...and wait some more. Finally someone else comes over and they can't figure it. I'm unamused and it shows. They tell me that valet is on the house so I go and let the valet know they can keep the car. Upon return back in they are finally in my reservation and the dreaded question - did you already try to check in? No. Someone is messing with me. I tell the guy that the last time this happened I walked into an occupied room. He changes my room (nice upgrade too) to prevent that but something is still up with my reservation. I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow ...
What is it with Carlsbad and rodent? I managed to live most of my life in crappy apartments, old homes, and in the boonies without having to think about mice and rats. But ten + years in Carlsbad has taught me that the rest of the county is free because even rodents want to live by the beach. (not counting OB's attic which doubles as a B&B for mice.) Quite a few balls had piled up in the side yard and since I'm about to be gone for a week, I wanted to return them. The rain had been so bad here that most of my yard was a giant puddle with a small sinkhole on the side. The balls had to wait until today. So I went out and started the process (I think there were about 8) of bouncing everything back over. I do the final sweep and my eye catches a suspicious looking shape against my wall. A drowned rat. Ugh. And more ugghh , ugghh , ugghh . The cat didn't kill it. The hawk didn't kill it. This sucker drowned. Normally I would let nature take it away but this was too close...
Throughout the day I've gone back and forth about what to post on this blog. My original plan was one more Trek photo for your amusement. I thought about blogging on how the courts in Saudi Arabia are moving one step closer for women's rights to drive without fear of arrest. I looked at Beirut's mess and thought about how that country is close to falling off into the sea figuratively at this moment. But I couldn't do it. Something has happened to a co-worker's family that is truly tragic. I hope for the best for her and her family but I don't want to go into details at this time. The short version is that we can be lulled into a false sense of security that is created by familiarity . We learned today that two cousins of a co-worker in Mexico were kidnapped. A happy ending is not expected. I have to blog this because in recent posts I have tried to make a point that Mexico while not considered exotic or dangerous, is. Kidnappings occur for ransom purposes all t...
Really, I'm almost done with the Trek photos but I had to add in Picard's ready room and sickbay. This is what makes me smile as I'm doing homework and watching the rain fall once again. In St. Louis the office was closed due to ice. We didn't get any such sympathy closure here. I've gone 3 hours without changing my schedule or booking a hotel.
Some days I wonder how I do my crazy job. Now, I realize this is burger and fries and nothing that will make the world a better place but I’m entitled to my rant. Today, was a circus. I booked a trip to Mexico City, I canceled a trip to Mexico City. Said trip is now re-reserved for a nearly the exact same time. I booked LA area hotels, changed the reservation, and changed it again. Then I booked another hotel just because. Customs is holding up a protective gear apron from crossing the border from Laredo, TX to Mexico. The reason? It’s made in Malaysia. We only ship this apron all the time and it’s never been an issue. I’ve rewritten the clearance letter three times and given the original to the broker to reformat at will to get this apron cleared. I say ditch the apron and clear the cargo. We think one of the frozen food containers for Singapore got dumped on the high seas during a rough ocean crossing. Tried to do an emergency reorder but the paperwork won’t come through until next w...
Kathy, Brian, and I had a geek day in Long Beach. The Star Trek tour is a must see for all Trekkies and far more fun than the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. (except for Quarks) I'll post more pictures later but what Trekkie hasn't wanted to step through the Guardian of Forever portal?
Yesterday I went to the bank for what should have been a simple transfer of money from one account into a new account. Even though I bank there all the time and my records are on file, there was a delay. I have everything in my trust and the bank had recently redone all their files and they couldn't find my paperwork. Once the paperwork was located, mine was three years old and out of date so I had to sit and do all new paperwork. This is all good and frustrating but as I sat there I saw my bank report that had just printed and happily noted that I had a high score and was low risk. As I looked furthur down I saw an address that wasn't mine listed in the history. Ugh. The banker told me to run my credit reports and check it out. I used the annualcreditreport.com and pulled up my records and they all had a Glendale, CA residence listed from 1999. As I filled out the dispute forms I had a vague memory of when I lived at the condo one of the homeowners was moving and the post offi...
So the plagiarizer at school gets to stay in. We're in the last week and we found out that on her last paper, the instructor told her that her writing was confused and made no sense but he was giving her full credit for trying. The instructor told me that my paper report was concise and to the point and well thought out but I lost 1/2 for the wording of the problem statement. Hmm. Now this week in class every response he makes to our discussion questions is how much more important learning is to a grade. Last time I checked you had to maintain a miminim GPA to stay in the program. So it goes. 4 down and 6 left. What was up with the freak rain yesterday? Carlsbad looked like a cold monsoon had moved in. The wind was going for hours and all the palm trees looked ready to go. The streets were flooded with the downpour. Alpine got snow and the mountain roads are closed. Today is sunny and I can see the ocean so we'll have a chance to dry out before the next storm hits.
I'm going to put this one out there since fellow bloggers and friends are dealing with the same issues right now. Maybe this will help. It's been 3 years since my Dad died. It was a hard week and we (OB, Mrs. OB, Homer, and I) got through it with the understanding and support from our friends and family. The reality is, and still is, the week sucked. We each have our own stressful memories but mine hit on the 13th. The service was on the 14th and I had written a story about my father to share with everyone who was going to be there. My father had so many different groups of friends and not one single person knew his whole story. My goal was to tell that story, let people share, and feel that I had done him justice in words. This was the night (and still is) that I couldn't sleep because I had to steel myself to stay strong. I rehearsed that speech over and over. I knew the only way that I could get through it was if I was so comfortable with the words, that I would not ge...
There's nothing like a homeowner's association to take your mind off sad thoughts and focus your energy back into annoyance mode. This gem arrived today: On behalf of the Board of Directors for Carlsbad Parkside, I would like to remind the homeowners/residents of the parking policies. Parking on the street should occur only if a garage has one vehicle in it already and one in the driveway. I'd have to guess that most houses here have three vehicles. I'm not sure who is getting singled out but someone complained. Please do not park in the wrong direction on the street. Please make sure you park your car facing the flow of traffic. This has been bugging me though. In the last month a lot of drivers are getting lazy. Please do not park in a red zone at any time. We have red zones? Please do not use the vehicle turn-abouts for vehicle storage or toys such as basketball hoops and play structures. No, it wasn't me and it wasn't the next door neighbor. She's bee...
The snow is almost melted and only a few traces of it remains. To be in Portland today, one would not even think that snow could fall in the surrounding higher areas but it does. I am in the midst of an allergy attack by some bizarre winter flowering plant and can't stop sneezing. I thought it was dust from the heater but once allergies kick in, everything increases the problem.
Silence sometimes takes place in our minds and our hearts even when the external world is noisy and crowded. Such has been that place in many minds for the last week. It is with great sadness that I must tell you about the loss of long-time poster on this blog, Mrs. H. Mrs. H. was a person who in her 70’s could still bridge generation gaps between all ages. Children of 9 or 19 were as open with her as her own peer group. Many of the children in Mrs. H’s life were more apt to talk over their problems with her than their own parents. For all the grandchildren out there, this is a sad time and my heart goes out to you. Mrs. H. could enjoy a good glass of Oregon wine or a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Given a choice, I’m sure ice cream would win any day (or night). She had a way of making a mouse catch and release program an exciting adventure and turning garden sessions into botanical lessons. For those who have ever stayed at her house, you understand that there is a time warp there where...
So Super Tuesday has been eclipsed by Tornado Tuesday. What a sad and extreme situation for all those people who were hit without warning. I'm glad that the danger is over for them. The week is chugging along and another hour of homework is logged in for the night. I have three trips for work all floating around in the universe and I hope they land and settle in so I can get on with life as it is normal for me. It's been an odd week and I'll explain on Friday. For now, school and work are my total focus except for the quick blog post of course!
Super Tuesday is more of an afterthought for me. I voted absentee ballot almost three weeks ago. As a registered Green party, my ballot was limited. I gave the usual vote to Ralph Nader and a No to all the initiatives. There were only the Indian Gaming and not much else. Carlsbad had nothing going on so it was short. Now it's a matter of seeing who wins the main party nominiations. In Missouri, you can request any party ballot that you want. The voters there are not limited to their chosen affiliation. I wish every state would go that way. No matter who wins each party, the upside is that more people are registered to vote than ever and the candidates are raising interest in politics and the importance of voting like never before!
Monday oh Monday. The first part of the day dragged on and on as I encountered paperwork, procedures, and general office boring workstuff. Then I finally got settled and the next thing I knew it was quitting time! In the bigger scheme of the world I didn't make any impact at all but in the confines of my office, I made quite a bit of headway on projects that need to go in the "completed" file. I now begin a scary two weeks where I'm guaranteed to be iritable and annoyed. I did the thing that I swore never to do again - overlap classes at school! It's only for 2 weeks and was done in an attempt to have the ideal schedule over my next extended overseas trip. That was part of the reason for yesterday's 3 paper frenzy!
2 out of 3 papers complete! So far, almost 7 hours of my Sunday have been taken up with homework. The third paper will take the next 4 but then at least it's over and done with. The deadline is Monday night but I never have time to do work and homework on Mondays. Last night's concert was a fun diversion. Al is more of a talker than a singer and he can really get on a hysterical roll of history and why it obscure historical references are a perfect fit with musical lyrics. You'd have to be there to understand but it's always a great show. 6:oo pm. 3/3 papers complete.
This Saturday begins the same as usual. Check e-mail, drink coffee, hit the beach for some exercise. Do homework. Avoid homework. Go back to homework. I have other thoughts running through my head this morning and am thinking about friends and their Saturday. Same day, different places, different activities. I'm thinking of all of you.