Thursday, January 29, 2004

That Stupid Agency

With some of the new rules imposed by the TSA (aka That Stupid Agency) to certain airlines, it's no wonder that road warriors like myself seem to be burning out at a rather rapid pace. I'm in Sacramento, listening to the wonderful security announcements blaring on the loudspeakers. They seem to have increased the volume so that you can hear the information while in the bathroom. Their latest set of regulations are a bit over the top. I just checked in at the airport, and they told me that my connecting boarding pass could not be printed because that flight takes off more than 4 hours from the time you are checking in. Let's see now... In order to get through security, you have to be at the airport about 2 hours in advance. I can deal with that... Now, if you have a flight which lasts 1-2 hours (which I have), and you have a layover in a connecting city that lasts 1 hour (which I also have), you're not allowed to get your freaking boarding pass until you get to your connecting city. Now, if you're running late due to weather, (which we probably will be), you will miss your flight, because you have to stand in another line to get your stupid boarding pass. Thank you, TSA, you bunch of freaking morons! I'm still in hell, and all the boarding passes have disappeared. I wanna go home!!!! Later.

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Hell Freezes Over

Hell has frozen over. It's the only explanation for it all. I'm in Bloomington, IL, and it's COLD. I mean really, really, really cold. I got rerouted through St. Louis in order to get here, several hours later that my regularly scheduled time. So, naturally, since it's darker and later in the day, the temperature seems to have dropped quite a bit. I had problems with the airline today. They took my computer and electronics from me at the plane. I told the guy not to take it, but he grabbed it from me. I told him to expect my lawsuit when things don't work in the morning. I haven't tested all my electronics, so we'll see what happens in the morning. I'm writing a rare letter to the airline about this one. We landed in Bloomington, and were greeted by extremely harsh winds and a temperature of 8 degrees, with a wind chill well below zero. I have one more trip to Sacramento tomorrow, but I connect in St. Louis and Dallas, so I'm not sure if I'll make it all the way. Later.

Monday, January 26, 2004

In Ice And Darkness

I got snowed on! That's something I try to avoid at almost any cost. I'm reporting from a little town outside Dallas, TX, where I can hear train whistles blowing throughout the evening, and I know that I'm not going to get much sleep tonight. I feel like I'm having a flashback to the movie My Cousin Vinny. Ice buildup on the airplane in Chicago caused various delays. In fact, the de-icing truck decided to break down, blocking the airplane at the gate. By the time they towed it away, more ice built up. Suddenly, six hours later, I got to Dallas. I was going to have one of those rare days when I actually arrived at my destination during daylight hours. Unfortunately, by the time I got here, it was already dark. I'm stuck between ice and darkness once again. I could really use one of those tropical vacations, or a Florida assignment... SOON! I'm off to Bloomington, IL, and Sacramento, CA, for the rest of the week. My flight to Bloomington tomorrow was already cancelled, so let's see how I get myself out of this mess. Later.

Saturday, January 17, 2004

Back To Basics

After a long absence, I have returned. I realize I've been here all along, but for the first time, I'm feeling a little better about everything in general. It's possible that I feel this way because this is the longest possible time period prior to the next time I'm forced to participate in another sales meeting. This one was one of those more difficult ones for me with all of the additional work that was required for preparation. It's back to basics for me.

As I mentioned, I spent the week at our annual sales meeting in Tampa. This was one of the best meetings in quite a while, and the first one I've attended that I did not perceive as a punitive session. Getting there was half the fun. I was required to be there before 3:30pm on Sunday, so I had to travel a day early in order to get there in time. We had a hotel that was a bit over-the-top. I had a room that was as big as my house. That never usually happens on the road. Anyhow, I'm back to my regular schedule next week. It's onward to Dallas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles for me. At least there's some consistency within the universe... for now. Later.

Saturday, January 10, 2004

Insanity Takes A Holiday

I took a quick vacation as a prelude to the infinite torture that awaits. However, I'm not going to dwell on work right now. I had a nice whirlwind vacation, and I think it was a bit too short. I am experiencing one of the final stages of burnout in my present job. I don't have any kind of motivation to go back to work. That's a really significant thing to hear coming from a person like me. I'm not getting lazy or anything like that. After all, I am a true workaholic, or at least, I was one until last week. But that is a story for another day. I went to Hawaii for a couple of days, but I brought my laptop with me to do some work, so you know I haven't completely changed. Later.

Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Another New York Minute

I've been neglecting my editorial duties here. I apologize to my readers -- all three of you. Anyhow, the story continues from New York last Saturday, where I met with Denise to work on a project. I got back from New York on Saturday afternoon. I've been on a working vacation for the last several days, and I'm thinking that I need to reschedule my vacation to sometime in March at this rate. I left New York at six in the morning, or as a friend of mine likes to call it -- 'o dark thirty. Now, as you already know, I don't mix with mornings, unless, of course, it is some time around 3 am, in which case you would be catching me right before bed. There were quite a few delays on the journey home, mostly due to the increased security procedures. My flights were delayed in Dallas due to the fact that we couldn't get to the gate because they weren't done getting the other plane out. That was, no doubt, due to the additional searches that they are doing during the Orange Alert. I was a bit zombified **hey, I invented a new word** while roaming the airport gates in Dallas. I got back in one piece, more or less, and to the right airport. How about that! I guess I can do this travel nonsense in my sleep. It's time for a quick trip to Hawaii before Judgement Day, also known as the annual Sales Meeting in Tampa. I'm leaving in a few more hours, so I'll bid adieu for now. Later.