The Longest Week Of The Year

I returned to my old schedule, just for a week.  It all started on an overnight New York flight on Sunday.  Since flights have been so inconsistent lately, I had to stop in Washington DC for a "quick" connection, which turned out to be several hours.  Delays are pretty common these days.  However, if you're meeting a large group of people from all over the country and no one makes it on time, it may be time to look at our air travel system. 

In the middle of the week, I rerouted myself to a last minute job in Texas.  I had a 20 minute connection in Cleveland, so the airline decided to reroute me through Chicago. It took an extra 10 hours to get to my destination, since I missed the last connecting flight.  In the tradition of a true road warrior, I decided to reroute myself to the closest available airport with a flight and drive through the night.

This was one of the few times that I didn't pack too much extra stuff for an "emergency" add-on trip.  After all, it's been almost a year and over 200,000 miles since I had to add a few days to an existing trip. At least I didn't tear the seam of my pants like I did in Cleveland several years ago.  Also, I didn't give the airline a reason to lose my luggage, as I carried everything on the plane.  However, I still needed to get the WalMart suit, and get some other extra clothes and stuff.  I did still manage to twist my ankle and wind up in extreme amounts of pain on Saturday.  Some things never change...

I finally limped my way back home, and I'm still limping along.  That was one of the longest weeks I've had in a while.  Let's not do that again.

Later

The Travel Game

It's been well over 50,000 miles since my last post, and I finally have a few moments between all of my projects for a quick personal trip to New York. Since I resumed my life as a road warrior a few years ago, I have found that I seem to have a lot less personal time on my schedule.  Even though my assignment is nearing completion, I still needed to take a little time for family.

Travel is a really unusual game. It's supposed to be about getting from point "A" to point "B" with minimal disruptions to your life.  It's also about trying to get the lowest fare, most frequent flier miles, and best seating.  Just like standard business travel, it can be a no-win scenario, especially around a holiday.  In this case, I needed to be in upstate New York for a graduation on a Saturday morning.  The lowest fares were either overnight flights that would allow me to arrive in the morning on Saturday, but place me180 miles away from my destination.   I made the tactical error of getting in to JFK right before rush hour on Friday.  It took three hours just to get out of the city.  I managed to stop for dinner in New Jersey before continuing onward. 

So, a minor miscalculation while playing the travel game did cost me a bit of sanity throughout the weekend.  However, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Later.

The Road Most Traveled

Manhattan is such an interesting place. I managed to take the subway a few times, and I balanced it out by taking a few taxis to get myself back to my hotel that was just outside the city. After a long week of conferences and meetings, I took a cab to the car rental place at the airport, and rented a car to drive up to Albany for the evening. The concept of the GPS is interesting. I asked for the fastest route, and the computerized voice took me off I-87 in the Bronx, and sent me through New Jersey before reconnecting with I-87 once again in New York. That just made no sense to me, but I was in no mood to argue with the computer. That argument always got me into trouble in the past, so I just took the road most traveled -- it was quite crowded, even in New Jersey. Thanks to all of the abuse from some of the cab drivers, my luggage has finally given up on me, so I had to do some quick shopping and shipping.

And so I find myself in Albany for another day. I managed to have some Texas chili and Idaho fries for dinner. Not bad for a small restaurant in Albany, New York, right? I've also booked yet another work trip in a couple of weeks, so the adventures continue on the road most traveled. I need a nap.

Later.

Historical Events

Ok, the plan was great, but the execution fell short. As you recall, I was attempting to pack a few days before the trip. Well, fatigue caught up with me, and sleep won out. For the first time in many years, I actually missed my flight. It was a combination of way too many things -- fatigue, weather, lack of parking, traffic, and lack of stamina. I got to the airport a little late, thanks to an extra 45 minutes that I was stuck in traffic. On top of that, it took me an extra 3o minutes to find a parking space. I had three minutes to run the half-mile to the terminal from the parking area. I just couldn't make it this time.

It's a good thing that I still have some clout with an airline or two, and managed to get into the New York only an hour later than planned. Of course, I did resort to sprinting across terminals in Dallas just like the old days. I really have to give thanks to American Airlines this week. They actually connected my luggage correctly with a less than 20 minute transfer in Dallas. No luggage separation anxiety on this trip!

It was a historic week on many fronts. That election thing also happened this week too. I really don't get too deep into politics, but it was kind of nice being in the middle of Manhattan during this election day. For the last couple of days, I attended a leadership summit with some of the most powerful global leaders and corporations. It's been a great session, and it has made me think about sticking around for a bit longer. There will be plenty of time for retirement later. Life is a journey, and I'm going to enjoy the ride. Later.

Three Times In As Many Days

As strange as it may seem, I'm off to New York for the third time in less than a month. For a semi-retired, office-bound road warrior, that is a bit much. It's not the plane ride or time zone that will be the challenge this time. I think the greatest challenge will just be my presence in Manhattan during election week and the week of the New York Marathon. I'm not participating if you haven't already guessed. I think it's going to be a bit crazier than usual, and it will likely be similar to the last time I had some extended time in Manhattan. As I recall Garth Brooks was in town performing, and I kept getting stuck in the horrific traffic caused by his fan base.

I may be a bit early for this, but it's time to pack. I will admit to being a bit rusty at this, so I'm not going to do my "pack-for-five-minutes-before-you-rush-to-the-airport" show. This time, I'm going to at least try to get it right. Safe travels, everyone.

Later.

Exceeding Capacity

For the last few decades, I've consistently made a habit of exceeding my capabilities on the road. It has worked for me in the past, but maybe there is some wisdom in slowing down. I got back to New York a couple of times in the last few weeks. Both trips required hundreds of miles of driving.

It was quite disturbing for me to discover that I just couldn't successfully fight off the fatigue. Since my days in college and earlier, I've always pushed harder in order to keep going. This last time I just didn't make it. During my four-hour drive to visit a friend, I needed to pull off the road in Canada to rest in order to safely make it to my hotel. I guess I didn't have too much time to rest during the trip, but when I did have a moment, I took the opportunity for a nap instead of providing my normal updates from the road. On the way back, It took roughly twice the time, and there was no difference in traffic. No, I didn't get lost. The fatigue finally caught up, and I had to pull over multiple times or truly risk an accident.

Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I just shouldn't pack my schedule the way I used to. I guess I finally got knocked down by that invisible age barrier. I guess it's time to adjust my capacity settings. And now, it's time for that nap.

Later.

Unplugged

It's kind of nice being unplugged from the office for a few days. Though in this day and age, it's really hard to be totally disconnected from the rigors of the working world. I spent yesterday driving around New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, in search of a cheeseburger. I did reach the target objective in New Haven, CT, and dragged along a friend. An experience like this is something that is best shared. You really have to experience the burger to fully understand. It's that good. I could go on and on about different restaurants across the country, but that's not the point of today's post.

As I was mentioning earlier, being unplugged from the office has been a great thing. The hotel and airline experience seems a bit weird without the rigors and pressures of the office beating you down. It did give me some insight into the fact that travel has really gotten to be a horrible experience if you don't have the status (or even if you do, in some cases.) Airlines have turned into freight services, and passengers are looked upon as cattle. I do think that FedEx and UPS have a chance to break into the market. My packages seem to get there intact most of the time. I'm sure they couldn't do any worse with actual people. Hey, it could happen.

Later.

Excuses

This entry was supposed to relay an interesting journey into the Deep South with many pearls of wisdom and the many roads less traveled. Instead, I remain in San Diego working on various projects, and planning for the road ahead. I was also supposed to see my friend Ruth in Las Vegas next week. Unfortunately, I'm still not able to work out the details of the trip, and probably won't be able to squeeze it into my schedule due to work meetings and other projects that seemed to pop into my calendar.

I've been anxiously awaiting an excuse to write about something in this column, but I've got to admit -- I've got nothing. It's pretty hard doing a continuing blog about being a road warrior when I can't seem to get myself on the road for any period of time this past month.

Things should be picking up soon. I'm scheduled to visit my friend James in New York in a couple of weeks. After that, it's time for Jon's third wedding this year. In between that, I've got a quick trip to Chicago, and perhaps a couple of other quick trips in November. No more excuses, I need to get back on the road!

Later.

The Road Warrior Recovers . . .

I was looking back at the last time I took a vacation, and it seems that it was a little over two years ago. Coincidentally, the last real vacation that I took in 2006 also revolved around my best friends. I guess history does repeat itself, only this time I had a bit of an expanded version of the vacation.

First, my friend Jon got married halfway across the world in Shanghai. That was an event that I wasn't about to miss, so I got an extra few days off from work, even at the end of the fiscal year. Last vacation in 2006, I think Jon and I went in search of hot dogs at a shopping mall in Buffalo. Unquestionably, this vacation (well, it was a vacation for me, at least) was one of the best adventures that I've been on in quite a while. I got to play best man for the first time, and managed to look decent in a tuxedo. Who could ask for anything more, right? Shanghai was a great adventure, especially the taxi rides which reminded me of a cross between demolition derby and the Indy 500.

To top things off, my young friend James graduated from high school, and it was time to take him on a tour of the USA -- a day after I returned from Shanghai. We managed to tackle Dallas, Worcester, New Haven, Redmond, and Atlanta in less than ten days. We even returned to the same hotel in Redmond from two years ago. I knew we would return there someday. I think I even mentioned that in my post from 2006. It was a lot of fun, and I can still keep up with a teenager, which was surprising to even me. We both really, really, really needed a vacation. That was our tagline. I think it was just what we both needed before he goes off to college.

In both cases, it really wasn't the destination that mattered. What mattered most was the fact that I got to catch up with my friends. So, now it's time to return to the perils of the day job, and start planning the next set of travels. I have some time in Orlando next month, and perhaps a few more adventures before that. I also know that I'm not going to let another two years pass without scheduling some time with my friends. Again, I've been listening to too many movies lately, but I remember someone saying that if something is important, you need to make the time.

Later.

Those Pesky Delays

I spent the day in Philadelphia, and caught what I thought was a quick flight into Pittsburgh. Well, I guess I should have rethought my travels. It seems that the weather just was not cooperative today. First of all, traffic patterns were a little crazy in Philly today. For some reason, the town was trying to emulate Los Angeles. There was stop-and-go traffic on most of the freeways, apparently in the wrong direction, according to my colleague who was driving me around. Anyhow, I got to the airport in time, and managed to get to the gate without incident. However, we did manage to sit on the plane for many hours, in which it became obvious that it was likely much faster to drive over to Pittsburgh instead of being trapped in large metallic cylinder shaped like a big Tylenol capsule, or whatever the pill was in the movie Airplane. Ok, enough ranting for now. I've got a big day in Pittsburgh tomorrow, and then I'm taking the weekend off in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Then I'm off to Seattle for a quick vacation. Later.

Back In Circulation

It's been quite a wild ride for the last few weeks. After several months of being office-bound, I returned to the field. When I return, I really go overboard. I've been to Salinas, Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit, Jackson, Tampa, Miami, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Philadelphia in the last couple of weeks. While it was nice being back in circulation, I am reminded that perhaps there is some sort of happy medium between the really nutty schedule of the last few weeks, and the total absense of travel in the last couple of months. Anyhow, I'm really tired right now. I think I need some sleep.

Boycott Continental. You know you want to.

Later.

I'll Take Manhattan

No, I'm not in some sort of Valerie Bertenelli television miniseries. I'm actually reporting from Manhattan this time. I'm sort of lacking in my editorial duties, but it's been pretty busy on the homefront. Remember, I created this blog to report all of my strange adventures on the road. When one is home too much, there's really not much to write about from the world of the road warrior. I've been hemorrhaging cash here in the city with all of the taxis and three-hundred-dollar-a-night hotel rooms. I got done early, so I'll be heading back to good old San Diego in the morning. It's been kind of strange during this adventure. I really look out of place in the big city. I haven't been here too often, so whenever I get the chance to walk around, I have to remember not to have that deer-in-the-headlights look, gazing upward to the sea of tall buildings. I mean, really, that's just like painting a target on my back. In any event, sorry for not writing too much lately. I'll have a few more reports from the field soon. After all, once a road warrior, always a road warrior.

Boycott Continental! I didn't forget, you know.

Later.

And The Beat Goes On

Greetings once again, my faithful readers -- all two of you. Today, I'm reporting from Denver, where I'm delayed once again on another Saturday morning. This has been an interesting week, as I wasn't expecting much more than a round trip from LAX to Denver. Unfortunately, my life is never that easy. I started on a red-eye on Tuesday to get my weary butt to New York, where the rental cars are a real pain to get to. I froze my butt off once again. After reattaching my butt and finishing my work, I caught a delayed flight into Dallas, which barely connected me into Denver. This time, I used one of those shuttle cart thingys (that's the technical term). Anyhow, I waiting in the Denver airport for two hours to get my luggage, and then got my rental car, and proceeded to get lost in the wilds of Wyoming. Yes, I know Denver is in Colorado. I kind of thought it was a bit too far of a drive to Boulder. After finishing up there, I had dinner with friends, and now, here I am reporting back to you about my week. That's all for now from the exciting misdaventures of me. Hopefully, I'll make it home in time to take off tomorrow, once again. Later.

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.

Home For The Holidays

Holiday travel is one of those things that all road warriors try to avoid, if possible. In the last few trips during this holiday season, I've noticed that many people are just forgetting about common courtesy while traveling. In one trip, some vacationers were boarding with several oversized pieces of luggage. I don't know how they got it past security. Many families were traveling during the season. Most kids are pretty well-behaved, but I inevitably get some kid sitting behind me, kicking the seat continuously for the entire trip. Just before the Orange Alert started up again, a lady sitting behind me was complaining about the size of the aircraft, and the fact that we were on the ground pushed back from the gate for ten whole minutes. Then she proceeded to complain about the pretzels and drinks. She just wouldn't shut up for the entire trip. I guess some of this stuff is universal, but it does seem more pronounced during the holiday season. Maybe next year I'll stay home for the holidays. I'm off to New York tomorrow, which seems only fitting, as it is the first day of 2004. Happy New Year! Later.

A New York Minute

This has not been a good week for transportation. I wasn't supposed to get a car in New York, but I did, because my colleague had a plane delayed due to the weather in the northeast. Apparently, the 18 inches of snow made things run a little slower in Boston and New York. At least I didn't have to drive much in New York, since my friend Denise was able to drive around in the snow and ice for me. I do not mix well with snow, as I have mentioned earlier. I had trouble with the car rental people, as someone gave away my car, and I had someone else's name on my receipt. It took a while to get that fixed, and it took the hotel an hour to send a shuttle to pick me up at the airport on Long Island. Of course, I was waiting in the freezing cold weather, because they said that it would be there any minute. I returned my rental car the night before I had to leave, since I had one of those quadruple connections at 6am, before the car rental place opened. The hotel only offered shuttle service between 6am and 10pm. Since the hotel was relatively new, the taxi driver in the morning couldn't find it, and when he finally showed up it was 40 minutes before the plane was taking off. Then the real fun began. I flew into Boston, and had to switch terminals, but at least I wasn't traveling alone from Boston to San Francisco. Unfortuneately, from Boston, we had to connect in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Usually, I wouldn't mind a connection in Las Vegas, but we only got 10 minutes there, so what's the point of that? We got to San Francisco eventually, and had to deal with the fact that car rentals are really, really, really far away from the terminals, and it was really confusing to get there with the relatively new train system. It's off to Minnesota for me next week, despite my better judgement. I wanna go home!! Later.

Let It Snow . . . NOT!

A light snow was falling earlier this week in Youngstown, OH, and Kansas City, MO. I typically don't like to drive in snow, but these days, I really don't have much of a choice. I'm on my way to New York on Monday, and I've heard that they are expecting 18 inches of snow with no relief in sight until Tuesday. Not a good thing when you have to do the Los Angeles-Boston-New York-Boston-Los Angeles-Las Vegas-San Francisco-Los Angeles run within a four day span. Of course, at least I'm hitting major cities for the most part. My days in Hawaii and California (excuse me, Cah-LEE-forn-yah -- the new approved state pronounciation from our governator) have not really prepared me for any type of cold weather. In fact, driving in snow, looking at snow, being snowed on, or being within a 100-mile radius of snow, are things that I really try to avoid as much as possible. Get me back to my tropical island in the Pacific. . . Later.

Ahead Of The Storm

A storm is raging in the Atlantic Ocean, and my friends in North Carolina and the rest of the east coast are currently bracing for the impact tomorrow. I'm heading into Durham next week for the aftermath. However, I just got back from rural New York. It's been a long week, and it's only Wednesday! Well, the TSA is getting a bit worse these days. After locking me out of my luggage countless times, and sending me through the security mess that requires you to take all of your things out of your bag, put them back in, and then take them out again for a random search. I'm grounded until Sunday, so I'll let you know about the aftermath when I get to Durham (with a quick side trip to Indianapolis). Later.