To Hartford

I am going to Hartford this week for a training program. My flight plan is home to Detroit to Hartford (my return swaps Atlanta for Detroit).

It occurred to me today that I should really account for all of the places I have been since I took this job. I had never really traveled anywhere growing up. We went to Altoona, PA often because my grandparents family was there. I went to Niagara Falls twice, Cape Hatteras, NC once, Reheboth Beach, DE once and a Western Caribbean cruise with my wife's family. That's it. Almost all of the travel was after I reached adulthood. So now, all of the places I have been these 14 months (if the location was an airport, I will indicate by (ap)): Salt Lake (ap), LA (ap), Phoenix (ap), Santa Barbara, Atlanta (ap), Dallas, Houston (ap), Chicago and Hartford. I guess that, once I listed them, that my list is not that big (especially compared to my wife's cousin - she is a world traveler. :D ). For me, the list has enormous for it means that I have spent A LOT of time away from my family. I hate that... I do have a job, though, and for that I am appreciative!

So, I am in Hartford for a BA certificate program that is provided by one of the CT universities (I can't remember which one). The program should be interesting. It will be one of the few training opportunities I have received in this job and one of the only resume building aspects of this position.

Pappadeaux and Pappasitos

So, I got in late to Dallas and I was starving. I arrived at a new hotel for me. I normally stay at Marriott's, but a buddy at work told me about a Hyatt right by the office. You know, you gotta like a room that has a 42" TV. The room is small, but it will work.

I am hoping that this is a good week. I have some training for my new project. Wish me luck!

I am a little nervous about the department with the closing of the Santa Barbara office. I will keep you informed.

Oh look... My food is here... Thank God I caught Heroes the moment I got into my room, but I am starving...

Adios

Last Night in Santa Barbara

Another Blackberry Post (well started on Blackberry ...

So, this is my last night in Santa Barbara. I have never traveled to a city that I loved being in until I first came here 14 months ago. Don't get me wrong, being home with my wife and kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon is the 7th layer of heaven. But, when you travel for work, being in a city you love can make the loneliness of travel more bearable.

So, what do I love and not love about this city...

Santa Barbara's beauty is second only to the faces of my three girls bathed in the glow of their bedside desk lamps. The city is a mellifluous cacophony of sounds, smells and sights. There are homeless people begging, credit-card hippies serenading passerbys with songs by Phish, U2 (no band sucks more than U2), Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, etc., people walking dogs, sponsored bike riders peddling down the street and skaters traversing through this maze. State Street (the main throughfare) is brimming with restaurants of all types. You can smell fresh Danish pastries, Italian pastas, Indian non, Greek pitas, etc... Plus, they have a Seinfeld deli!

All of this is captured on the canvas of the main street of what is a college town, a vacation spot and a celebrity magnet. The city is surrounded by the Santa Ynez mountains and the Pacific ocean. It is a city that is blessed with Mediterranean temperatures in the 60's and 70's all year round.

Ok... I wanted to capture the essesence of the city and I may be too tired to stay focused. Well, I guess it is all right, unless I decide to sell my story... LOL

Santa Barbara - The Day Before Last

So, this is my last trip out here. My company is closing out this office at the end of the month. It is sad... This office was one of the FEW perks of the company.

I love coming out here. It is beautiful. The mountains, the ocean, the shops, the restaurants, the office, the people - even the homeless... I have never been to a place like this....

But, my company decided that the cost was too much and they decided to close the office. They offered all of the employees a transfer to the Dallas office. Sadly, they seemed to have been unconcerned if any of the developers moved. They are all a great bunch of CA kids... Oh well...

With all of that said, I am happy that I have a job. I am on a new project and I really enjoy it. Wish me luck!

Trip to SB

So, I am flying to Santa Barbara for training on a current project within my company. I will be taking over the project from another analyst. Being on a project is paramount in this industry since "being on the shelf" too long can spell doom.

I looking forward to the travel legs of this trip with the same anticipation as a person looks forward to a root canal without novacaine. My boss booked the trip. The route there takes me to ATL, LAX and SBA. The LAX to SBA flight is the worst. I have a middle seat for an almost 5 hour flight. Then, there is the way home... I fly SBA to SLC and then SLC to LAX and then the red eye home. My first flight is @noon and I come home the next day @6am. I am SO not looking forward to this.

Now a break for my whining...

I often spend so much time worrying about how the girls are affected by me not being home that I often forget about the effect it has on my wife. She is one amazing person to put up with me. I really need to do a better job of showing her how important she is to me.

Vegas

So, My wife and I went to Las Vegas this last weekend. It was so nice to spend some time alone with her. Since taking this job, she and I have had so little time to spend with each other. We decided that a little trip together would be nice...

Thursday - 02/05/2009

• Met Bob the Bachelor at the CLE airport (see above).
• Flew first-class to LAS (using my airline miles plus a $10 processing fee).
• Landed in Vegas and went to our hotel
• We received a nice suite at the Renaissance. The room was nice. We had a bedroom, living room and 1.5 bathrooms.
• Our hotel was next to the LAS convention center which was hosting "The World of Concrete." Who knew that there was a World of Concrete?

Friday- 02/06/2009

• Woke up. Got out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head (crap, we forgot a brush).
• Ate breakfast in the club lounge (a perk of traveling a lot - it was only open one day for us).
• Gambled.
• Saw the Body Exhibit. I was a little disturbed (pause for laughter to die down) to see all of those dead people. Sure, it was interesting, but those were REAL people.
• We ate lunch. Yes, in spite of seeing dead people, I like to eat. I have always been able to compartmentalize experiences like that. I know it is weird, but welcome to my world...
• Rested.
• Saw a show with my wife. Zumanity was an awesome show. We had a front row sofa. Yes, it was a sofa. The show was very racy with lots of nudity and suggestive elements. Who doesn't like that? Plus, the show had a dwarf. I am really in awe of dwarfs. I really love them.
• After the show, we went to a fancy dinner for my birthday at Nobhill Tavern in the MGM Grand. We had some nice cocktails while waiting for our food. My wife had a nice fruity vodka drink (I can't remember what it was called). I had an amazing glass of 16yr Lagavulin Scotch. My wife had Colorado Lamb and I had Organic Pheasant. We also shared some Truffle Macaroni and Cheese (I do not typically order Mac and Cheese, but this was NOT Kraft. This was decadent). We finally ended dinner with the best coffee I had ever tasted and a very sweet Chocolate Coconut Bar (seen below).

Saturday - 02/07/2009

• Guess what? It rained today... ALL day.
• So, my wife and I went shopping. The Venetian has some great shops. They have Barneys (my dream store). They have tons of designer stores like Ferragamo, Pal Zileri, etc. They also have a 7 For All Mankind store. This made my wife VERY happy. This store has her dream jeans. They truly fit her so nice.
• The purchase - My wife bought a pair of jeans at 7 For All Mankind. They altered the jeans for us the same day. My wife is so petite; she needs a hemmed pant. These jeans look amazing on her.
• I had thought about buying shoes at Ferragamo or Barneys, but I can't see how anyone can spend $300-$500 on a pair of shoes. Heck, Barneys had a pair of shoes there for $1400. My first car was worth less than that.

Sunday - 02/08/2009

• We flew home. My wife was really getting used to being in first-class. She was now an old pro.
• On our way home from the airport, we learned that our eldest had been ill. We left with our little one getting over being sick and came home to our eldest being sick. I hate for my kids to feel sick.
• Overall, minus the tiredness from walking, it was a really nice weekend. I am really grateful that I was able to spend so much one-on-one time with my wife. She really is such a good person and, best of all, she gets me (in more ways than one... wink... wink...).

Sytlist Dilemma

So, I posted this dilemma on Facebook, but I thought I would post it here too.

I have a stylist dilemma. (A what?... you might ask...) My hair stylist (You pay $$ for that haircut?) is back from maternity leave. In the meantime, I have been seeing a different stylist. She is nice, friendly and cuts hair so well, but I do not have that same connection with her that I have with my normal stylist. What do I do?

How does one dump a sylist without hurting feelings? This is SUCH a dilemma. In reality, do I sound like a 16 year old girl? Probably...

Let me click "Publish Post" and let the embarrassment of my dilemma commence...
But, the dilemma remains...

Chao...