Notes From The Other Side

I just returned from a trip out west. As usual, my trip was riddled with thoughts, observations, and truly unusual encounters. Here are my notes, straight from my official "crazy note pad".....

1. As I walked through O'Hare, I passed a person who was having a problem with one of their ankles, which resulted in them having an odd walk. Am I the only person who begins to panic in this situation? I am convinced that, as I am walking past them, my subconscious is observing the walk, and changing my walk to be like theirs.
2. Dear America Airlines, $15 bucks for checking the FIRST bag really sucks. Just thought you would want to know. By the way, thanks to this asinine policy, everyone is now trying to jam all their luggage in the overheads. And that makes for a lot of frustration and slow boarding. Jerks.
3. Is there a hidden message when a woman wears a thumb ring? Since I only recently learned what CFM shoes were, I am afraid this means something, and I'm just not in the loop. I think they are cool....just wondering.
   
4. On the flight out, a lady decided to put on a surgical mask after we took off. At first I thought possibly she had a condition, like asthma, that required the mask. But, no. As I sat behind her and eavesdropped, I learned she was convinced that the mask would shield her from SARS and bird-flu, which she could catch from the "sickos" on the flight. I resemble that remark.
   
5. The gentleman sitting next to her was enjoying a glass of ginger ale....but in a very annoying way. He insisted on holding the plastic cup as if it were a glass of fine scotch or brandy.....putting his hand under the glass, even while he drank from it. Not sure if he had just seen the new Bond movie, and decided he wanted to be cooler. Wish I would have heard if he requested the ginger ale "shaken, not stirred."
6. On the flight back, I sat next to two younger gentlemen, who both sported throat beards that looked more like hair growing on their throats. Also, each was fully clothed in camo clothing. The reason I mention them is, as an elderly lady passed by us to go to the bathroom, one of them leans and says to the other, "You can smell the elderly in this plane". I'm not really sure what that means, but I am pretty confident that it isn't a positive comment.
7. As we waited for the flight home, I noticed a unique individual also waiting for the flight. This person had a facial tattoo and a couple pin piercings through there cheeks....all of which is ok with me. However, he also had both of his earlobes pierced in such a way that the lobs stretched almost all the way down to his shoulders. For some reason, this really disturbed me....which immediately meant he would sit across from me. Dang, I am squirming now, just typing about it. One thought kept going through my head as I sat across from him ....."COME ON!!!"

Now, the final story....one which, by itself, would have made the trip a complete experience. Note: I will not mention anyone by name, with respect to their privacy (although I believe they would actually like any attention). If you are interested in any details, email me.

As is my usual style, I arrived to the first day of tech briefings 30+ minutes early. I like to pick my seat, so to speak :p. Anyway, as I sat, enjoying a morning Mountain Dew, an interesting fellow walked into the room. He was about 6' 4", wearing a black shirt, black pants, a belt with a large buckle, boots, and a long black trench coat. He was also sporting a head of bleach blond hair. He looked a lot like a combination of Ric Flair and Von Helsing....with some eyeliner tossed in.

+

Being from the conservative, corn-fed Midwest, my experience with the whole Goth thing is pretty limited. So, when I found out that this person was also a singer in a band named after the undead, I decided I really wanted to know more about him. What I learned was...

1. He was a very competent techie.
2. He was very bright
3. His music wasn't bad (thanks Youtube)
4. His act on stage was pretty bad (damn you Youtube)
5. His groupies really need some time in the sun
6. He was a descent person

Bottom line.....it is very cool to actually mingle with people...as long as it's on my terms. I still hate Walmart, the laundromat, and Burger King after 8:00 pm. Those are encounters I can really do without.

Now THIS Is More Like It

Had another crappy day today.  Getting railed on gets soooo old sooo quickly.

However, I did get the final plans in place for my mid-May trip to Orlando to attend VS Live.  I will be staying at the conference hotel (at Universal)!

And, in my email basket when I got home today was a link to this!!!!

I am so there.....

What I Did On My Summer Vacation - Part I

Sunday, I depart on an extended trip for work (11 days).


The first week will be spent at an unnamed vendor conference that usually draws 12,000+ nerds. This year it is in sunny Florida. This portion of the trip should be pretty cool. Learn a lot, grab some cool freebies, get some free food and drink. All that is good. The coolest thing is two of my buddies are going along (J-Girl and Kirby).


The second part of the trip is participating in a multi-day meeting in one of our offices near the conference. This portion of the trip will be real work, requiring me to be a negotiator as well as a visionary. Not two of my stronger qualities. Fortunately for me, Kirby and Pete will be along.


So, my promise to you, my faithful reader. I promise to take copious notes of any "interesting" happening and blog about it. To help me keep this promise, I have purchased a cheap ($1.99) journal from Borders. I will try to write things down soon after they happen to help me remember. I am hoping to come home with lots of good material.


Also, when I was at Borders buying the journal, I went through the discounted books section and found a book I enjoyed as a high schooler. Many years ago the book got trashed during one of my moves. So, for $7.00 I bought a new copy of "The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes" which I plan to read on the trip. It is just chuck full of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories. By the time I get back home, I will be deducing like crazy.











BTW: Mrs. WHW isn't overly thrilled with my absence.....I guess she will really miss me.

If It Weren't For Bad Luck....

Just got back from a quick business trip to Orlando/Tampa Bay/Winter Haven. Trips to Florida at this time of year are usually gold. It has been cold in Illinois...lots of snow. And the thoughts of orange trees, Disney, and the beach warm my mind.

Unfortunately, this trip was one of those trips that had headaches from start to finish. For example:

1. Flight down was nice. Direct flight. Got my luggage fine. Went to get the rental...and had the most prolific salesperson I have ever had at the rental counter. No, I don't want to upgrade. No, I will fill it up myself. Yes, I understand how "great a deal" this is. After several attempts at her trying to get me to pay for a better car, I find out that they are out of my car....and have to give me a free upgrade anyway. BTW: ended up with a Mustang. Nice...unless you have to do a lot of stop and go driving.
2. Lots and lots of traffic while getting to the hotel. Road construction, toll boothes, etc. Finally get to the hotel.
3. Hotel clerk makes it sound like she is the one who gets to choose my room..."Hmmm. Now, you only want a basic room. Nothing fancy. " Whatever my reservation is for....
4. I end up with a room that has no working clock radio. Decide I will use the clock on my Blackberry. Unfortunately, it just seems anticlimatic...so I start writing my own alarm clock on my computer. I fall asleep doing this.
5. Next morning, find out that the dial on my shower only allows the dispensing of scalding hot water. Also, the iron has no variable settings. Double sweet.
6. As I leave the hotel for the day, I walk up to the counter to ask them to take a look at the problems. In a polite way I ask the man at the desk, "How are you this morning?". He responds with a 7 minute rant about his arthritus. Then scribbles something down about the room.
7. Work goes well. Return to the hotel....key doesn't open room door. According to the desk (same girl that checked me in) I was supposed to check out that day....even though my confirmation indicated a checkout date of Wednesday. Several visits by the manager later, my room is extended to Wednesday.
8. Upon entering the room....still no clock radio and shower still kicks out hot, hot, hot.
9. Next day....as we drive to Winter Haven I learn why it is a bad idea to have a speed limit of 65 on roads that have frequent cross-road intersections. Lots of people take chances.
10. Afterwards, we ate at a Joe's Crab Shack. GREAT place.
11. Get back to the hotel and begin packing. We had an early 7:00am flight, meaning a very early rise. So, I decided to try and get to sleep early. Unfortunately, a young lady outside my room decided to break up with her boyfriend, over the cell phone. As she yelled, cried, and kicked my wall, I was able to chronicle exactly where the relationship went south. Seems "Scott" needed more "Scott" time. Breakup took 4 hours. Mental note: Never forget your iPod again.
12. Get up early this morning. Checking out. Told by the clerk...our system ain't up yet. Just check me out, please. I drop my Blackberry...uggh.
13. Get to the airport....first flight is to Atlanta. All goes ok.
14. Get the the gate for my connecting flight...ask if I can exchange my seat for an aisle seat. It appears the lady at that gate was having a bad millenium. I was told in very clear terms that she was trying to get the current flight out....and didn't have time to look up my flight (the next one). Guess she got up on the wrong side of the cave this morning.
15. As I am boarding my flight, the same lady is scanning boarding passes. I give her a huge "Have a great day...and thanks for all your help!!!" She rolls her eyes and I move on.
16. I get on our plane and find out that it is 25% filled. I can sit just about anywhere I want.
17. Get home and have a nice lunch with Mrs. W and WL, our youngest. All is well again. And I do have a cool alarm clock program...including snooze.

My next trip is to Austin in a week or so.....