February 16, 2009
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A busy week ahead
I just finished packing for my first business trip of the year. This one is a bit longer than what I’m used to. It’s for (4 nights) and it’s a jammed pack schedule. I used to think that I would have a lot of time in the evenings to explore the city. But with all those cost constraints, everything gets jammed. If you try to stretch it by another day, you’ll get questioned. I think I’ve only had one trip where I had an evening free.
Normally I work in the evenings to prepare for the next day. I remember there was one night where I was alone in the office. Most of the lights were already off. I had a cubicle near the window and my back was towards the window. I could hear the blinds moving gently off to my right. I looked over but couldn’t see anything. I figured it was just the air conditioning. But it would stop and start again. I stop typing and glanced over but I couldn’t see anyone. I resumed typing again. After a short while I noticed the blinds started to move near my cubicle. This time, I started to get a bit spooked. I stood up, rolled up a bunch of paper (in case I had to swat this monster), walk over to the window. It was the cleaning woman. She was crouched down dusting and cleaning. Now when I work late, I just head back to the hotel.
Traveling in the winter is a pain as well. I have to wear my boots as the forecast is calling for snow. It’s better than what my colleague went through last month. He was out in one of the Prairie provinces and the temperature was a bone chilling minus 42C. I like traveling light but I have never met these clients before so I brought an extra shirt, tie and trousers just in case. I also carry one of those portable steamers so that my clothes don’t look like I slept in them. My poor little suitcase looks like it swallowed a whale.
Hopefully the train ride will be pleasant. I can usually get a bit of work done but the rolling and rocking makes it a bit difficult to focus on the screen.
There’s only 1 food pic today. It’s my famous mushroom chicken. It’s a very simple dish to make and I always tease my bf that this dish will win an Iron Chef competition.
/* edit fixed font problem
Comments (21)
What kind of boots?
Show them!
Pose in them please
BTW, why 2 different fonts?
Decided not to type on Word?
Where are you traveling to?
Remember to take lots of pics hehehe
People who don’t travel for business seem to think that it is some sort of glamourous thing. Not so. I traveled for several years on a nearly weekly basis and while on a few occasions I would be able to explore, or arrive a day early, or catch a restaurant I really wanted to try, those were rare.
To top it off, the way our fiscal years worked, most of my budget to travel was in the Oct-Mar time frame, so all my Canada trips were in the freezing cold!
Have a safe trip though…
Oh, and Iron Chef, you mind sharing your recipe? The chicken looks great.
@Wangium - lol…. you must have a boot fetish. They are Ecco boots (I can’t find that model in their website). I’m not sure what happened with the fonts. I didn’t check when I posted it. Thanks for the tip – I just fixed it.
@zozoyork - I’m travelling to our nation’s capitol. Between my laptop bag and the small suitcase, I don’t have room for my camera. My smaller camera is still not fixed.
@christao408 - my brother travels quite a bit by air. To get the first flight, he has to wake up at 4:30ish. The line ups at the airport are just brutal on some days. Where have you traveled in Canada? Recipe? Uhm… I don’t measure my ingredients but I’ll jot it down and post it some time.
In my younger days I did enjoy traveling. Now I hate to to those 3 night 4 day trips for anything. If I am going anywhere it best be unpack and stay for a week or so. Business trips are difficult now with the economy. Hang in there and enjoy what you can. It is time away and a new scene.
@Fatcat723 - thank you. I hope the only scene I see won’t be the hotel room and the office. Have a great week Rob!
when are you traveling into michigan?
there are certain people here at xanga that I would enjoy meeting in person. You sir are on that list.
Happy travels mate, be careful,
*~matthew~*
Even reading that post gave me the spooks!! Have a safe business trip.
PS – You have to make me your famous chicken mushroom dish one day1
have fun on your business trip
hahaha i like how you wrote your “comment” at the end of the post as a c-code comment.
i think for once you posted something that didn’t make me hungry… either because i just finished dinner, or because i don’t like mushrooms!
@bleuzeus - I’m honored to be on that list – thank you. Unfortunately all my business travels are in Canada (usually Ontario and Quebec).
@brooklyn2028 - it’s very simple, main ingredient is oyster sauce.
@icebladz - thank you, I’ll try.
@kunhuo42 - well, I’m not sure what the protocol is. People will see that it’s been updated so I just want to document what got changed. I know some people will go back and edit an entry. I use to read an entry in the morning but by evening it was different. You don’t like mushrooms? Gee… I didn’t know that.
Have a nice trip =)
Have a enjoyable trip! Even though I’m not too keen on traveling during the snowy and cold weather because I’m mostly a summer person! LOL
We want your mushroom chicken recipe!! *drool*
@zozoyork - thank you, so far so good.
@curry69curry - thanks, yeah I prefer traveling in the summer. The recipe is very simple but I’ll have to write it down first.
wow that is a busy schedule. i can so see myself being spooked haha. what will you do for fun?
i have been away for so long, i noticed you changed your xanga look… i like this bright look.
anyway, it’s nice to read you again.
I almost thought it would be a ghost or something, but it turns out to be the cleaning lady. You have one of those portable steamers? I’ve seen one on informericals… seems interesting.
i believe any dish with chinese sausage will beat any iron chef championship…it is an iron chef’s kryptonite.
tat’s cold…..-40C, from what I’ve noticed from my friends Biz trip can be horrible….anyway have a good and productive trip!
You didn’t say where you were going!
Travel safe.
@mmmagination - it’s just for clothes, handy when you have a suit or some shirts & pants.
@AzrihaEatsWorld - yeah!!!
@agmhkg - it was productive – thanks!
@CareyGLY - same place where Obama visited on Thursday.
Awww! You should have gotten some pictures with him!