South Carolina rush

This week was an interesting one to say the least.

I've been working with a customer all week, nothing odd there, they had a new and particularly bad virus outbreak, and a combination of problems slowed cleanup down.

On Wednesday it was decided that I would go down to help them out.
On Thursday, I was getting on a plane, and flew down there for Friday. I got home at 2am last night.

The highlight of the trip was the hotel - they had one non smoking room left. When I booked in, they told me I had a suprise waiting for me.

I got upstairs, top floor, to find I had the key to an anonymous double door in the corner - when I went in, I had the presidential suite. Wow.

The bathroom was as big as my living room. Jacuzzi tub, double head showed unit, double sink, two toilets (two?!). The bedroom was bigger, with a really comfortable (much more so than normal Embassy Suite beds) king size. The living room was plush, there was a huge dining table and a little kitchennette.

I have no clue who normally stays in these rooms - it didn't look plush enough for a really posh presedential suite (they still had the normal hotel fixtures and fittings, for example - sample size toiletries etc), but it was considerably bigger than a normal room.

Unfortunately, I checked in late, and checked out really early. Not a lot of time to enjoy it.

The trip ended up being a success, for me and the customer.

Portland

I'm here in Portland. The city is amazingly beautiful. So many evergreen trees, rolling hills, and the coolest thing. Flying from Vancouver you can see some of the mountains poking through the clouds at that altitude. That was an awesome experience. :D

The first trip on a prop plane wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, for the most part. The plane was a DHC8 400 series, which is suprisingly big! It could hold roughly 50 or so people. It was very funny though how they kept saying it's a load balancing plane so some people in the front needed to move to the back so we could take off. Apparently we were too front heavy.

The flight crew was awesome. It was such a short flight. They had no more served the drinks than it was time to collect the stuff. The only downside with that quick up and down is that now my ear is killing me and I have no hearing on my right side. I'm guessing it's just a serious air bubble trapped in there and it should clear by morning, but it's seriously annoying.

The hotel I'm in, though... I usually stay at Hiltons, but decided to give the Courtyard here a go. Big mistake. The hotel is nice enough, but seriously... I asked for a fridge in my room. This should not be a massive request, especially given the fact I asked for it over a week ago. Guess what. A bunch of little snot nosed brats were asking for them so they can keep their effing sodas cold. So no fridge for the person that asked a long time ago and really needs it. "Sorry, we can't help you, as it's first come, first serve basis". This is not my problem, given the fact I asked well in advance, but apparently it's first come at check in. They did give me a couple of vouchers to the bar/restaurant and they did put my stuff in the staff fridge/freezer. Now we hope it will be there in the morning. I'm not too stressed about cross-contamination as everything is sealed and in freezer bags, but for the love of Dog, WTF?? Seriously, they should have set one aside, espeically when I stipulated medical need. I don't care about these little f****ers and their coke.

Tomorrow isn't going to come soon enough. At least the folks who are hosting this conference seem to have their act together.

On the road, heading west

I'm sitting here in Vancouver this evening. The flights all things considered were pretty uneventful. The Manchester to Chicago leg was very smooth, from security to boarding. (The plane was a CRJ700, Mike). The plane was itty bitty but the flight attendant was hilarious. He actually got me to listen to the safety info because he was cracking jokes all through it.

The next leg was a bit weird. United forgot to give us a plane. Yep you heard right. There was a flight, a gate, just no plane. They ended up pulling one from the hanger. (A 319, another smallish plane). I'm so glad I paid for the upgrade to enconomy plus. I had the row right behind first class so TONNES of legroom. And there was still enough space to put a bag under the seat in front.

Stupidly I didn't pull money for the trip. I figured there would be a Travelex up here and I could simply card it. Nope. So I had a right bit of panic for a bit, but it was all sorted in the end and I had money to get to the airport.

I just got back from a late dinner (seared scallops with scallion puree and roasted sunchokes for appetiser and smoked black cod with aromatic veggies and mushrooms for dinner, topped off with a nice pot of green tea) and am full and much happier. My stomach has been really thrashed the last two days and I've literally no idea why. It's not gluten, but something has obviously decided not to agree with me. I have a sinking feeling it might be the bread (I tried making the last couple loaves with Lactaid milk). But I'll go without the bread tomorrow and see how I feel. It could potentially be the cheese, but I rather doubt it, as I've been eating an ounce a day for several weeks now (hard cheese with 0g lactose. :) And 50% reduced fat to boot).

In the meantime, I think I'm going to curl up in bed and read til I fall asleep.

Back on the road

I have a mega trip next week.

I fly out from Boston on Sunday night to Indianapolis to visit "Large financial instituation".

I fly from there on Monday night to Memphis to visit "Large hotel chain" on Tuesday.

Tuesday night I fly to Atlanta, and transfer to a flight to Savannah, GA so that on Wednesday we visit "Large aerospace company".

Wednesday night I fly from Savannah GA to Charlotte NC, then back to Boston for 10pm.

I've got company, I have a portable DVD player, I'll take my GPS so we can find each damn place.

It's going to be a long trip!

Weekend so far

Friday night was my performance for the Gala for Michael Baxter, who is a well-known bellydance photographer. It wasn't my best performance (you can see it here under the Videos section. It was tough to go straight from work and go into Dancer mode. Up until Friday, I'd either been immersed in dance (either in the retreat or workshops) or had the day to chill. That was really, really tough. It was also the first time I was really with high-caliber dancers not in a class setting. These folks I'd never met before, nor was it in a teaching session. Still, while not my best, it wasn't my worst either.

Saturday I had to work. I wanted to have some time to prep for today, but sadly that didn't happen. I was pretty down about work and it sucking my life away, but after talking to my Geek I felt much better about things. Thanks, hon.

I got a very early night on Saturday night, as I had to be up at 4:30 today for the photoshoot. Ok, I have to say this up-front. First, I have a whole new respect for models, like Tyra Banks, and second, all the hours spent watching America's Next Top Model came in damned handy!! When they went through the facial expressions and the vowels, I actually got it.

It was a blast! I had the best time doing the shoot. Michael was extremely patient and easy to work with (and when he discovered I was also a geek, he had a whole new level of respect for me. He's also an editor for Linux magazine, among other geek endeavors.) Aazura was also wonderful. They complemented me on how quick I picked up and how well I responded to direction. I know there were some great shots and I can't wait to get the DVD of he photos.

We went and saw Elizabeth tonight. It was awesome!! I'm so happy I saw it in the cinema. I saw the first one in the cinema and wanted to keep the tradition. We're thinking of going to see Nightmare Before Christmas later.

Deifinitely a lovely weekend.

Now in Rancho Cordova

Back on the road again. It's been incredibly busy at casa des Dancer et Geek. After the Rochester trip, we took a nice long weekend up in Vermont. Now this had two roles. There was a dance workshop on the Saturday and Sunday that I wanted to attend, and it was our anniversary weekend. I decided we should make a trip of it, and looked for pet friendly places so we could take the puggies. D graciously took care of the bun bun for us.

It was such a nice time. We got to decompress a bit, chill out and relax for a few days. We not only got to have the puppies, but there was a kitchenette too so I didn't have to stress food. We still went out for an anniversary meal. We went to the New England Culinary Institute's teaching restaurant there. Come on, admit it, you would've too. To see the faces of the students with my allergy list?? :D

The meal was beautiful. They did a great job, but also kept the allergy card for future training/teaching.

We went to the Green Mountain visitor center which was like going to Mecca for me. LOVED LOVED LOVED it. Lost of interesting displays and things to see. And yes, lots to buy. We bought some shirts, some coffee, and believe me, I could've spent a whole lot more there. I want a job there as a coffee taster/sourcer. :)

The workshop was really good, though very tiring. Between being laid up and traveling, I haven't been able to practice as much as I would like, and I was rusty. Also wore out very quickly - it was only a 5 hour class, with an hour break! I also performed that night. It was a public performance, and I have to say, it went really well. I didn't so much forget my routine as I had "mechanical issues" (started to get tangled up in the veil) so I swirled it and let it glide off my back. Geek said for all the world it looked planned. :D Hopefully Geek will get the pics up soon

The Sunday class was also 4 hours. Not quite as much fun. When I heard "choreography class" I thought the meaning was "here's some tips on creating a choreography". Nope. It was "Here's a new dance I've created, let's learn it together!" It's a good piece, but not entirely my style. Still, there was some new steps in there I didn't know and I can sort of see where she was going with it. I could see adapting it maybe, or just playing with it at home just for the practice in turns and barrel turns.

Also on the dance front, I have *another* public performance on the 26th of October up in Arlington. It's a gala show for Michael Baxter, who is a renown bellydance photographer. I'm going to be doing a shoot with him on Sunday for a couple of hours to get some professional posed shots, and he will also be taking pictures of the show, so I'll also have professional performance photos. I'm pretty excited about this. If anyone wants to come see me (and other dancers) shoot me an email or message and I can get you the specifics.

Now, as to why I'm in Rancho Cordova, I'm doing another presentation. It's to a government/public sector group I believe. I'm not sure who all my audience will be, but hopefully it will be a good crowd. I'm pretty confident in this particular presentation, as it's one of the "template" ones we use, and add/subtract to tailor to the crowd. It's another "quick" trip, I got in today and leave tomorrow right after the presentation. I don't usually mind these quick ones, but I sometimes wonder if they are worth the money it costs to send me out here.

On a side note, I forgot my GPS, so I had to rent a car with one. I gots a Ford Mustang! Yes, my tits just grew several cup sizes. So not only do I get to be here on a short trip, I get to pretend to have a mid-life crisis by driving in a red mustang.

When I get back tomorrow, there will be a lovely houseguest waiting for me. Our friend Janice is coming to see us!! It's been way too long. I really can't wait and am seriously looking forward to seeing her again and catching up.

I suppose I should consider getting some stuff done before bed here. Like set up my wake up call. ;) And clear off the bed of my stuff so I can sleep. At least I did remember to bring food, and they had a mini fridge all set up. BTW Geek, I wasn't so much hungry as thirsty I found out. Half a liter of water later, I feel much more human.

Mundane update

Obviously, I'm back from Vienna. The flights back were fairly uneventful, and being in the middle of the plane meant I didn't get as sick as I did going over. This week has been mostly playing catch-up at work.

I started a new Wednesday class, which I went to last night. However, life has intervened and I'm going to miss 3 of the 6. :( I'm going to miss 4 of my other class sessions. Work has suddenly exploded with speaking trips, both for me and my boss. We're going to spend most of October out of the office.

Next week, I'm in Rochester NY, then I get back for a few days, then we're taking a trip to Vermont for a dance workshop/anniversary outing. I get back for a day, then I'm in Rancho Cordova for a few days, then I'm back then off to Atlanta for two days. My frequent flyer card is certainly getting a workout. :)

November is looking busy on the dance front. I've got a couple of shows I'm going to, and there's rumors of a BellyDance Superstars workshop being offered that I'd like to go to. Hopefully work will be a bit more quiet. :)

Good Times

I did end up going for the social drinks, which was good, as I ran into the BIG boss and the company owner. So I was seen Tuesday. Wednesday I went out with a bunch of the work folks and had a great time. Thursday was the Gala Dinner.
The Gala Dinner was the best time. We all (with a few exceptions) dress up to the nines (as in total black tie is what most folks did. I did formal but not too formal. My wedding dress wouldn't have been out of place here) and had a really nice dinner. The food (at least for me) was really good. My only complaint was for the appetizer they sent out a salad with only olive oil, no vinegar, and the olive oil was off. The rest was great. Much alcohol was consumed. They had a full on Viennese waltz demo. Now what that is is think Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin style dancing. That's what they did. It was so beautiful. The women were dressed in such gorgeous white dresses that were all satin and simple and the guys were in gloves and full tuxes with tails.

There was much gambling. I traded dance lessons with a co-worker. He gave me a waltz lesson, I gave lessons on turns. He's a semi-pro ballroom dancer so that was hugely fun to get a lesson with him. None of us were ready for the party to stop even though it was 1:30. A bunch of us staggered to bed at 3:30 but believe me, they were still going.

Today was the conference close. I ate, and then went out for a wander with a bunch of random folks from the conference. Now, these were all industry big-wigs, and here I am hanging out with them as equals. We walked around for a bit, but then they went to a bar. I was desparate to see some of the city, so I left. I stumbled onto the horse and carriage depot, so I went around the city for 90 minutes in the horse and carriage while he showed me some of Vienna's landmarks. I saw the Imperial Palace, Parliament, the City Hall (which was amazing at night), some gorgeous architecture, churches and statues, the home of Mozart, the second restaruant ever, the first coffee house and other toursit stuff. I had a blast. I met up with some work folk to go out to the bars. Eventually I came back here to chill out. I brought up some wine, and have been taking some time for myself.

Who knows? Maybe I'll get to go to next year's in Ottawa.

It turned out to be a good trip. I've met some great people, folks who are industry leaders. They know who I am and seemed to like me and all said hope to see me next year.

Tomorrow, I get to go home.

Is it Saturday yet?

Ok, I'm so ready to leave. I'm sick to death of being here, having to hide in the hotel room due to pain and having to watch out for more glutening. This sucks more than you can imagine. The "best" bit is knowing I get to repeat the joy of the excruciating 9 hour flight back home. Yippee fucking do.

I met up with my coworkers for lunch. I thought we'd be going just downstairs, but it turns out they wanted to go to the cheaper end of town for food. Which meant I couldn't go. I felt like the kid sister where all the older siblings get to go out and I have to stay home. I did eat (alone) at the hotel restaurant. I had rack of lamb with a balsamic reduction with a side of sauted veggies. The veggies were *swimming* in oil. Ew. But other than that, the meal was tasty, but still. I'm fucking sick of this albatross around my neck. Food is about sustenance but what happens when it's a prison? Try this experiment. Now, my allergies are as follows: No grain (bread, wheat, semolina, rye, etc), corn, rice, soy, eggs, dairy, tree nuts, and peanuts.

Now, think of a place you usually go to eat. You don't usually put a lot of thought into where you go, right? You just go. So, think of a place. Got it? Now...

Italian is ruled out completely. Most places are either pasta based (semolina/wheat based) or have brick ovens for pizza (I'm in the 5% with the airbourne aspect)

Chinese? Nope. Soy sauce has both wheat and soy in it. And rice. So that tends to rule out Japanese/sushi as well. Thai? You might have a snowball's chance there, but they are still a bit tough to come by.

Obviously, all fast food is out, as well as delis. WHy delis? Many cold cuts are cured with wheat or milk based products. So you have to watch out for those.

Mexican? Nope. No corn.

Vegetarian, right? Nope. Soy.

Steakhouse. Yep, if you can find one that understands cross-contamination, and will pan fry the steak or cover the grill in foil to keep it safe for you. Oh and no fries, because the fryers aren't dedicated to just french fries, but usually do multitasking for all fried foods.

See how it works? The next time you go out, really look at the menu. Would you be able to eat there if you were me? I end up on trips having usually two choices - eat at the high end, but safe place, or live on chocolate and gluten-free cookies til I get home again. Sound fun?

I honestly think the worst part is the social aspect. Like today, I couldn't go with them. Cheaper places usually simply can't accommodate me. Cooks don't know about allergen safety or cross-contamination. They just bang out whatever they've been told from corporate on their menus. No thought, no room for change. A few places have been revolutionary by offering gluten free menus, but it's still not widespread.

I read several gluten free blogs, and while I love how they say how freeing it's been to be healthy and eat well, I just don't see it. I see prison bars. To be fair, they don't have the list I do. They only have to avoid gluten.

I'm off, but needed to get this rant off my chest.

I've found Celiac Hell...

and it's Vienna.

I'm here in Vienna for a business trip. I left a day early so I could see some if it before work starts. Nope, didn't happen. Turns out United, in their quest to improve the "vomit comet" experience (otherwise known as airline food), they've "upscaled" their menu. And that means fresh bread being heated up in the galley. Now for most folks, this isn't an issue, but a) I'm one of the 5% who is prone to airbourne gluten and b) I was in the rear of the plane. Nine hours is a long damn time to fly in that kind of pain, let me tell you. So today was just resting.

The Austrians love their bread here. It's as much a part of their life as beer and coffee. People have been shocked, dismayed and appalled that I can't eat bread. They even asked why I didn't bring my own from home. :) Or if I had contacted them a week in advance, they would've. They can't entirely wrap their brain around it, but they have been more than accommodating. They have a hotel restaurant called S'Park. When I checked in, they talked to the chef, who has the list written in the kitchen. All I have to do is tell them who I am (Or like this evening, the tattoos gave it away I think and they knew right away who I was) and the chef sorts me out.

For lunch, the meal was uninspired, but a solid choice. He played it safe. I went with veal (medium) and salted veggies, that I think were boiled. Very tasty, if a little ho-hum. The veal was just a touch over-cooked, but was still very moist. The itty, itty micro carrots were a bit silly. He likes his baby veg. The rest was carrots, what appeared to be yellow carrots, and broccoli. Dinner was grilled turbot with cep (porcinis) and potato hash for lack of a better word. Very tasty stuff.

I've noticed prices over here are insane!!! Nine euros for a bloody bottle of water?! I don't want to risk anymore digestive malfunction, so I'd rather pay than drink the tap water, but still... OUCH.

Up and down

We've been having a roller coaster week.

I'm still waiting on my car, it was due today, but these things aren't always science.

We received news today that our annual bonuses were the maximum possible, and getting paid in the next paycheck, which is a month shorter than we normally expect, and we've never had the 100% of our bonus before (the goals to get it are always high, so we don't expect to get it normally).

Not only did we do well enough to get a full bonus, but we were also sent an Amex gift card with a few hundred on it, which was fantastic, a bonus bonus if you will.

But the ups came with the downs. I've been very quiet this week. Too quiet. I've been getting bored, and trying to find ideas of things to occupy my time. Dancer has also had a rough week, but we pull through these things well together with each other.

We're looking forward to a fun weekend, it's three days off work and we have friends coming over. We've got no plans other than hang out, potter around the homestead and clean the lawn up.

It can't get here soon enough!

On the road

I'm back in Miami again for work, which isn't so bad.

Travelling on these short, two day trips is kind of fun. I actually find I like waiting at airports, and if I get chance, I take my time before the flight and get there a couple of hours early. I enjoy spending time with my book, or a dvd, people watching and just mooching around with my own company.

Of course, it could get dull if I did it too much, but right now I'm averaging about 2 trips a month, and thats perfectly find by me.

I'm in a nice hotel, I've got a nice rental car, and I'm going to grab my book and go and find the hotel bar to get something to drink and something to eat before hitting the sack.