Snow Is Beautiful

Isn’t snow beautiful?

I think it is.

Especially when the sun is shining on it…

But…

This is not snow.

These…are not moguls, for you to be shwooshing over.

These are clouds.  At 40,000', and 368 m.p.h.  It's gorgeous up here. Gorgeous.

At 40,000', and at 368 mph.  With the sun shining beautifully upon them.  

It’s gorgeous up here.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr, Baby!

Baby, it’s cold outside.

On Wednesday, we left MAF in my boss’ jet for a multiple destination trip.  First, Calgary.  Weather prohibited that stop.  So, off we went to Williston, N.D. for my first trip there!  I was excited, and dressed for cold weather.

Now mind you, in Midland, Texas, it was 80 degrees.

Holy moly.

Cold, much less cold to this girl, was an understatement.  So glad I dressed warmly.

We finished our business there, ate lunch, and headed to Minot, N.D..

People, let me tell you, the weather in Minot made Williston look like a summer at the beach.

That wind is BITING cold.

When we left Minot, the snow was blowing so hard we couldn’t see the runway.  I was so glad when we lifted off and got 30 minutes away from there!

We were landing in Midland in less than 3 hours.  A busy day, for sure, but I got to see some beautiful country.

I woke up yesterday to freezing rain.  Which worsened to sleet and ice.  In our semi-small town, we had 92 wrecks yesterday in between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.  That’s craziness.  We just are not used to icy conditions.

Last night, around 8 p.m.  - 24 ° in Midland, Texas.

Today, it’s worse.  We are all staying in, working from home.  ThatManILove has gone to the store, because our cupboards were bare - we were to be in Dallas this weekend.  And hopefully, he’ll bring home extra hot Starbucks.

Y’all be safe out there, wherever you are.

You’re SO worth it.

Little Duckies (This might become a recurrent theme.) (Oh, shoot me.)

My last post was about getting all my ducks quacking simultaneously.

Yesterday, I found myself herding my internal ducks.

You know, the ones that look an awful lot like dots and slots on my schedule.

Yesterday morning, at 7 am, I checked in for today’s flight.
I got ready, and went to my chiropractor’s appointment, then to the office.
There, I began preparations for the following events:
Tuesday:  AADE Meeting, Midland (I’ll be in Dallas) (Thank God for my friends who help me when I'm gone)
Tuesday lunch:  Customer technology presentation, Dallas
Tuesday night: ZZ Top Concert - Midland (Hope my flight’s on time)
Wednesday: Regular work/getting ready for AADE Tournament
Wednesday afternoon: Fly to Houston
Thursday:  Fly to Abington, Va. for presentation
Thursday:  AADE Golf Tournament - Midland (Obviously, I won’t be there - again thank God for my friends who are working it)
Thursday night: Fly back to Houston
Thursday night:  Miss the Midland Charlie Daniels Band Concert (for which I had to find people to take my tickets...just today!)
Thursday night:  Miss the YPE Event, which our company is sponsoring.
Friday:  Houston and then sometime, come home

I have all sorts of stuff to do this morning to get ready for next week’s travel.

I really, truly need another me.    But I’ve whined that before, right?  And it got me NOWHERE.  So, I'm gonna take the high road.  

Well, in review (ahem), here are the good things about what I’ve written:

1. I now have a tentative schedule, typed.
2. I’ll get to see a bunch of cool people
3. Frequent flyer miles?  Oh, yes.
4. Virginia?  I can’t wait to see it!  I’ve heard it’s beautiful.
5. Glass, half full! 
6. Ducks, Line Up!  Time to get going! 

It’s never boring around here!

Hotel Travel Trip - Valet Parking

I started doing this last year some time.

I travel...a lot.  Frequently, I drive.  And stay in hotels.

I get lots of valet tickets.  Which leads me to the gist of this post.  But I digress.

I get lots of valet tickets.

And...I lose them.

So, I've started taking a picture of the ticket with my phone.

I always know the number.  I can show it at the valet stand when I need to pick up my truck.  It kind of freaks the valet out, they're not quite hip to the electronic versions, but usually you can talk your way through it.

And that, my friends, is your travel trip of the day.

College Seafood

Are all my posts referencing food?  That's what it seems like.  

Well, when I travel, I eat out.  And I see stuff.

Like this.

On the cover of the Pappadeaux menu last week.  Does this remind anyone of college days?

Funny, I thought Ramen Noodles came in little packets, used to be 10/$1.00 or something like that.

No more, people.  No more.

It's never boring around here.

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro...or Curses, Foiled Again

Last night, I had a client dinner date at Lonesome Dove Bistro.

Well, I had one scheduled, anyway.

My client’s wife fell ill, and we had to cancel, which I did through Open Table.  (Reservations and cancellations are super easy through that site!)

I ran errands, threw down  a little thirty minute shopping trip(girl in the city, you know) and then came back to the hotel to work on a presentation for another client.

And then, I clicked on The Lonesome Dove site to look at the menu.

Holy doves will coo.

That's it.  I'm going to go, even if I have to trip some unsuspecting soul on the street and take them with me.

Help Me Make It Through the Day!!

Today, I have to:

1.   Go get my allergy shots
2.   Meet with my boss
3.   Update the Permian Basin Oilfield Calendar
4.   Finish my expenses
5.   Update my ECRM Sales Force tool
6.   Finish what’s needed for the National AADE Board        Meeting
7.   Teach Trey how to do the AADE Chapter Report
8.   Go to the cleaners and the bank
9.   Make a reservation and go to dinner at 5 so we can get to the REO Speedwagon Concert in a timely fashion

But here's what I feel like doing, and it's not even 7 a.m…

Da List! Da List!

I have a list. If you’re a guy, I don’t even wanna hear that your wife has a never ending list like mine.  

Women?  Work off lists.

I keep my list in my head.  Sometimes, on my "notes" in my iPhone.  Sometimes, on the back of an envelope. At a red light. Or, God forbid, in a movie.

And it always, A.L.W.A.Y.S. has "house" things to do mingled with "work" things to do and "volunteer" things to do.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, like at midnight, 2:30 a.m. or 4:30 a.m., I will sit up and email my own bad self my list, just to “put it to bed.”  Like knowing that I’ve written and committed it to paper will freaking help get it accomplished. 

Or, God forbid, help me go to sleep.  But That's Another Subject.

At this moment, in my life, I’m having a hard time keeping the list pared down to a reasonable amount of things to get done.

It’s like one thing is accomplished, and rolls off, then another just hops back up there.

It’s frustrating, to say the least.

And if you’ve ever been through the Franklin Covey Plan Plus training, there’s a way to prioritize your list, like A1-A5, B1-B5, etc.

Well, it doesn’t work for me.

Because, on different days, different items on that list graduate in priority, as well as others that may descend in priority.

It happens, I promise.

The only thing that would probably help it would be to....say “No.”

I’m learning how, I promise.  I’m starting to say “No.”  And “I’m winding down.”

I’m trying to pull back from some of my volunteer commitments, especially to non-profits.  It’s just as hard to pull back as it is to volunteer.

But...it’s time.

Time for me.  And mine.

Now hand me that list, will ya?

Wherein We Have Failure To Communicate - Part 2

So, remember yesterday?  The asparagus?

Yeah.

Today, I met with a couple of friends and a recruiter friend, looking at potential jobs for them in the future.

One was scheduled at 3 p.m., the other at 4 p.m.

My recruiter friend was unable to print the resumes, so I run by the house first, to do a quick print.  I find I’m out of paper, I have a paper jam, it’s only one wreck after another, and ThatManILove’s phone is ringing off the wall.

I can tell he’s having trouble, plus he needs an email address from me right.now. and his phone is just cutting off calls right and left.

He realized what was going on before I did.  

ThatManILove:  Babe...did you leave my truck running?
Me:  No.  Well, maybe! Oh, shoot!!!  I did!!!

His truck has a bluetooth, and it was trying to pick up every call.  AND they were all business calls!  I’m such a dork!

I finally get everything printed, and get out of there, and now both of us are highly stressed out.

I got to the designated coffee house, and realized...my phone’s almost dead.  My computer’s almost dead.

And then, I have a brain wave, and realize I’m in ThatManILove’s truck.  Which has a constant electric converter installed.

I go out to the truck, plug my gear in, and decided to text ThatManILove so he won’t worry if he tries to reach me.  I tell him to call me on my friend’s cell phone.

Or, I thought I did.

My friend walks into the coffee shop, with a huge grin on his face.

James:  I think I got the wrong text. 

Me:  What?

James:  I think I got a text you were sending to your husband.

Here’s a REAL copy of what went down.   I don't know who laughed more.  Me?  ThatManILove, or my friend James.

Asparrrrrragussss!!!

It's never boring around here!

People Are Funny

Sign, posted by the front door at our office.

Stuff like this makes me put 100% of my faith in humanity.  As opposed to the myriad of safety training I've received.