Sorry for the Inconvenience
That was one helluva trip. I was supposed to be gone for about 12 days in Amsterdam and London and trust me when I say I used every ounce of my 50 pound luggage limit when I was packing. When I checked my bag, it came to 49.7 lbs and that was packing with the intention of wearing some of the clothes more than once. Jeans are good for at least two wearings, right?
Then some time last week, the bosses told me I needed to go to Malta ASAP. Which meant that my total time being gone was extended to 15 days. And of course, my return trip from Malta to London didn't get in in time to make the long haul flight back to the States, so I had to spend another night in the oh so lovely Gatwick Hilton.
I was a busy bee for the duration. Had a great time in Amsterdam, which I think is pretty normal. I mean, you'd have to TRY and have a bad time there. It goes without saying that it's a unique city. One night, we went to a bar and played pool with a nice Irish lad. When asked what he was in A-dam for, he replied "You know - museums, tulips and windmills, just like everyone else (wink wink)".
The Amsterdam leg lasted three days and only included about 3 hours worth of actual work. Can't beat that with a stick. The next leg was London where the work really started. I know it's not the typical work that most people envision when you include all of the "networking" (read: parties), but it really is work as you have to have your game face on at all times. It was an interminably long week of standing in a booth, walking miles in heels around the exhibition center (though they spell it centre), going to networking events and having meeting after meeting with the big bosses and clients.
By Friday, I was cream crackered (knackered) as they say. I stayed with a friend in London for the weekend and got to fully experience the joys of traveling around London via every form of transportation they have: tube, train, taxi and bus. It's tiring trying to get from one place to another and if you're ever there, don't ask how to get somewhere without being prepared for a long, convoluted answer that comes with at least five different options. Entire discussions can be had about this and if you're not from there, most of the discussion sounds like a different language altogether.
On Saturday, we met up with a friend that we used to work with, we'll use his old office nickname Big Gay Bear (BGB) and his girlfriend, Cutie McPie. They were gracious hosts, showing us around a place outside of London called St. Albans. St. Alban, I'll have you know, was the first English martyr for Christianity, back in the sixteenth century. Poor bloke was beheaded for his troubles. But the really cool thing about St. Albans is the old Roman ruins. They have old Roman mosaic floors still in the ground, complete with sections that were heated by outdoor fire pits where the heat was transferred to the rest of the building via the floors. As soon as I'm done posting this, I'll get my pictures up on Flickr so you can see what I'm talking about. It's stunning, really.
After the walk about St. Albans, we did the only natural thing and went to a pub for some pints. Pictures of that evening will be up as well and I'm sure you won't be able to tell how pissed we were. And for the uninitiated, pissed in this context means drunk. Yes indeedy.
On Sunday, we were off to Greenwich, the site of the meridien from which time zones are given. I always wondered who/why Greenwich Mean Time started in Greenwich and according to a helpful plaque near the meridien, this location was agreed upon sometime in the 1800's by a group of European and US politicians that this would be where GMT 0 would be located. They met in Washington DC, of all places, to decide it too.
This is where the last post here comes in. In Greenwich, I bought the below-pictured scarf. When I sent that picture to Blogger, it was accompanied by a long description and update on what was going on, but as you may have noted, none of the text came through. How annoying.
The color of the scarf is a really lovely, saturated fuschia and next to Corn Dog, it's about the softest thing I've ever felt. I wore it on the flight to Malta and kept stroking it like a security blanket the entire time. I'm madly in love with it. And even though it was on sale, I call it a splurge because it was really expensive. So worth it though.
And on Monday, I was off to Malta for three fully-packed days of work.
I was feeling pretty sorry for myself Wednesday night while wasting time in my lovely Hilton Gatwick hotel room, so I did an exercise whereby I was thinking of all the things I have to be thankful for. It occurred to me after watching my favorite movie from my childhood (The Canterville Ghost, starring Sir John Gielgud and Alyssa Milano when she was like, 10, and it was filmed in England, which might have something to do with my mild obsession with all things English) that I had been to London six times in the last 12 months; Malta three times, Barcelona, Vienna, Macau, Hong Kong and Beijing all in that span. How amazing is that? I sometimes can be caught moaning about the traveling - and it does become tiresome, especially when coupled with delays, missed flights, wicked turbulence, time zone changes, etc - but I realize how special it is for me to have these opportunities. I'll try not to take them for granted anymore.
I'm really happy to be home though. I missed my family, friends and the dogs desperately. And a major shout-out to Sister Jenn, Big Thirsty (my brother), my cuz Indian Princess and her boyfriend for splitting dog duty and taking such good care of them. It made all the difference in the world to not have to worry about them as I knew they were being loved and taken good care of the whole time. And none of them even flinched when I asked if they wouldn't mind watching the dogs for a few extra days because of the last-minute Malta trip. God love you guys.
Then some time last week, the bosses told me I needed to go to Malta ASAP. Which meant that my total time being gone was extended to 15 days. And of course, my return trip from Malta to London didn't get in in time to make the long haul flight back to the States, so I had to spend another night in the oh so lovely Gatwick Hilton.
I was a busy bee for the duration. Had a great time in Amsterdam, which I think is pretty normal. I mean, you'd have to TRY and have a bad time there. It goes without saying that it's a unique city. One night, we went to a bar and played pool with a nice Irish lad. When asked what he was in A-dam for, he replied "You know - museums, tulips and windmills, just like everyone else (wink wink)".
The Amsterdam leg lasted three days and only included about 3 hours worth of actual work. Can't beat that with a stick. The next leg was London where the work really started. I know it's not the typical work that most people envision when you include all of the "networking" (read: parties), but it really is work as you have to have your game face on at all times. It was an interminably long week of standing in a booth, walking miles in heels around the exhibition center (though they spell it centre), going to networking events and having meeting after meeting with the big bosses and clients.
By Friday, I was cream crackered (knackered) as they say. I stayed with a friend in London for the weekend and got to fully experience the joys of traveling around London via every form of transportation they have: tube, train, taxi and bus. It's tiring trying to get from one place to another and if you're ever there, don't ask how to get somewhere without being prepared for a long, convoluted answer that comes with at least five different options. Entire discussions can be had about this and if you're not from there, most of the discussion sounds like a different language altogether.
On Saturday, we met up with a friend that we used to work with, we'll use his old office nickname Big Gay Bear (BGB) and his girlfriend, Cutie McPie. They were gracious hosts, showing us around a place outside of London called St. Albans. St. Alban, I'll have you know, was the first English martyr for Christianity, back in the sixteenth century. Poor bloke was beheaded for his troubles. But the really cool thing about St. Albans is the old Roman ruins. They have old Roman mosaic floors still in the ground, complete with sections that were heated by outdoor fire pits where the heat was transferred to the rest of the building via the floors. As soon as I'm done posting this, I'll get my pictures up on Flickr so you can see what I'm talking about. It's stunning, really.
After the walk about St. Albans, we did the only natural thing and went to a pub for some pints. Pictures of that evening will be up as well and I'm sure you won't be able to tell how pissed we were. And for the uninitiated, pissed in this context means drunk. Yes indeedy.
On Sunday, we were off to Greenwich, the site of the meridien from which time zones are given. I always wondered who/why Greenwich Mean Time started in Greenwich and according to a helpful plaque near the meridien, this location was agreed upon sometime in the 1800's by a group of European and US politicians that this would be where GMT 0 would be located. They met in Washington DC, of all places, to decide it too.
This is where the last post here comes in. In Greenwich, I bought the below-pictured scarf. When I sent that picture to Blogger, it was accompanied by a long description and update on what was going on, but as you may have noted, none of the text came through. How annoying.
The color of the scarf is a really lovely, saturated fuschia and next to Corn Dog, it's about the softest thing I've ever felt. I wore it on the flight to Malta and kept stroking it like a security blanket the entire time. I'm madly in love with it. And even though it was on sale, I call it a splurge because it was really expensive. So worth it though.
And on Monday, I was off to Malta for three fully-packed days of work.
I was feeling pretty sorry for myself Wednesday night while wasting time in my lovely Hilton Gatwick hotel room, so I did an exercise whereby I was thinking of all the things I have to be thankful for. It occurred to me after watching my favorite movie from my childhood (The Canterville Ghost, starring Sir John Gielgud and Alyssa Milano when she was like, 10, and it was filmed in England, which might have something to do with my mild obsession with all things English) that I had been to London six times in the last 12 months; Malta three times, Barcelona, Vienna, Macau, Hong Kong and Beijing all in that span. How amazing is that? I sometimes can be caught moaning about the traveling - and it does become tiresome, especially when coupled with delays, missed flights, wicked turbulence, time zone changes, etc - but I realize how special it is for me to have these opportunities. I'll try not to take them for granted anymore.
I'm really happy to be home though. I missed my family, friends and the dogs desperately. And a major shout-out to Sister Jenn, Big Thirsty (my brother), my cuz Indian Princess and her boyfriend for splitting dog duty and taking such good care of them. It made all the difference in the world to not have to worry about them as I knew they were being loved and taken good care of the whole time. And none of them even flinched when I asked if they wouldn't mind watching the dogs for a few extra days because of the last-minute Malta trip. God love you guys.
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