So, the lighting sucked out loud, and this is nothing more than a snapshot, but I find it freakin' hilarious. Look where Jim's head is in relation to the claw. Ha!
(Shot at Disney Hollywood Studios this past weekend at the "photo op" spot right across from the Toy Story ride that we didn't ride because of the 70+ minute wait.)
The 2009 Dealer Meeting Tour has begun! We're kicking it off in Orlando with our first two sessions. Today's dress rehearsal went really well and I'm totally stoked about tomorrow.
But tonight, I'm exhausted. Stupid me, I've gotten an average of 4.5 hours of sleep a night for the last 5 days, and I think it's caught up with me.
So room service is on its way, and as soon as they drop it off, I'm putting on my PJs. Dinner in bed, followed by a good night's sleep ... I think it's just what the doctor ordered.
Just had to share the sunrise that greeted us this morning from the balcony of our suite. Melbourne Beach is beautiful, and the Toastmasters of District 84 are a warm, welcoming, fun-loving bunch. We've been busy since our arrival yesterday afternoon, and I've got to go get ready for my morning educational session ... but I'll share more later. In the meanwhile ... good morning from Florida!
Before I board my oh-so-early flight back to the states, I thought I'd post this "miracle photo" I caught on the drive from Saskatoon to Regina:
The sunset was amazing. It lit up the prairie with a golden fire, and the sky showed these ribbons of color that positively took my breath away.
Two things amaze me about this photograph: one, I took it with my little digital Elph ... and two, I took it while driving. I opened the sun roof, put the camera up, and snapped several frames.
Seriously.
So long as I have a good book with me, I don't mind the time in the air. I picked up several novels by an author I've not read before - his books are billed as a cross between Indiana Jones and The DaVinci Code - and I started the first one when I left Dallas. By the time we were approaching Saskatoon, I was 230-some pages in.
Clearing customs in Saskatoon was a breeze. They give you the form on the plane so you can have it all filled out before landing. The lines were short (this is a Municipal Airport, not a big International one) and the process with the agent was also quick. "I'm here on business. For meetings." And on to baggage claim I go.
One of the earliest memories I have of an airport is of going to Washington National - or is it Ronald Reagan? - to pick up my grandparents when they'd fly in on Eastern Airlines. (How's that for dated?) But the picture I have in my head is of standing at baggage claim, watching the carousel go by. And it looked just like this one.
For anyone who is still operating under the delusion that business travel is glamorous, I offer you this photograph. Okay, when I'm traveling with someone else, dining out can be fun. But as a woman traveling alone? Sometimes it can be downright unsafe. So last night's meal was a grilled chicken ceasar salad from the nearby bar and grill, packaged up to go, eaten in bed. Yeah. Glamorous.
And it was sometime just before midnight - 1am Dallas time - when I finally settled in to sleep.
I'm off to the local office to get set up for today's sessions ... with camera in hand. Honestly, I think the mini-album that will result from this trip will be almost more interesting to look back on ten years from now than the week-in-the-life one ...
Later!
American Airlines has spoiled me. They actually have what you might call legroom... something that is nothing more than a myth on a United plane.
Seriously. That's an overhead shot of me, in my seat, mid-flight. The gentleman in front of me decided to recline his seat, which put his receeding hairline pretty much right even with my nose. I had to recline to compensate, and then felt guilty for what I'd just done to the person behind me.
That pillow is my travel "wubie" ... it goes with me everywhere. You don't honestly think the airlines give you a pillow any more, do you?
(For those of you with eagle eyes, the leg next to me is, in fact, clad in Army camo. I was seated next to a delightful young man who was returning home from a tour in Iraq. He's just 22. So young... I made a point of thanking him for his service, and sharing about my Dad's 30 years. He laughed and said he's been in for 4, and 30 just seems so far away.)
"Open overhead bins with care, as items may have shifted during our flight..." Well, mine were spread between two bins. My laptop case had to go about six rows ahead of me because the flight was so full. My coat, thankfully, fit in the bin right above me.
Remember what I was saying about DFW making it easy to get around? Well, here at Denver ... not quite as much. I arrived around gate 20, and had to get to - get this - gate 94. Now that was a hike. There were a few moving sidewalks, but it still made for a heck of a haul.
Eventually, I made it. It's a little bitty regional jet gate, where I get to walk out on the tarmac and up a set of stairs. Oh, for joy...
Every business traveler's favorite sight - a power outlet. My laptop will head on the plane with an almost-full charge. Of course, this sight is a favorite second only to this:
Equipment that's waiting at the gate. Speaking of which, it's time to board ... next stop - Saskatoon.
Gotta love modern-day air travel. If you cut it too close in getting to the airport, you'll inevitably encounter delays at the counter and security that'll have you seriously sweating it. On the other hand, if you arrive when they tell you - an hour and a half before domestic flights, two hours before international ones - you'll find you zip through in a matter of minutes and suddenly you have tons of time to kill.
So here I sit, at DFW Airport, with tons of time before my flight will board. And a brilliant idea popped into my head.
In ten years, will I remember what business travel was like? Will my nieces wonder someday what my life was like on the road? Is that something a future Flinn might find interesting?
And another "week-in-the-life"-type project is born.
I've decided to snap photos with my little Elph throughout the course of this trip to capture what it's like to be on the road for business in 2008. Or, at least, those things I'm allowed to take photos of. Somehow I think the TSA agents wouldn't be so keen on me taking shots in line at security.
This is me at DFW Airport, ready for my trip. Since I've got a pretty arduous day of travel ahead of me involving two flights, a layover in Denver, and a drive once I arrive in Saskatoon, I opted for blue jeans and running shoes. Because the temperature in Saskatoon will be in the teens when I arrive tonight, I'm dressed in layers: a stretchy tee, a cable-knit zip-front sweater, and my black leather trenchcoat. And, of course, I packed my leather Thinsulate gloves.
DFW Airport is full of escalators like this one that look like they go on forever. This one took me up to the SkyLink, which I rode from Terminal B (where my flight is) to Terminal D (where the good shopping is). I needed hand lotion, which seems to be the one thing I forgot to pack. (At least, I'm hoping it's the one thing I forgot to pack...)
SkyLink is awesome. It makes moving from one section of the airport to another extremely easy. I rarely have to use it unless I park at the terminal for an out-and-back day trip, and wind up arriving at a different terminal than I departed from. But seriously, I don't know why people complain about DFW Airport - as far as I'm concerned, it's one of the easiest airports to navigate.
Have tickets, will travel. It's so very rare for me to have to make a connecting flight ... when I fly on American Airlines, everything domestic is a direct flight ... but the only way for me to get to Saskatoon, Sasketchewan was via either Denver or Chicago. The cheapest flight combination wound up being on Air Canada, operated by United.
So I'm at one of the whopping three gates at DFW Airport that is operated by United, waiting not-so-patiently for them to announce boarding.
We'll see if I can actually keep up with the photo-taking throughout the course of this trip...!
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