Naked Chardonnay

Catchy isn't it.....Naked Chardonnay is a product of Four Vines vineyard which I found entirely by accident/partial recommnedation last weekend when I was wine tasting in Paso Robles, CA. Thus far CA has been a fantastic state to visit. The absolute variety of scenery, the fantastic food on the coast and the (of course) delectable wines make this an area simply delightful to visit/work within. Last weekend was a marathon of driving, wine tasting and enjoying the excellent cuisine presented by Hoppes restraunt in Cayuga, CA. The days began early and ended late--always pleasantly buzzed to be certain. Each day was looked forward with anticipation of the new sites, and scenes to take in. If anyone is ever in CA there must travel Hwy 1 along to coast at least from Paso Robles up to Monterey, CA. Its breathtaking with teh coastline on one side and the cliffs on the other side. I have so many fantastic pictures that I'm having trouble determining which ones I want to keep in the slide show on my computer!

On a more somber note....B. and I went through a rough patch following his visit to TX. Mother nature, nerves and who knows what else all conspired against us to make for a nice but not necessarily remarkable weekend. I was very nervous not only about seeing him again but because of other variables which I wanted but was unable to capitalize upon due to circumstances outside my control. Then by Wednesday I thought we were back on an even keel. Apparently I was wrong. The last two days have gone by without a word from the guy and I'm partially ticked of at myself for caring and significantly ticked off that he hasn't had the common courtesy to call.....its the least that could be done given the situation.

So I guess in part it has me guessing again. Why is is so difficult to meet people---I know that my job has a significant part in this equation, but aside from that, its not as easy as it once was to determine if you want to approach this other person for whatever reason....I'm not a fan of capitalizing on risk...my job is to eliminate or at least minimize risk in all its forms. Who know what will happen, but I'm NOT calling him....although I really want to if for no other reason than to demand acceptable answers.

But until that point in time, I'm going to figure out someway to enjoy life and the great states which I visit without being too hung up on some guy who won't even say we are dating. Life has more to offer than this.

More details to follow!

Life in CA

So after a frightfully early wake up call this morning---ie 4:30am is NOT my time of the morning--we safely made it to DFW and on our respective planes without too much free time. About a zillion hours later and a long lay-over in Phoenix, AZ I arrived in Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield greeted me with sheets of rain and palm trees bent before the wind.

It is amazing the people whom you meet in airports and on the planes. I had an engaging conversation with an IBM programmer who recently returned from Moscow and we spent a fun two and a half hours discussing international travel, the wonders to be found when you get off the beaten path and the hotel business. It was really fun and yes he did ask me out for dinner while I'm in the Bakersfield and LA area. It was fun and reaffirming of my desireability factor at a time when I was really second guessing that issue. Sometimes I just wonder if all I am is a businessperson and not the whole "Hot/cute" girl who gets hit on occassionally. And the answer to that is a resounding "Yup I can play both roles" cause apparently some people still find me desireable.

But anywho...back to topic. I picked up my rental car and my bags----btw, I still can't pack lightly to save my life. I'm glad B. carried my bags this morning :) and lugged all my luggage and computer case and other assorted necessary items out to the car in pouring rain and proceeded to venture out on the CA roads.

After two car wrecks and a closed exit (which I needed to take) I safely manuvered my way to the Motel 6 in Bakersfield East and checked in. Once again I have been blessed with a recently renovated room---can anyone say glaring primary colors!--and thus far the staff all seem great.

The time change is going to trip me up for a while. I'm having a heck of a time remembering that Dallas is two hours ahead of me and that is actually three hours ahead of me. So if anyone gets emails and phone calls at really weird hours, all I can say is sorry and that by the end of the month. I'll have it down but then I'll be back in Dallas for three days and will have to readjust once again. The joys of travel.

But I'm off to actually do some work, so thats all for now and I'll keep everyone updated with the CA details as they happen.

Weekend Update

And here is the news that is news. B. flew in on Thursday evening to see me for the weekend. It was great to see him and I simply must admit that he is still just as appealing in person as I remembered. And while I won't bore you with all the details I will say that overall the weekend was nice. Could it have been better. Yup. Could it have been worse. By far. But the naps were nice and the majority of the conversations were engaging. I'm going to mull over the events which transpired throughout the weekend and see what conclusions if any I come to but nontheless I guess it can easily be said that my nerves about seeing B. again have been put to rest and I survived the weekend with my dignity intact and at no point made a fool out of myself. To be honest I think I probably have more than my fair share of pride and so not making a fool out of myself is really important. But it was interesting to say the least.

Award winning news

So I'm in Houston for the Brand Meetings and it has been a very interesting couple of days. The Audit presentation was met with boo's and hisses from the crowd who argued semantics of the audit rather than focusing on the issues that give rise to financial risk. Following an uncomfortable 45 minutes of audit questions the meeting shifted to award recognition of managers of the year for Region 8. And shock of shocks I was named Manager of the Year for R8A6. I was totally shocked and even more shocked to find out that this award recognition was the whole reason I was brought to Houston in the first place. Apparently everyone at work has known about this for over a month but NO ONE breathed a word to me. I've never worked with a group of people that could actually keep a secret before. Its a very different feeling.

So tonight is the big formal dinner and awards ceremony where the food and wine will be plentiful and the awards will be presented. So after a minor clothing crisis because I didn't realize that I would be walking the stage this evening to receive an award I have resolved to fully enjoy this evening and to take away some good memories of my old area. Cause goodness knows the reception from the locations I've audited has been very, very mixed. So this is my moment in the sun....and I'm going to enjoy it!

Wish me luck, and I hope that I don't trip on my way to the stage!!