Vacation

A very nice person left the comment the other day asking how my vacation to Colorado went?

In a nutshell. It was simply fantastic. The weather was very warm - mid-upper 90's every day but very nice and cool evenings. The mountains were beautiful, I have about three disposable cameras worth of picture to develop (I forgot my good camera, remembering it when I arrived at the airport and was frantically looking for it so I could separate it when going through security). But even though I will have a vast array of pictures with which to remember the trip, there are at least 100 other pictures that as I was driving I kept thinking, "oh, I need to stop and take a picture of that, or that, or that". There aren't words enough to desirable the steepness of the canyon walls rising on one side of the narrow road, and the rushing whitewater of the Cache le Poudre river on the other side. The twisting narrow roads with the steep switchbacks provided new and breathtaking vistas at every turn. Of course a minor downside to this was the fact that it was a holiday weekend and thus there were a half dozen cars filled with kayaks, mt bikes and people right on your bumper as you were driving into the mountains, but the higher the elevation the more people thinned out. It might have had something to do with the thinness of the air also :)
The 4th of July saw me enjoying a street fair and that evening a wonderful fireworks show in Wellington, CO. Each and every day I ventured out either to a different brewery or revisited one which I thought was fantastic. Many thanks must go out to Fat Tire Brewery for their cheerfulness, excellent beer and passion for the environment. And for letting me visit them and enjoy samples on more than one occasion! If I could work somewhere and have fun everyday, that would be the place. Of course Odell Brewery was wonderful-their 90 Schilling and 50 Cent beers were fantastic. A wonderful sample of 6 beers could be obtained for $3.00. Well worth the minor cost.
All in all it was everything that a vacation should be - relaxing, good food (on a budget), wonderful scenery, exciting things to do and plenty of time to read and just soak up the sun. I wish I was back on vacation at this moment :)

8 Random Things

The rules:1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight Random Things

I intensely dislike blueberries.
My middle name is a combination of my two grandmothers names - Arlene and Dorothy.
My current profession occurred by chance and does not fit my personality type according to Meijer-Briggs.
My favorite seasons are fall and winter.
I am still a romantic at heart although it doesn't happen to everyone in real life.
If I could do anything right now I would be somewhere else than here.
I still believe that I might win the lottery some day.
right now my favorite artists are Tegan & Sara, my favorite song is Le Belle et la Bad Boy (from Sex and the City).

Colorado

Vacation time is almost here!! There are few things in life as enjoyable as the anticipation of vacation. No matter if a person is planning a transatlantic voyage, a journey along old Route 66 or simply staying at home and doing all the "puttering around the house" stuff that piles up on a homeowner before they even blink, the phrase vacation inevitably draws sighs of envy from those less fortunate than the soon to be vacationer.

My vacation is not a European adventure or a surf, sun and sand relaxation trip. Rather my vacation is taking place in Ft. Collins/Denver Colorado. Why Denver -you ask? "Well, why not!" would be my response. Denver has some of the most beautiful hiking areas, whitewater rafting, botanical gardens and history that a person could hope to indulge themselves within.

In addition, the Denver area is home to some of the worlds best microbreweries and large corporate breweries such as New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins Brewery, Coors and Anhauser-Bush. So after a delightful afternoon of viewing the scenery a person could sip on a delightfully refreshing drink and just enjoy the sunshine and relaxed atmosphere for which Denver is so famous.

Is it July 1st yet?!? I'm ready to go!!

Crazy Things

Strange sighting on the way into work. A VW Beetle (an original one) with the area usually reserved for the engine (in the back trunk) removed and a flat bed installed upon it. They must have restructured the car so the engine could then be placed under the hood.

Would that make it a VW Beetlerailer (Beetle and trailer)?

Tick-Tock

There is a fantastic song called "Night and Day" by Cole Porter that goes something like this

"like the beat, beat, beat of the tom tom when the jungle shadows fall like the tick,tick, tock of the stately clock as it stands against the wall like the drip, drip drip of the rain drops when the summer showers through a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you"

Anyhow, in my situation the tick, tick, tick of the stately clock for me is counting down the hours to the time when I had a lovely 3 day weekend in Corpus. I am so excited to be wearing sandles, capris and tanks for three whole days! Yeah!!

Frugality

So my vacation to Denver is coming up. The plane ticket purchased for the amazingly low price of $7.50 - thank goodness for frequent flier miles and the rental car held for under $200.00. So the purpose of this is that I would like to be able to enjoy this vacation for about $200.00 including meals and sightseeing. I have 8 days in Denver but do not / can not blow my bank account while out there. Vacationing on a budget is a new concept for me. As many know my personal finances are not something that I ever give a lot of thought to aside from is there enough there to put gas in the car. Others finances I can watch like a hawk and at times offer excellent advice on ways to economize and to properly manage the flow of debits and credits on a consistent basis. But for me vacationing on a budget is just a foreign concept. But in the interest of still going on this vacation and not cancelling and sitting at home for two weeks I am going to try to vacation on a budget.

So if anyone has any suggestions on how to have fun on a very limited dollar amount I would appreciate any and all comments. Luckily my hotel room does have a fridge and microwave so I can probably do meals really cheap - breakfast in my room, lunch for under $10.00 and dinner for under $20.00 but even that just by itself is $240.00 and I haven't even driven anywhere, put gas in the rental car or paid for any park fees! This sucks.

Is it possible to vacation for $200.00 or should I stay home?

Bored

Not that I don't have a million and one things to do but right now, at this moment I am so bored to death with financials that I could just scream. Actually, I would really like a piece of key lime pie but that is another whole story.

So here is a question for the masses. My drive to work is usually an 60 minutes to 80 minutes each morning. And just for kicks I timed out the miles this morning as I was driving to work in a daze due to no coffee. I realized that the first 14 miles go by very quickly (around 75mph) then the next 5 miles are brought to a slower pace due to traffic (around 40-45 mph). Following that slowdown the pace picks up again for 4 miles (around 60 mph) but right at that moment (at exit 33 on hwy 75) things grind to a screeching halt for the next 5 exits or until I turn onto George Bush Turnpike. So as I was thinking as I was driving -- and as I was juggling the shifting from first to second to third, down to first, back to second, back to first gear, that we have to be the most foolish people on the planet. I spend an average of 30-45 minutes everyday attempting to go 5 miles (that stretch from exit 33 to exit 28). We drive like crazy people just so we can watch the brake lights ahead of us for ages, all the while hoping that traffic isn't also backed up on the turnpike. Literally amazing. Texas needs a "good" mass transit system. I looked the other day at the DART. but the stops are limited and the pick up locations are right at that nasty slow spot of exits 33-28, so I would have to drive, through that mess anyhow just to take the DART.

So there really isn't a solution to this situation but I thought it was kind of interesting. One thing is guaranteed. I am thrilled that I don't have to drive into downtown Dallas everyday. That drive is brutal both on the way into work and on the way out.

Busy

Time flies when you are working very hard!! So much to do and so little time. This week is filled with preparations for the big conference meeting at the end of the month. In addition, I am learning a new aspect of the auditing process. Renovation audits. They are rather interesting (cost accounting and all that jazz).

I had a wonderful talk on Sunday eve (although it was a struggle to keep my eyes open from being up way to many hours) with Mary, John, Ryan and Sarah about my future career path plans. They were so supportive and didn't think it was an odd career path for me to embark upon, which I had been a little worried about. Sometimes it is amazing what information (names, contacts etc) others have just at their fingertips. Thus rather than becoming frustrated and disheartened by the process I now have some people to talk with about the "realities" of the path I am going to take and some excellent information with which to move forward. So now it becomes a process of studying for the GRE and choosing the school where I want to go. I'm thinking UNT, TWU and a couple of other options. It will be a balancing act of the finances and the quality of the Master's Program. So thank you to all who helped with the "thought process" last Sunday! I really, really appreciated it! :)

Chocolate Churros

The delectable dessert of Tuesday - Chocolate Churros

The tasty treats are made to order here at the Sofitel Washington DC. The combination of slightly crunchy, sweet chocolate churro and granulated sugar outside is guaranteed to make every fan of regular churros sit up and take notice. The treats were served with a caramelized mango dipping sauce that provided an excellent contrast to the sweetness of the churros.

As a fan of slightly tart things (key lime pie, lemon meringue, lemon drop martinis, cranberries and rhubarb pie) these were not my favorite but when in the right mood and paired with the right food they could provide the desired moments of sweet bliss.

So for those who love churros and if you love chocolate this dessert is for you!

Wednesday

The sun is shining, the weather delightful and we are working indoors! But there is hope for lunch and dinner on the terrace. We are still enjoying the hospitality of the Sofitel Washington DC and have reached the midway point of our time in this great city. The Paris Team will be leaving very late Friday night for their trip back to Paris and I will be leaving that evening for a short taxi ride to Springfield, VA to perform one additional audit in the DC area.

Looking back on the trip it really has not been so bad. Of course I would not like to do 12-16 hour days every week but for a two week stretch it was bearable. Of course, the team members have been wonderful and I have learned an incredible amount from them and they in turn have been a delight with which to work (not at all the horrible experience which I had been anticipating).

But while this has been a good experience I must admit to being ready to come home and see all my friends again. There has been so much going on that I have missed out on that I want to rush home, catch up on the news, become part of the gang again and take part of the fun.

Just out of curiosity--does anyone feel like sushi this weekend? It has been WEEKS since I have indulged in the wonderful freshness of salmon, wasabi and rice---yummy, yummy.

Dessert and coffe

Ok, when things get stressful what do you do? The Paris Team and I do dessert and coffee. This is probably the best part of my day. While Geraldine remains true to her size 0 and only has coffee, she is ever so polite while Julien and I indulge in the non-size 0 delights of dessert and coffee. So in the interest of keeping this as entertaining as possible I will tantalize the tastebuds of my few but dear readers. Picture a delightful mini-dessert with a crushed graham cracker crust, a lemon cream cheese filling with just enough bite to make you pucker-up, a dollop of real whipped cream and a touch of lemon zest. That would be my delectable confections for the afternoon and when paired with a cafe au lait and the sunshine from eating al fresco on the sidewalk outside the hotel it was a moment to relax and forget about all cares, worries and the hours of work still waiting for me. "Superb" to say the least.

I hate my job.

7:40pm

It is 7:40pm and we are still working.....will this day ever end? I have been here since 8:30am....I'm hungry and need a change of scenery! I hope this isn't a usual "day in the office" for these people.

10:30am

It is now 10:30am and the day is just getting started with my "new" team members.....Things are pretty relaxed. Hmmmm, could this be the trend for the week?

Something beautiful

I re-found this poem the other day---I think that it is beautiful and says so much with very few words. Enjoy.

“One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII”

by Pablo Neruda

I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,

or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:

I love you as one loves certain obscure things,

secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries

the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,

and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose

from the earth lives dimly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,

I love you directly without problems or pride:

I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,

except in this form in which I am not nor are you,

so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,

so close that your eyes close with my dreams.

Translated by Mark Eisner

Pablo Neruda, “One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII” from The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems, edited by Mark Eisner. Copyright © 2004 City Lights Books.

Visits to MN

The family in MN and WI all say hello to my friends in other states. Yes it is true, I actually spent a couple of days with my family in MN and WI. While cell phone service was a little spotty the most difficult part of the last few days has been a lack of email communication. Talk about feeling cut off! Yikes!!

But aside from the absence of emails the visit went really well. My nieces and nephews are growing like crazy and were a lot of fun to hang out with including an attempt at camping in the living room which by 3am ended with everyone back in their respective beds. I actually remember yard camping trips when I was growing up that ended the same way....those were the days.

The Paris Team with whom I am working this week appear to be nice, conversant and friendly. So here is to keeping my fingers crossed that the relationships we (the ANA audit department) have with the hotels will continue be be positive and that all our hard work will not be endangered by a lack of communication, language issues or program variances between the International program and the ANA program.

Hope that everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day Holiday and that you do something patriotic in remembrance of the reason for the Holiday.

Return of the traveling auditor

The return to the land of Texans. It is good to be home. Toronto was entertaining once the Novotel was done. I had an opportunity to revisit the land of AEL and it was good to refresh my skills and VERY nice to be able to eat out where I wanted each night, but also I have to admit that I like many of the perks of the ABL environment. So each side has its pros and cons. Very diplomatic of me isn't it! :)

I flew back to Dallas late Saturday eve, and had the joy of enjoying a nice dinner with John and Mary. They are two of the nicest people around. Considering that they really didn't know me that well before the move to Texas they have welcomed me into their family and have made me feel soooo included in their lives. Case in point - they knew that I was flying back on Saturday and when I arrived on the ground I had a voicemail inviting me to dinner. How sweet and caring is that! And they do things like that all the time!! Amazing people!

Sunday I kind of overslept and missed breakfast with the gang---the past two weeks caught up with me a little bit. But I did make it to church and then ran numerous errands, picked up some groceries so I wouldn't eat Sarah and Ryan out of home and hearth and then went back home for some serious work time. Well, the work time was semi-productive, the sitting on the swing and listening to the sounds of the neighborhood was very productive and my sanity was fully restored. It was an incredible evening. Around 8pm (ish) Sarah and Ryan arrived home with all kinds of goodies from one of our favorite wineries. We had dinner and a bottle of fabulous wine and caught up on the events of each others lives for the past two weeks.

This week is a fast paced, hectic week as I am flying out on Wednesday for Minneapolis. So there is lots to do and not much time but all in all things are going well.

Trends

Work, eat, drink, work out (a little), want another drink so I can sleep....don't have it cause I have more work to do....procrastinate. Fall asleep at midnight, don't sleep well at all. Wake up...shower in a daze cause I've been up since 3am trying to fall back asleep. Go to work. Realize I'm hated by one and all, when all I' trying to do is help. Work in isolation for hours.

Don't want to go to the restaurant for lunch cause the service is slow and the food blah (its the same menu I've been looking at for the last week, and is identical to the last four hotels of this brand I've audited)....skip lunch. Stomach is growling. No water cause Banquets hates me and doesn't refresh the room each day. Passive aggressive is the type who wins the race and takes the prize. Really hungry now. Eat the left-over Hot Tamales candy from the flight here. Too much work to do and I don't want to do it. Realize its been four days since I've been outdoors. Is this a form of torture?? If so why did I willingly sign up for it??

Goal, Goal, Goal....keep you eye on the goal. Four years....u can do anything for four years. This will cause tears of laughter when I'm 50.

Its just a job

Note to self....to be remembered at points of work inspired stress.

It is just a job. I am more than my job. While providing a paycheck (pitiful as it may be), the job is not the essence of life. There are other jobs out there--if you want them. Laugh in the face of the chaos as three weeks from now the stress of the moment will not be remembered with any of the current anxiety. If this job is so horrible, stressful, non-rewarding then get one of those other jobs out there. If I choose to stay with this current job then shut up about how bad it is and just do the work....no one wants to hear you b**ch about how awful it is. Everyone's job is awful in some area as there are no perfect jobs out there; just jobs with varying levels of awfulness.

So slap a smile on your face, imagine the stress causing individual with ketchup on their face and do the best that you can do at this moment in time. You are working towards the greater goal....a job that provides satisfaction on multiple levels, not just the monetary level.

Now repeat after me....MBA, MLS, MBA, MLS, MBA, MLS. Now get back and finish that project!

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Isn't it pretty!! And oh so springy ;)