Surviving Halloween

Happy Dios De Los Muertos!  As I type this, I'm sitting in my kitchen having just scarfed down two breakfast tacos from Taco Joint and am making my way through my second cup of coffee.  I was a zombie yesterday.  And I'm a zombie this morning (which I guess is appropriate for DDLM).  But with no less makeup on my face/neck/arms/legs.  I'm still rocking dark circles under my eyes.  Oh Halloween, you're a harsh mistress. 

If you're strapped for cash and don't want to spend $40 on a Halloween costume, the zombie look is for you.  Just run over some old clothes with your car and slap some cheap white/black/gray makeup on your face and you're ready to go!

Yesterday started innocently enough: at work.  Buuuut there just happened to be a Bloody Mary and mimosa bar in an empty cubicle.  And Jell-O shots.  Lots of Jell-O shots.  I was proud of myself: I only had a Solo cup of champagne (filled up about a quarter of the way) and one Jell-O shot.  I should explain... The company I work for is big on celebrations and Halloween is the biggest.  Which is pretty awesome, albeit exhausting. 

Working from Home

Two years and one month ago, I landed a sales job that requires me to work from home in my territory (Texas, excluding Houston).  The timing was perfect, as I had been "nomadic" until April of 2011, so I had a few months to settle into my place (at the time it was an enclosed porch of my friend's apartment) before I moved out of my cube.  It's funny to think that I spent over four years in this environment!  When this picture was taken I think I was on the brink of scurvy due to lack of sunlight.

When I interviewed for my current position, moving to a home office was the part that intimidated me the most.  Most of my co-workers also work virtually, so I've asked many of them how they do it.  Everyone's challenges and motivators are truly unique.  I don't think there is one formula that would help everyone adjust to this type of work environment.  In case any of you are like me (I'm ENFP according to the Myers & Briggs personality test), here are some best practices that have helped me be successful and not go crazy being alone most of the time (E stands for extrovert).

GBTA in San Diego

Every year I attend the Global Business Travel Association convention.  This year it was in sunny San Diego.  No complaints here!

The view from my room at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.  This is the only time of year that we get to stay at a fancy hotel because we always stay at the "official convention" hotel.  The rest of my trips are typically at La Quinta, which is fine.  But this is better.  :)

Chicago

Chicago  is a special place to me.  The first time I ever purchased my own plane ticket, it was for a trip to the Windy City to visit my bestie who went to the University of Chicago.  (Smarty pants.)  When I started my stint in the travel industry five years ago, I took advantage of my stand-by airline benefits to visit her often.  She has since moved to London, but now work brings me back a couple of times a year, and it's always a treat!

Working in LA

When my mom's and my recent vacation to SF came to a close, I flew down to  LA for a work meeting.  It's difficult to decide which is better, Northern or Southern California, so I'm not going to choose- I'll take both!

My teammates love a good burger, so we met for lunch at In-N-Out.  I'm not a fan of burgers in general, but their fries are awesome!  In-N-Out isn't your ordinary burger joint.  It's still a family run business after sixty-plus years that continues to focus on quality ingredients and customer service.  Plus, they have a secret menu that makes ordering extra fun!  (Insider tip: Order your burger and fries "animal style."  Just do it!)

Spring Forward

Even though I'm "sacrificing" an hour of sleep each night, I'm SO EXCITED we sprung forward on Sunday morning!  I get to see the light of day when I leave work and I feel motivated to get things accomplished in the evenings.  The weather is getting warmer and it's made nomadic life a lot easier, with rummaging through the trunk of my car, lugging around bags, etc- not so much fun in the cold and dark.  The trees around my office are blooming, making for a lovely commute in the mornings and evenings, and they're so beautiful I felt compelled to take some photos when I left work today.

Sun and Sin City

One Friday last month, I had to go to Phoenix to host some of our corporate customers in a suite at the Suns game.  Coincidentally, the Suns were were scheduled to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, my favorite NBA team.  I’m from Oklahoma City and they are the sole professional sports team we have; luckily they’re good and really fun to watch!

My boyfriend happened to have the day off work thanks to the snow that fell the night before, so he was able to join me on the trip.  We were lucky to be booked on one of the few flights that wasn't canceled so after getting delayed at Love Field for a couple of hours, our plane was de-iced and we were on our way.  When we arrived in Phoenix it was sixty degrees and sunny, a welcomed change from cold, snowy Texas (what an oxymoron)!  We cabbed it to our hotel downtown, the Wyndham, and had just enough time to unpack before we headed to the US Airways Center.

Lobby at the Wyndham Phoenix downtown[

Seattle Worcation

Last week work took me to Seattle so to make the most out of my time I added on a day of vacation [(work + vacation) x travel = worcation].  I’d been looking forward to this trip because it involved a lot of firsts:

1. It was my first time to visit the Pacific Northwest (prior to this I hadn’t ventured north of San Fran).
2. It was my first time to meet with our corporate accounts on my own (I’ve always shadowed a manager).
3. My boyfriend was able to take off work and it’s the first time we’ve taken a trip alone together.

We arrived in Seattle late Tuesday night and took a cab to our hotel downtown.  The Warwick is in a prime spot.  It’s an easy walk to great shopping and dining and Pike Place Market.  The hotel’s building is old and the interior isn’t as pristine as it appears on the Warwick’s website.  Fortunately, management is renovating all of the rooms from the top down.  My boyfriend and I snagged one of the newly upgraded Executive rooms on the 15^th floor.  As soon as we got off the elevator we were hit with the smell of new carpet in the hall (almost as good as new car smell).  One side of the room was outfitted with a long desk (great for work), another corner had a small seating area, and the majority of the space was taken up by a comfy king size bed.  The best part of the room was the view of the Space Needle from the balcony.

Annual Marketing Meeting

Every January, my department kicks off the year with the infamous “Annual Marketing Meeting,” commonly referred to as “Annual.”  We celebrate our accomplishments from the previous year and hear from our leaders (including our CEO) on what they expect from the new year regarding goals and strategies.  This year’s destination was St. Louis, Missouri.  In January.  In the snow.  To say the least, it was cold.

St. Louis, aka “The Gateway to the West”, is rich in aviation history.  Charles Lindbergh and The Spirit of St. Louis, TWA, McDonnell Douglas, etc, put this industrial city on the map as an aviation maverick.  (My airline-geek friends could expound on this better than me!)   My employer has had a strong presence in the area since 1985 and St. Louis continues to move its way up the charts as one of our focus markets.

LAX to PHX

I had another work trip this week, taking me back to the West Coast.  On Tuesday I flew to Los Angeles.  Every time I fly into LAX, I forget how massive it is!  When I landed, I walked outside of baggage claim to the hotel shuttle pick-up line to catch a ride to the Four Points Sheraton.  45 minutes later, I was checking in at the hotel and yes, it is adjacent to the airport!

Staying Classy in San Diego

Anchor Man is one of my favorite movies.  The cast of characters is ridiculous and hilarious.  Ron Burgundy and his unapologetic skirt-chasing, hard-boozing ways.  Veronica Corningstone and her non-regional dialect.  Baxter, Ron’s bi-lingual terrier.  The cult classic has some interesting and shady personalities, similar to downtown San Diego, where I stayed last week during another work trip.

The Sofia Hotel is a darling boutique hotel.  The location is perfect: walking distance to Horton Plaza and the Gas Lamp district, and only a few minutes from the airport.  The hotel’s ground floor is home of The Currant Restaurant, an American Brasserie.  The decor is rich and sultry, with dim lighting, velvet upholstery, and ornately carved wooden furniture.  Overall, the interior has a sexy, French feel, swanky enough for Mr. Burgundy himself.  After a long day of sales calls it was an ideal, quiet place to relax and asses the successes and challenges of the day.  Mussels in white wine, tomato and shallot sauce with frites helped too!

Business Trip

As an electively homeless person, work trips are more valuable to me than ever before.  It’s a nice break from staying with friends and I’m guaranteed my own bed instead of a couch!  On Monday, I flew to Tampa for a team meeting.  The majority of my co-workers are territory managers and work virtually out of their homes all over the country, so it’s a treat for the whole group to get together.  My employer has a relationship with Busch Gardens so we were able to utilize their facility to meet.  Tuesday morning started with an onsite breakfast at the Crown Colonial restaurant in the park.  We managed to squeeze in a meeting between breakfast and lunch (lucky for me my colleagues share my passion for eating) and then had free time to enjoy the park!

Nomad Life: One Month Down!

Yesterday I celebrated one month of living a nomadic lifestyle.  When I think back to how I was living a couple of months ago, it’s dramatically different!  My house, roommate, her dog, and all possessions are gone!  So far I love the freedom- staying at different places, no chores, no bills!  The month of November brought some travel opportunities with it which has made the transition a bit easier.  Luckily, my first official night of homelessness was spent in the beautiful Hotel Rex in San Francisco!