End of the year wrap up

Summary for the year:

Days (working) on the road: 165
Days (Holiday) on the road: 23
Miles Flown: 120,000’ish
Flights: 100’ish
Sick: None!
Forgetting name of grandchild: None!
Using incorrect name of Grandchild: Once

Where I’ve been:
Texas: Austin, Dallas, Houston
Illinois: Chicago
LA: Sulphur
MO: St. Louis; St. Peters; Rolla
OR: Hillsboro, Gresham, Tualatin
CA: Fremont; San Jose; Pleasanton, Oakland; San Francisco
Japan: Tokyo; Naka
Netherlands: Amsterdam
Italy: Naples; Pompeii, Rome, Florence; Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre

Overall, travel was down this year. The economy is certainly impacting my business travel. This is the lowest my numbers have been in several years.

2009 looks like a sleeper!

The short bus

I spent the better part of two weeks traveling from customer site to customer site in the South and Central Plains. Let’s call it a Wine and Dine jaunt. Four separate customers, four separate lunches, dinners, and an untold amount of drinks.

I’m witty, I’m charming, I tell amusing stories, but still…don’t my customers get tired of me? I’m certainly tired of them. I need time away from my customers so that I can recover from my customers themselves.

I see no immediate relief. I’m home for two weeks, but I need to work a bit through the holidays. I may end up working at a customer site on Christmas Eve. Who wants to see me on Christmas Eve? No one in their right mind! Right after the holidays I’m back on the road for the first two weeks of January.

One of my customers is requesting that I accompany her to Japan in January, but isn’t sure when. I tried to tell them that I book up fast, but no luck. We’ll just wait and see how that little ditty plays out.

One of my newest customers is demanding serious hand holding, but they have yet to take possession of the equipment I sold them. Once you buy, you get the love. No buy=no love. They hounded me so hard for documentation that I sent them all the same documentation I sent them six months ago. They didn’t even notice.

Nice summary of my work. I regurgitate the same material, they don’t notice. This lets me know that they’re just seeking my attention.

I need to find someone else to throw under the bus as a diversion.

Killers

Back in Texas

What is there to say about this? This truck was in my customers parking lot.

Birthday blues

One of my daughters is 21 today.

I can't help but think that I didn't teach her everything that she needs to know in order to be successful and happy in her life.

I don't even know all those things, but somehow, I wanted to be able to pass it on to my children.

Another day at the Tsujiki Fish Market

Kabob anyone?

Panky

What exactly are Chocolate Panky Balls and why do I enjoy saying that name out loud so much?

Humidity on the horizon

I made it through thirteen weeks in a row of solid travel before I managed to grab a few days at home. I picked up a nice stomach bug on the last leg of my travel, which in turn caused my time at home to be much more relaxing and pleasurable.

This week I’m back in Japan. The weather feels slightly humid, but not too bad, yet. In another month the temp will have increased by 20 degrees and the humidity by 30%. My short term goal is to not return to Japan this summer.

I'll have customers arriving on Wed afternoon for a few days of work and a few days (and nights) of entertainment. I'm not sure my liver is up to it this week, but, we'll see. I'm still a litle shaky from last weeks illness.

Check cashing

I’m now in my 8th straight week of travel. I’m ready to poke anyone (and everyone) in the eye.

I've had a string of bad flights that have left my patience mighty thin. I was measuring the space between my face and the seat in front of me last week (NWA Cattle Class) and found that I had a pleasant 10 inches. Wow, what to do with all that space??? Should I open my laptop and work??? There may have been 14 inches of space between my face and the seat before the person in front of me threw their seat all the way back. Since I'm a bit on the tall side, I can't put my head back and go to sleep, (no head rest), and my legs are too long to fit under the seat. Hence the bad string of flights.

This week I'm traveling on SWA, which isn't going to improve my mood one tiny bit. Some folks say, "Friends don't let friends drink and drive". I say, "Friends don't let friends fly Southwest Airlines".

Short Showers

It’s 8PM local time in Tokyo, but my body clock is telling me it’s 3AM. I’ve just sat through a long, pointless day of cancelled meetings. I’ve accomplished little other than drinking way too much instant coffee, which has now turned rank in my stomach. I’m tired, and mildly irritable. I just want to go back to my hotel and pass out.

The hotel shower is made for someone who is perhaps five feet tall and weights one hundred pounds less than I do.

Marching on

I see storm clouds on the travel horizon. I’ve had it too easy the past month without too much travel and my check is about to be cashed.

Next week I’m in CA working at a customer site. I’ve been invited (AKA ordered) by my manager to head to the CA office next weekend for a “team building” exercise. This means golf. Too say that I suck at golf is too polite. I’ll have the pleasure of looking like a total idiot in front of my “team members”.

Week after next I’m (still) in Ca for a corporate road show. (That’s one weekend at home I’m missing.) Road shows = pickled livers.

The week road show I’m in Tokyo. (Second weekend at home I’m missing)

The week after that I’m in Austin. (Third weekend at home I’m missing)

The week after that I’m back in CA.

So let’s see…it looks like the grand sum of about 18 hours in my house over the next month.

Am I on a career path or the Baton Death March?

Cell Phones

Why do some men find it necessary to carry on conversations on their mobile phones while urinating in public restrooms? Do woman do this too?

I found myself in a airport restroom yesterday afternoon, standing in my “spot” at the urinal, having the pleasure of listening to two different men carry on conversations on their Bluetooth ear phones while urinating.

Now mind you, I’m not a complete curmudgeon. If my next door urinal neighbor is talking on their cell phone and it’s obvious that someone is dying/dead/near death, I understand the need. I suppose. Well, perhaps not, but let’s just say I can roll with that scenario with a minimum of internal groaning. I don’t hear the conversations where someone is dying though, what I typically hear are two types of conversations;

Mundane: “I’m at the airport now getting ready to fly to ….” I hope the person on the other end of the phone is impressed, because no one else in the restroom is impressed with this kind of conversation. I’d like to interject a little fun into one of their conversations, just once, by yelling, “Hey, did you know that this guy is holding his penis and urinating while he talks to you about the weather??”

Simulated Importance: “I’m working right now to close the 14 million dollar deal.” Yeah, sure you are. You have so much self confidence that you’re telling a bathroom full of complete strangers, who will never see you again, about your big “deal” while you urinate. I say grow a penis so that you can stop pretending that you’re important during your phone conversations in the bathroom.

I won’t even touch the topic of men who talk on their cell phones while having bowel movements.

blah

This morning I was thinking about shooting myself. I don’t own a gun, so I guess that flushes that area of pondering. I wouldn’t kill myself anyway, but still…it was an area of pondering.

I’m a middle aged married man with children, yet I rarely hear the laughter of children in my house. How did I manage to doom myself to this winter morning of standing in my home, in absolute silence, knowing that I am absolutely barren as a father? How much of my identity as a father did I forfeit upon signing on the dotted line of the divorce paper over a decade ago?

I try to communicate with my children in ways that my father never communicated with me, and yet, I fail. I’m broadcasting to receivers that aren’t even remotely tuned to my frequency. I find myself wondering, annoyed, what exactly do my children want from me? I try to give them of myself, yet…it’s not enough. We don’t communicate.

I’m confused about my career. How much money do I need to save for retirement? My friends tell me that I need more. How much is “more”? “Just have more” they tell me. More than what? I’m well on my way to being a millionaire when I retire. How much do I need?

I pray for solace, yet none is given to me.
I pray for understanding of this life I lead, yet understanding eludes me.
I pray that my life has some sort of meaning, yet I fear it has none, and that I will never be granted the understanding from God as to what my true purpose is on this globe.
I seek, yet I fine no solace.

Squeaky Clean

I’ve resumed my life on the road after being home for several weeks during the holidays.

The isolation and loneliness of the hotel room at night seem greater than last year. I found myself sitting in my hotel room, working on my homework, and wondering just how I manage to do this all the time. Soon I may resort to bringing finger puppets with me for a little extra conversation and entertainment.

Somehow I managed to schedule both a dentist appointment and a doctor appointment on my day off, the MLK holiday. I was violated (and squeaky clean) at both ends prior to 10AM.