My apologies for not writing that much this past week. I was sequestered in a conference room with my boss and peers for the better part of the week. The "Big Guy" is from Plantation, FL so we were all excited when he decided to have a face-to-face. We quickly found out Schaumburg, IL was the destination. Half the team is from the Chicago area and it would have been more expensive to have the meeting in Florida. Oh well.
It was a mild disappointment for me, trading one cold weather area of the country (I'm about 10 miles south of the New Hampshire border) for another. It was, however, more than a mild discomfort for my warm weather counterparts, one from Arizona and the other from Texas. Comments like "What's this white stuff on my shoes" or "I never knew the zipper on my jacket went all the way up" kept the mood light despite the single digit temperatures. My favorite quip? "What's this?" as my Texas friend holds up an ice scraper for the car. Good times.
The Monday flight out from Manchester - Boston Regional Airport could have been a nightmare; rain in Manchester, NH as well as bad weather in Chicago could've landed me in Milwaukee. Luckily, things cleared up before we were diverted from O'Hare.
3 solid days in a conference room were offset by nights with friends from the area. Happy hour at the hotel and a full breakfast in the morning made the trip more bearable (sometimes it's the little things when you're traveling). The highlight of the trip was dinner and beverages at Schaumburg's Finn McCool's. Chatting with friends while sharing "Table Tappers" was a blast.
The flight home to Manchester Airport was anything but pleasant. The cabin was about 80 degrees and I was nursing a hangover. Turbulence-wise, we were ok until 10 miles from the airport. The landing was particularly rough. I'm sure the "South Shore Girl" (aka Marima) will tell me it's because I used a North Shore airport, that TF Green in Warwick, RI would've been a better choice. Maybe she's right.
It's good to be home, in my own bed, and surrounded by my own stuff. Some say business travel is "exciting". I say, "Give it a few more trips."