wow. this morning was rough. which is extremely unfortunate since last night was relaxing and decadent. i ordered room service, and spent entirely too long in the biggest bath tub i have ever seen. dang, sometimes i really wish i was married! at any rate, this morning i received an email from my ceo that would start the day off on the wrong foot.
when we booked this place, there were a limited number of king rooms available. i needed 12 and could only get them by booking 6 ‘regular’ rooms and 6 ‘club’ rooms. when i asked what the difference was, i was told that the club level rooms were slightly larger.
originally, i had them assigned by hierarchy, which is a feat in and of itself, as many of the attendees are unilateral on the org chart. as we got closer and spouses dropped out, we ended up with six couples and six singles. since the only difference was a slight one in room size, it made sense to me that two people sharing a room should have the larger one, so i revamped the rooming list.
well, this morning’s email indicated some feathers had been ruffled and asked that i try and fix it by upgrading the rest. it turned out that the only difference was not a ‘slightly’ larger room--the club rooms are two times (if not more) the size of the regular rooms, and come with butlers, who will do anything for you, including drawing your bath.
i knew that it was not possible to upgrade the rest based on availability, but that is actually beside the point. i was in the meeting room early, when one of the ‘slighted’ participants arrived. also the only woman in the group of execs. i told her i understood that i owed her an apology, and proceeded to try and explain the logic, while indicating that my intentions were most certainly not to cause offense or unhappiness. i didn’t get it out that eloquently, however, as she continued to yell at me about how this is not our corporate culture, and it’s beyond offensive, and her husband doesn’t want to come hang out with the wives of the other execs. i am not a work crier. i’m a life crier, but when it comes to work, i hate the idea of women and tears. this was the closest i have ever come to losing that composure. i managed to retain it long enough to say simply, i know it can’t be fixed but for what it is worth, i truly am sorry.
i spent all morning in a funk. this is someone with whom i have had a good professional relationship. i have a good reputation with her, and even more than the yelling, i was devastated that a situation had arisen which would taint her’s or anyone else’s high esteem of me. it wasn’t that i felt i had made a mistake. given the same circumstances, i would make the same choice. but i was extremely sad that at least in one case, the result had been so unfortunate.
shortly before the lunch break i headed down to the room and was sitting in the hallway when this woman came out of the room. she didn’t see me and i heard her ask someone where i was. so i immediately jumped up and she told me she needed to talk to me. the first order of business was to ask for help in changing a spa appointment, but then she proceeded to apologize. she told me that she was not upset with me, that she understood the logic, but she had been venting because a couple of the club level folks had been extremely rude about it, and giving her a hard time about how her husband should have come. she apologized for using me as her ventee, and expressed her distaste with these folks (whose positions shall remain unidentified). in the end, i stopped feeling bad for me, and started feeling bad for her. of course her husband wouldn’t want to come spend the weekend with five corporate wives. i don’t think anyone would think that sounded like a great idea, yet here she was being taunted and goaded because of it. i also understand some of the things said to her were not even as harsh as some of the things said to some of the other ‘regular’ roomers. since one of them is gay, i did not even want to know what might have been said. so needless to say, i have a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth this weekend. i’m hoping that my mani/pedi tonight and my hot stone massage tomorrow might help wash it away!
ok. on to london, day 2!
deb and i did something we both like to avoid. we took a tour. like, an all day, hop on a bus kind of tour. in principle, i am opposed to them. i like the freedom of exploring a new place at my own pace, but in this case (gee that is a lot of rhyming) i wanted to see stonehenge and was sans transportation.
deb and i had settled on a tour that would take us to windsor, bath, and stonehenge, and we were up entirely too early for our jet-lagged bodies.
the bus picked us up in front of our hotel, and following a couple of other stops, we were on our way to windsor. the ride was beautiful, and the opportunity to check out the scenery beyond the city was worth it.
we began to get inklings that our tour guide was a bit of a whack job, as she subtlely (or not so much) began weaving political commentary through her dialogue. we quickly learned her stance on homosexuality (the elton john jokes made it clear she was not a fan), and her position on the monarchy, and of course government in general. deb and i had to laugh when she started talking about how there were rumors of little boxes to put in your car that would keep track of what roads you were on and charge you accordingly, and a ‘private’ road that you would have to pay to drive on. her distaste for this ‘big brother is watching’ resemblance was evident. deb and i both commented about our love of ez-passes!
the drive to windsor was approximately 45 minutes, and when we arrived it started raining. the morning had been gray, but deb and i didn’t necessarily pay attention to the fact that it was overcast gray and not just early gray, not to mention that we had been spoiled with thursday’s beautiful weather, and neglected to bring our umbrellas along. we stopped in a tourist shop and bought three pound black umbrellas, both deciding we wouldn’t be caught dead with the british flag ones.
we walked up the hill to the castle, and i have to admit, i was impressed. my awe might have been swayed by the fact that prior to this, the only castles i’ve seen have not been ‘working’ castles. in ireland and romania they were in various stages of ruin and disrepair. so it was something else to see this well-manicured, well-kept home.
we wandered around the grounds, the rain stopping for most of the exploring, and eventually made our way inside.
i’ll admit it, i’m not really a fan of ‘home’ tours. this trip forced me to consider why that is. i love history, but wandering through recreated state rooms and bedrooms does nothing for me. ultimately, i came to the conclusion that every era in history, barring the one i live in, has a certain sense of romance to it. or rather, i tend to romanticize them. and when visiting old homes, or even old castles, it is hard to maintain that. there is nothing romantic about going blind because you spend your evenings reading by candlelight. there is nothing romantic about freezing to death because central heating doesn’t exist yet. i love the shapes, and the substance, and the architecture of history, but the recreations, i can do without.
when our time at windsor was done, it was on to stonehenge.
stonehenge. that mythical magical pile of rocks.
our tour guide warned us that it would be smaller than we expected, but when we pulled up i realized that i hadn’t expected any size at all. because it was stonehenge.
my love of historical fiction has seen several appearances of that mysterious place, and it did not disappoint. granted, it really is just a pile of stones, but maybe it is what you bring to it that forms what you take away from it. it was stonehenge that spawned the most gratitude on this thanksgiving trip. i just couldn’t help but be thankful for the opportunities i’ve had. i was in awe realizing just how much these eyes have seen.
while wandering around the site, the rain and wind began to pick up, and it was only a matter of moments before we would have to bid adieu to our 3 pound umbrellas. we took some very cold photos, and my attempts at keeping my straightened hair straight were for naught. but no worries, it was time to return to the bus.
it was then on to the stonehenge inn for lunch. it was a tavern, with tavern food. and that’s pretty much all there is to say about that!
after lunch, we headed towards the final stop of the day...bath. originally, when my co-worker had told me about her day long tour, it was windsor, stonehenge, and oxford, so that’s what i was looking for. in my searching, i came across the bath alternative, and deb cast a heavy vote in that direction. i am so glad!
driving into bath we both fell in love. perhaps one of the reasons we make such great travel companions is that, at least when traveling, we have similar tastes and interests.
i can’t really explain why we loved it, other than i think some places resonate with us more than others. it was much the same feel we had in amsterdam. it was then and only then that we were regretting not having more time to spend.
we wandered through the roman baths, which were impressive, and made us both excited about next year’s planned italy trip. and we wandered the streets a little, stopping at a chocolatier to pick up a few munchies. i was skeptical, because i didn’t really believe that chocolate anywhere could compare to our experience in belgium and france, but it was delectable. it made me realize that it’s just americans (and i’m sure a few other obscure places--say...africa) that can’t do chocolate right!
our time in bath was far too short, and it was time to re-board the bus back to the city. the bus ride, with traffic, ended up being just over 2 1/2 hours, and it had been a long day. i caught a cat nap. deb, who insists that she cannot fall asleep on planes, trains, or automobiles, denied napping, but did say that she ‘lost conciousness’ at one point. i’m sure you can all tell the difference;)
when we arrived back at our hotel, we relaxed for a little while, before deciding that we were hungry. deb was thinking room service, but as tired as we were, i didn’t want to stay in. there are plenty of nights for staying in...at home.
our restaurant criteria is strict. deb is very picky about the atmosphere of a place, and i’m picky about the food options. so, when we settle on one, it has a high probability of being good. but it was really late, and options were somewhat limited. we finally chose a place called pizza express, which was so much more than pizza, and so much less than express. in fact, i think it may have been my favorite meal throughout the trip. pizza express was a misnomer, even though i did have pizza. it was delicious.
we reviewed the possibilities for the next day and drank our mint tea (with actual fresh mint leaves in it), and it was time to rest our weary eyes and lose a little consciousness.
when we booked this place, there were a limited number of king rooms available. i needed 12 and could only get them by booking 6 ‘regular’ rooms and 6 ‘club’ rooms. when i asked what the difference was, i was told that the club level rooms were slightly larger.
originally, i had them assigned by hierarchy, which is a feat in and of itself, as many of the attendees are unilateral on the org chart. as we got closer and spouses dropped out, we ended up with six couples and six singles. since the only difference was a slight one in room size, it made sense to me that two people sharing a room should have the larger one, so i revamped the rooming list.
well, this morning’s email indicated some feathers had been ruffled and asked that i try and fix it by upgrading the rest. it turned out that the only difference was not a ‘slightly’ larger room--the club rooms are two times (if not more) the size of the regular rooms, and come with butlers, who will do anything for you, including drawing your bath.
i knew that it was not possible to upgrade the rest based on availability, but that is actually beside the point. i was in the meeting room early, when one of the ‘slighted’ participants arrived. also the only woman in the group of execs. i told her i understood that i owed her an apology, and proceeded to try and explain the logic, while indicating that my intentions were most certainly not to cause offense or unhappiness. i didn’t get it out that eloquently, however, as she continued to yell at me about how this is not our corporate culture, and it’s beyond offensive, and her husband doesn’t want to come hang out with the wives of the other execs. i am not a work crier. i’m a life crier, but when it comes to work, i hate the idea of women and tears. this was the closest i have ever come to losing that composure. i managed to retain it long enough to say simply, i know it can’t be fixed but for what it is worth, i truly am sorry.
i spent all morning in a funk. this is someone with whom i have had a good professional relationship. i have a good reputation with her, and even more than the yelling, i was devastated that a situation had arisen which would taint her’s or anyone else’s high esteem of me. it wasn’t that i felt i had made a mistake. given the same circumstances, i would make the same choice. but i was extremely sad that at least in one case, the result had been so unfortunate.
shortly before the lunch break i headed down to the room and was sitting in the hallway when this woman came out of the room. she didn’t see me and i heard her ask someone where i was. so i immediately jumped up and she told me she needed to talk to me. the first order of business was to ask for help in changing a spa appointment, but then she proceeded to apologize. she told me that she was not upset with me, that she understood the logic, but she had been venting because a couple of the club level folks had been extremely rude about it, and giving her a hard time about how her husband should have come. she apologized for using me as her ventee, and expressed her distaste with these folks (whose positions shall remain unidentified). in the end, i stopped feeling bad for me, and started feeling bad for her. of course her husband wouldn’t want to come spend the weekend with five corporate wives. i don’t think anyone would think that sounded like a great idea, yet here she was being taunted and goaded because of it. i also understand some of the things said to her were not even as harsh as some of the things said to some of the other ‘regular’ roomers. since one of them is gay, i did not even want to know what might have been said. so needless to say, i have a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth this weekend. i’m hoping that my mani/pedi tonight and my hot stone massage tomorrow might help wash it away!
ok. on to london, day 2!
deb and i did something we both like to avoid. we took a tour. like, an all day, hop on a bus kind of tour. in principle, i am opposed to them. i like the freedom of exploring a new place at my own pace, but in this case (gee that is a lot of rhyming) i wanted to see stonehenge and was sans transportation.
deb and i had settled on a tour that would take us to windsor, bath, and stonehenge, and we were up entirely too early for our jet-lagged bodies.
the bus picked us up in front of our hotel, and following a couple of other stops, we were on our way to windsor. the ride was beautiful, and the opportunity to check out the scenery beyond the city was worth it.
we began to get inklings that our tour guide was a bit of a whack job, as she subtlely (or not so much) began weaving political commentary through her dialogue. we quickly learned her stance on homosexuality (the elton john jokes made it clear she was not a fan), and her position on the monarchy, and of course government in general. deb and i had to laugh when she started talking about how there were rumors of little boxes to put in your car that would keep track of what roads you were on and charge you accordingly, and a ‘private’ road that you would have to pay to drive on. her distaste for this ‘big brother is watching’ resemblance was evident. deb and i both commented about our love of ez-passes!
the drive to windsor was approximately 45 minutes, and when we arrived it started raining. the morning had been gray, but deb and i didn’t necessarily pay attention to the fact that it was overcast gray and not just early gray, not to mention that we had been spoiled with thursday’s beautiful weather, and neglected to bring our umbrellas along. we stopped in a tourist shop and bought three pound black umbrellas, both deciding we wouldn’t be caught dead with the british flag ones.we walked up the hill to the castle, and i have to admit, i was impressed. my awe might have been swayed by the fact that prior to this, the only castles i’ve seen have not been ‘working’ castles. in ireland and romania they were in various stages of ruin and disrepair. so it was something else to see this well-manicured, well-kept home.
we wandered around the grounds, the rain stopping for most of the exploring, and eventually made our way inside.i’ll admit it, i’m not really a fan of ‘home’ tours. this trip forced me to consider why that is. i love history, but wandering through recreated state rooms and bedrooms does nothing for me. ultimately, i came to the conclusion that every era in history, barring the one i live in, has a certain sense of romance to it. or rather, i tend to romanticize them. and when visiting old homes, or even old castles, it is hard to maintain that. there is nothing romantic about going blind because you spend your evenings reading by candlelight. there is nothing romantic about freezing to death because central heating doesn’t exist yet. i love the shapes, and the substance, and the architecture of history, but the recreations, i can do without.
when our time at windsor was done, it was on to stonehenge.stonehenge. that mythical magical pile of rocks.
our tour guide warned us that it would be smaller than we expected, but when we pulled up i realized that i hadn’t expected any size at all. because it was stonehenge.
my love of historical fiction has seen several appearances of that mysterious place, and it did not disappoint. granted, it really is just a pile of stones, but maybe it is what you bring to it that forms what you take away from it. it was stonehenge that spawned the most gratitude on this thanksgiving trip. i just couldn’t help but be thankful for the opportunities i’ve had. i was in awe realizing just how much these eyes have seen.
while wandering around the site, the rain and wind began to pick up, and it was only a matter of moments before we would have to bid adieu to our 3 pound umbrellas. we took some very cold photos, and my attempts at keeping my straightened hair straight were for naught. but no worries, it was time to return to the bus.it was then on to the stonehenge inn for lunch. it was a tavern, with tavern food. and that’s pretty much all there is to say about that!
after lunch, we headed towards the final stop of the day...bath. originally, when my co-worker had told me about her day long tour, it was windsor, stonehenge, and oxford, so that’s what i was looking for. in my searching, i came across the bath alternative, and deb cast a heavy vote in that direction. i am so glad!driving into bath we both fell in love. perhaps one of the reasons we make such great travel companions is that, at least when traveling, we have similar tastes and interests.
i can’t really explain why we loved it, other than i think some places resonate with us more than others. it was much the same feel we had in amsterdam. it was then and only then that we were regretting not having more time to spend.
we wandered through the roman baths, which were impressive, and made us both excited about next year’s planned italy trip. and we wandered the streets a little, stopping at a chocolatier to pick up a few munchies. i was skeptical, because i didn’t really believe that chocolate anywhere could compare to our experience in belgium and france, but it was delectable. it made me realize that it’s just americans (and i’m sure a few other obscure places--say...africa) that can’t do chocolate right!
our time in bath was far too short, and it was time to re-board the bus back to the city. the bus ride, with traffic, ended up being just over 2 1/2 hours, and it had been a long day. i caught a cat nap. deb, who insists that she cannot fall asleep on planes, trains, or automobiles, denied napping, but did say that she ‘lost conciousness’ at one point. i’m sure you can all tell the difference;)when we arrived back at our hotel, we relaxed for a little while, before deciding that we were hungry. deb was thinking room service, but as tired as we were, i didn’t want to stay in. there are plenty of nights for staying in...at home.
our restaurant criteria is strict. deb is very picky about the atmosphere of a place, and i’m picky about the food options. so, when we settle on one, it has a high probability of being good. but it was really late, and options were somewhat limited. we finally chose a place called pizza express, which was so much more than pizza, and so much less than express. in fact, i think it may have been my favorite meal throughout the trip. pizza express was a misnomer, even though i did have pizza. it was delicious.
we reviewed the possibilities for the next day and drank our mint tea (with actual fresh mint leaves in it), and it was time to rest our weary eyes and lose a little consciousness.
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