michigan

i don't recall the last time i could say this, but my latest trip was to a state i had never been to before!  in and of itself that is kind of exciting, but i was pleasantly surprised by the state, and hope to spend more time there one day!

it was snowing from the time i arrived to the time i left, and yet oddly, the roads were passable at fairly high speeds.  i immediately tested them, having flown into detroit with an hour and a half drive to lansing, where our conference was being held.

i arrived safely and without even one white knuckle, and felt so confident that i even opted to go on a little adventure the following night.  there was only one DDD location within reasonable distance, so i drove an hour each way for a five dollar burger at krazy jim's blimpy burger in ann arbor, mi.

i wish i'd had more time to spend in ann arbor...i liked the vibe, but alas, i didn't want to push my luck too far.  i found blimpy burger easily and reviewed the ordering instructions.  see, the 'kitchen' at this place is like a very small aisle at the back, where you pick up a tray and proceed to order your meal...in order.  first comes the fried items; french fries, onion rings, mushrooms, etc.  then come the grilled items; number of patties, bacon, onions, etc., then the bun, then the cheese, then the condiments.  you can't tell the fry guy what kind of burger you want, and you can't tell the grill guy what condiments you want on your burger unless you want some serious humiliation thrown your way.

i had studied the ordering etiquette, and felt pretty good, if a little nervous.  but i approached the fry guy and placed my order for onion rings,  then the grill guy for my double with bacon on an onion roll, (and when he was ready) blue cheese, then the condiment guy for my mayo.    truly, i sounded like a local and i couldn't have been more proud.

the burger was good.  i won't go so far as to say great, but the environment and clearly local population made it a worthwhile stop.

the rest of the short trip was uneventful - it was an in-n-out trip for me, but i was so impressed with how polite and genuinely warm the people were, as well as the service level at the hotel.  i haven't stayed in a non-hilton/marriott hotel in a long time, and i was mindblown at how attentive and proactive the staff was at the lansing radisson.  this hotel knows good service, and that's something i have come to truly appreciate in all my travels.

i hope i have another opportunity to visit michigan and to get a broader measure of the state!

orlando

(click on the post title for more pictures)

it's that time of year again - it's orlando time.

what 'orlando time' means is that i have spent six to nine months of the previous year working on new booth elements to have to launch (aka - test) at our biggest show of the year.  while i don't think it's entirely fair to have your biggest show be the first show of the year, there are some things that are out of my control.

straight from the airport, in attempt to quickly fall into orlando time (literally), diana and i kicked off the trip with a movie at pleasure island (the adult section of downtown disney).  what was so exciting (and worth blogging) about this adventure was (what i like to call) the choose your own adventure coke machine.

the machine, with it's touch screen interface, bids you choose your favorite coke product, which, in my case, was diet coke.  then it proceeds to give you flavor options.  for the diet it was lime, vanilla, orange, or raspberry.  for me it was a no brainer.  i'd had orange diet coke in paris (sold in bottles, in stores there) and loved it.  i quickly made my selection and the machine made my drink. 

that delicious diet coke would become the first of many, many, many...many, many, many more.  in fact i think i owe my survival to that sweet nectar of the gods, because this year, orlando time was a doozy!

what made this trip particularly stressful was that it was a new booth year, and the new booth is so far above and beyond the old booth that there was a lot on the line - not the least of which, my reputation and credibility.

now that i'm home after a very long week and my voice is almost back to normal (at least you can understand me when i speak in the lower register), i can, with my 20/20 hindsight, say, that it was a good week.  it was a good and utterly exhausting week.

the new booth is both a beauty and a beast.  it is eye catching, completely stands out on the show floor, and with it's touchscreen interactive kiosks, augmented reality, and digital dog collar hanging from the ceiling, it is like nothing i've ever done before. and in my particular industry, it's also quite groundbreaking. that, in it's own way, is beautiful.

those components also mean, however, that instead of three shipping crates, i've got twenty. instead of two setup days, i've got three, and  instead of worrying about one internet line, i'm worrying about six interactive interfaces and eight lead retrieval (the collection of attendee information for post-show follow up) units. and i'm exhausted.  have i mentioned that?

without going into too much detail, this trip was emotionally exhausting.  the highs were high and the lows, sometimes seemed insurmountable.  what made it survivable (besides the iv of diet coke entering my system) was the chance to see so many of my friends, co-workers, and colleagues, many of whom fall into all three categories.  and those midnight hot tub gatherings didn't hurt either;)

vicki, me, and melissa; together again

also worth noting, vicki is back! some of you may remember that several months ago, one of my favorite co-workers, friends, and travel companions, left the company.  her departure didn't impact our friendship, and though she's a san diego girl, i've seen her quite a bit.  that being said, i've missed having her on the road with me, and long story short, she's back, and we are NOT LETTING HER GO again.

1/5 of our conference crew

i'm certainly still in recovery mode, but i get to be home for five whole days before heading off to, um, michigan.  wish i could sleep in my bed for a little longer, and i wish it wasn't supposed to snow the whole time i'm there, but, on the upside, it's finally a place i've never been.