want to know a secret?

k, don't tell anyone, but i am a really good restaurant picker. i mean REALLY good.

picking a restaurant is not just about surfing yelp, finding a five-star review, and making the reservation.  oh no, it's so much more than that.

it's about knowing the composite personality of your group, and understanding that any one person can completely change that dynamic. it's about determining the mood and the tastes of that group and identifying the middle ground.  it's about finding the right balance of ambiance and activity and comfortable chairs. it's about making that choice, in my case very often, without ever having stepped foot inside the restaurant before.

all this to say that tonight was another success story, and if you're ever in ft. worth, make sure you check out h3 ranch at the stockyards.

on the road again

...and back at dfw for the thousandth time this year. this time, i'm sticking around for a couple days.



- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Access Rd,Northeast Tarrant,United States

knee surgery: the sequel

fourteen years ago, when i tore my acl, mcl, and meniscus, i spent six months on crutches, and spent years getting full range of motion back.

while i knew that this meniscal re-tear wasn't on the same scale, i found it impossible to believe the doctors when they told me i would probably not need crutches at all.  but, it has now been almost two weeks since the surgery, and i am happy to report that they were spot on. while they provided crutches 'just in case', i haven't had any cause to use them.

the surgery itself was a breeze.  the nurses were attentive and entertaining, and i was knocked out before i was even wheeled into the or.  i woke up in recovery, and it only took me about twenty minutes to come out of the anesthesia.  jenny and rachel entertained me until they were ready to release me.

i stayed with the donahoos that day waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did, and the next day, while in a little more pain, i was still remarkably mobile.  that mobility has continued to improve on a daily basis.  the biggest post-surgical side effect is that i'm exhausted.  i'm still a little limpy, and i suspect it is taking more energy from the rest of my body to balance the 'weak link.'  my routine this week has been that i wake up, go to work, come home from work, go to bed, wake up, go to work, etc.  i've been averaging 10-12 hours of sleep this week, and my body must need it.

all in all though, it's a very minor price to pay and i couldn't have asked for a better surgery experience. stitches come out on wednesday and i can't wait to get the bandages removed so i can wear pants again!

kansas city: wrap up

as i'm sure none of you remember, this conference, in 2009, was a bit rough.  the booth setup was a challenge, the weather (hot and humid) was a challenge, and i remember being exhausted for most of the show.

this year could not have been more different.  the setup was a breeze, and because of the knee, i could not actually work the booth during the show. the combination of these factors meant that i could really enjoy the trip,  and while i don't mean to imply that i wasn't working as hard, things just seemed to fall into place more smoothly.

highlights from my 'play' time for the rest of the trip included breakfast at 39th street mama's, another diners, drive-ins, and dives restaurant, and a wacky bowling game at lucky strike (i watched and laughed and videod).

i was also super-excited that the concert being hosted by the conference was sara evans, a country singer i particularly enjoy.  and thanks to melissa's early arrival, we had great seats.

a little blurry, but an event still worth being captured.
i finally met melissa's husband nick! 

sara sang most of her well-known singles, but my favorite may have been when she covered 'i want you to want me,' and 'suspicious minds.'

and, while we're talking about highlights, let us not forget the scooter.  the old lady scooter that my company allowed me to rent in order to avoid too much wear and tear on the knee, pre-surgery.  the scooter was an absolute lifesaver.  but more than that, it was a lot of fun.  not only did i enjoy (possibly a little too much) wizzing by co-workers on our way to and from the convention center, but melissa challenged me to a scooter race.

i will confirm her version of the race, but ultimately we were both winners!

my trip was cut a bit short by having to return home for surgery, but all in all, it was absolutely fantastic.  i can honestly say it would rank in the top 3 work trips i've had in the last two years, and i've had some great experiences.  maybe the restlessness of having been grounded for the last couple of months was a factor but i was definitely ancy for a good time, and i got one!

kansas city: day 3

it's my birthday....it's my birthday...it's my birthday.

and it was no secret that i wasn't uber-excited about celebrating it in kansas city. on a work trip.  but life has a way of surprising you - especially when you take the proverbial bull by the horns.  and after my first couple of days in kc, i decided to stop being a baby and make the most of it.

i had selected the location for my birthday dinner over a month before and invited a few of my favorite co-workers.  but on birthday morning, i decided that that was just the first step, and i added 'find birthday crown' to my to-do list for the day.

my co-worker, diana, mused that she wasn't sure i was 'that kind of person.'  my response was that i wasn't, and that that was exactly why i was going to do it!  what the heck, right?!

our mission was a success, and in addition to the 'birthday princess' tiara, i also found a birthday princess sash, a set of birthday princess plates and napkins, and picked up a few mini-tiaras for the girls joining us at dinner. diana also bought me a cake, and we were ready to roll!

i and a couple others headed to the airport to make a pick-up before meeting with the rest of the group at oklahoma joe's, the evening's restaurant choice.

now, this choice was made very carefully, with the single goal of finding good barbecue in kansas city.

despite the cities reputation for great bbq, i'd been consistently thwarted on my previous trip, and i was determined to remedy the situation.  the fact that oklahoma joe's is a bbq restaurant inside a gas station, and that i would be wearing a tiara to said restaurant, as you might imagine, appealed immensely to my sense of irony.  the fact that it was also listed on anthony bourdain's 'top 13 places to eat before you die' list was just icing on the cake. no pun intended.

as expected, there was a line.  but the half-hour wait time gave me plenty of opportunity to catch up with co-workers who had just arrived in town, and whom i hadn't seen in some time.  it also gave me an opportunity to receive a slew of birthday well-wishes from strangers, and one came in the unique form of a 'tip' from an employee, about an off-menu item that was a staff favorite.

i'm no dummy. i took the recommendation, and am happy to report that my mission to find good bbq in kansas city was a resounding success!

after we enjoyed our bbq - and the entire group agreed that it was delicious - we enjoyed yummy cake on our birthday princess plates before calling it a night.

ultimately, what i expected to be a downer of a birthday resulted in one of the more interesting and fun experiences i've had in a long time!