vegas, baby!

oh how i loathe vegas, and oh how surprised i was to have had such a great trip there last week!

even before i left, i was excited.  first and foremost, i was excited to be staying at THEhotel.  while it's technically a part of mandalay bay, it has a seperate entrance, no casino, no smoke, and every room is a suite.  i was optimistic that this would help keep me more healthy and more sane for the SEVEN DAYS i would be in sin city.  and let me tell you, it did!

my living room

i was also excited about the booth.  this is our second biggest show of the year, and the second showing of our new booth.  i had made a lot of 'improvements' after our january show, and was really hopeful that the changes i had implemented (and fought for!) would be as successful as i thought they could be.

things definitely got off on the right foot when setup began, and i spent the day having FUN!  setup days are usually quite difficult.  for me, they mean standing around all day to be available for the one or two questions that, if not answered correctly, will have hugely negative impacts on the setup of the booth.  they are ALWAYS long days that feel even longer. until now.

the first burger bar visit

our new exhibit house is a breath of fresh air.  they are consummate professionals who also know how to have a good time.  after months of blood, sweat, and tears with them, bringing this booth from inception to actualization, i can say that i genuinely enjoy their company and appreciate their good work.

it was a team effort, but the booth was a huge success, tripling the number of leads from last year, and exceeding the number from our 'bigger' show in january.  the success was made even sweeter by the fact that several members of our executive management team were on hand to see it.

and that was just the work stuff!

on sunday night, after setup was complete, i headed to the airport to pick up a new friend.  we met online and i was excited to get a chance to meet and hang out with him.  i knew whether or not that 'spark' was present, we would have a good time. and i wasn't wrong.

after a delicious meal at burger bar

in between my work commitments over the next couple of days, i educated him on the ways of burger bar and the nutella milkshake, and had my own vegas first: the stratosphere.

the stratsophere is the third largest tower in the western hemisphere after canada's cn tower, the sears (willis) tower, and before the space needle.  luckily for a thrill junkie like me, there are RIDES there.

at the top of the stratosphere

despite assurances that that there were no fears of height or rides, after the first ride, the big shot, my companion opted to be the photographer while i tried out the other two.  hence the video of my favorite ride, insanity, below:

despite his wimp out, we enjoyed a couple of really fun days together before i dropped him back at the airport, and headed back to the hotel to meet up with my girls.

in fact, it was quite a special evening as we all decided to head to the palazzo for dinner at zine - a truly yummy dim sum restaurant.  what i love about zine is that, somehow, in the chaos of vegas, it somehow feels like an oasis of silence and calm.  and the food is pretty delish as well.

another fun night with mike and his harem

we had the whole gang with us, but what made the evening truly special was that almost exactly three years ago, in that very place, a new friendship was forged, which has continued to strengthen and grow.

2009

2011

i had only been with the company for a few months, and melissa was responsible for 'selling' me booth space in a trio of conferences we participate in every year.

she had asked if she could take me to dinner during this event, and my response, i believe, was 'sure! do you mind if my friend vicki tags along?'  and, though i didn't know it yet, that question, and it's answer, would result in a bond that i expect to last for a very very very long time.

as it was our anniversary, it was far too early to call it a night, so we headed back to the hotel, enjoying the water show in front of bellagio along the way, and eventually made our way to the roof top restaurant/bar, mixx, on the 64th floor of THEhotel.

the views of the strip were spectacular, as was the company.

and what makes this place truly unique, are the bathroom stalls.

yes, that is the toilet, and those are windows.  let's just hope the folks at mandalay can't see IN!

eventually, after many more laughs were laughed, and photos were photoed, it was time to call it a night, and ultimately bid a fond farewell to vegas.  only two more trips there this year...hoping they're at least 1/8 as fun!

kindle lover?

it's no secret that i adore my most constant companion, the kindle.

today, kindle news infiltrated the geek blogs, and if you happen to be a kindle owner & lover, consider this my psa to make sure you don't miss it.  i mean, yeah, yeah, yeah, the software will eventually be pushed to all kindles, but if you want it now, you can have it now!

the update doesn't come with too many features, but there are a couple that are absolutely download worthy as far as i'm concerned:

1. real page numbers - while i think real page numbers have many glorious uses, i'm just excited that i can appropriately update my goodreads status

2. public notes - you know that really cool feature where you can highlight quotes or make notes?  now you can make them public.  that means you're friends can find you and follow you and see what quotes you're loving and notes you're making.  obviously this goes both ways (assuming you both make your notes public).  the other truly great advantage for me is that i have always been a quote collector, and i keep my quotes in one giant file.  currently i have had to manually enter any quotes collected into my db, but now i can copy/paste....which, trust me, makes my life a lot easier.

if you're interested in the update, you can get detailed instructions here. and if you want more information about making your notes public, seeing your collected annotations, etc., click here.

let me know when you get your public groove going, so i can follow you!

tribute to a good dog

i don't know why but this month seems frought with losses of four-legged friends, and i've just learned of another.

julie and colby rescued this pure-bred pit bull about three days before i moved in with them in virginia a little over 10 years ago.  she had been found at a truck stop, and no one could ever determine whether it had been on purpose, or by accident.

one thing was certain, however, and that was that riggins (so named for the former quarterback of colby's beloved football team), was a good dog.  a REALLY good dog.  in fact, the kind of dog that you don't come across all that often.

she was endearingly sweet, and remarkably well trained.  she loved people and other dogs, and was always a welcome snuggle buddy.

last year riggins had a stroke.  and while the recovery process had gone better than expected, she was old, and her body had starting deteriorating again.  it became obvious that her time had come, so, julie and colby said goodbye to their decade long companion.

i lived with her for about three years, and though i had my own dog, i truly loved riggins. her loss is deeply felt.  rest in peace riggins...see ya on the flip side!

365 days - update

my friend melissa recently posted about a blog project she had discovered, involving posting a daily photo to match a randomly generated word, each day of the year.  since my travel often interferes with my motivation (or energy level) to post regularly, i thought this might be a good project for me.  admittedly, i'm late, but there is no time like the present.

**update**

i'm moving these posts to their own home.  if you are viewing the 'actual' blog, simply click the tab at the top for '365 Words'.  if you're using a feed reader, you can add the link below:

http://t-mobil365.blogspot.com/

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!