Not Your Typical Business Traveler

Most every time I travel, two things happen:

1. When the parking shuttle drops me off, and the guy says, "Have a good trip!" I always say, "You too!" Then I walk away with my suitcase, thinking, "Crap! He's not going anywhere!"

2. Though I am traveling for business, I am far from what I consider the typical "business traveler." 

• I am not wearing a suit and heels. I stick with jeans if at all possible, especially in the evening. And never heels in the airport. Never.
• I am usually not carrying a professional-looking black bag. I prefer the backpack, because it allows more freedom to do other things.
  
• I am never on the phone talking about business "transactions" and asking if I just "need to come down there and take care of it." Instead, I am texting Meghan about some lady's hilarious hair.
• I am not going to read The Wall Street Journal on the plane. If I'm reading anything, it's going to be People Magazine. (Or maybe something for school.)

Fun Weekend!

This weekend, Kate and I headed to Chicago to see Bon Jovi. It was my fourth Bon Jovi show... and I hope I get to go to [at least] four more! There's nothing quite like hearing thousands of people singing, "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame... You give love A BAD NAME!" Plus, Daughtry opened, which just added to the awesomeness of the evening.

There's always an interesting mix of people at Bon Jovi shows. Last night, our favorite was the lady next to me. She was middle-aged, half-drunk, and thinking she was hot stuff. I'm pretty sure she was there alone, too. Anyhow, about halfway through the show, she lit up a cigarette. That's definitely not allowed in the United Center. Kate and I were trying to figure out what was going on, and the people behind us were talking about it too, so I shot one of my famous looks to smoker lady. "No?" she says to me. "No," I reply with my best nasty attitude. So she put out the cigarette. (If you are wondering what my "best nasty attitude" no sounds like, just give me a call and I'll demonstrate.)

The girl behind us did a really good job with this photo. I was trying to explain how I wanted it to look, which is kind of hard when it's really loud. But there we are. With Bon Jovi. Probably the closest we'll ever get!

The production elements of the show were pretty fun. I kind of hate that I can't go to an event without noticing and analyzing random details, but I blame it on my career.

This may win the prize for most random event of the year, so far. John lives in Germany and we hadn't seen each other for about five years. But through the magic of Facebook, we figured out that we were both in Chi-town, so we met for a drink about 1 am. Totally past my bedtime. But totally worth it.

Kate and I really wanted to stay for nights 2 and 3 of Bon Jovi at the United Center, but alas, we had to come back to reality. It was fun while it lasted though... and a much-needed break from the craziness of the past few weeks.

To trust... or not to trust?

For more than a month now, I've been "one of those people." You know, those people who go camp out at their favorite Panera/ Paradise Cafe/ Mo Joe's, etc, for hours on end with their laptop and big stack of stuff to do.

When you're somewhere for upwards of eight hours, and you drink your coffee or tea beverage of choice, it's bound to happen. You're going to have to pee.

So there you are, all your stuff spread out, including your beautiful new MacBook. Do you leave your stuff at the table while you get up to pee? Do you assume people are generally good and will leave your stuff alone? 

Over the past few weeks, I've seen lots of this. Most people just leave their stuff, get up and do what they need to do, then come back and all is well. I have even done this, though I'll admit it makes me a little nervous.

But today... I was enjoying my favorite sandwich at The Abbey while reading one of the week's many assignments. There were a few other people there, eating, studying, etc. I noticed a man walk by me, laptop in hand. Then I watched him go into the restroom. Yep, he definitely didn't trust his fellow customers. He'd left everything else on the table, just not the coveted computer. That was the first time I'd ever seen someone take their laptop with them, and the first thing that came to mind was "ew." If I did take the Mac to the restroom, I would at least put it in my bag so I could hang it on the hook!

Someone knows me pretty well...

I think this may be the funniest Valentine I've ever received. (No offense to other people who have sent me Valentines. I like those too.) 

BARSTOOL!

Last night, after a yummy dinner courtesy of Jordan (and the lady at Meijer), we headed to 8 Seconds for some line dancing. While Meg, Jordan and I would have a darn good time no matter WHAT we were doing, this was especially fun.

We learned the Arrumba... too bad that was pretty much the only dance we could do well the entire night. Gotta love the shimmy!

When you go line dancing, but aren't a regular, and need to learn the dances, it is very important to find a dance mentor. A dance mentor is someone who frequents the Saloon, and doesn't mind calling out the moves as you frantically watch her feet. 

We thought we'd found the perfect dance mentor. Pink pleather jacket lady seemed nice enough during the first one we were trying to learn. But after the second, she looked at Jordan and said, "barstool." After debating whether or not "the barstool" was a dance move, we decided she just didn't think we had a chance at ever being good line dancers. She was then fired from the role of dance mentor.

But more fun than the dancing/attempting to dance was the people watching. Some of our favorites included

• Ms. Plastics and Mr. Confederate Flag Shirt
• Sequins and Oxford
• Rat-tail Harley Woman
• Shortened 80s Bridesmaid Dress Lady
• Cute striped shirt boy.

Overall, a super fun Valentine's Day! Can't think of anyone I would've rather spent it with!

Success!

After last month's "misadventures" in fondue, we were determined to conquer it this month! I think the key here was using a recipe. Funny how that works.

It was a little runny at first. I feared this was going to be a repeat of last time, but props to Becky for keeping the faith... and her constant stirring. After a little while of runny-ness, we decided we'd add some peanut butter. This wasn't completely deviating from the recipe, as the pb was mentioned in the "jazz it up" section. After more stirring, and patience, it was ready!

Yum! Strawberries! Out of season!

Look at this plate of yumminess! (Yes, I do have a Little Mermaid plate. Clearance at the Disney Store. I also have Buzz Lightyear, Nemo, and Tinkerbell.) Jordan, the leftover caramel corn was yummy with chocolate drizzled on top!

And finally, doesn't everyone attempt post-fondue yoga in the kitchen and end up cracking up? What? That's just us? Oh.

Chapter One.

Below are some amusing things from chapter one of the stats book. It may just be that I'm finding them funny because I have been studying for 7+ hours...

• "82% of students who say they can't understand a book on statistics haven't tried reading it... so don't stop here!"
• "[This book] can be a crutch to help you limp through what may seem like an unwelcome revisit to the sums of schooldays..."
• "Addition, represented by the plus sign '+', is the process of putting two or more numbers together to make a sum or total."
• "You may find it easy to manipulate figures in your head, or you may find such a skill impossible and marvel at those who possess it."
• "If you do not already have a calculator you really need to get one."
• "When you have your calculator the first thing that you should do is make sure you don't lose the instructions... As a safeguard it is a good idea to keep a photocopy of them in a safe place."

Jeesh... maybe this won't be as bad as I thought!

Source (in APA style, of course)

Buglear, John. (2000). Stats To Go: A Guide to Statistics for Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.