Where Everything is Bigger...

Where Everything is Bigger...

Dallas. A fast paced city in the heart of Texas that happens to be my old stomping ground. Where the weather is warm and the highway speed is 70 and everyone does 80.

Dallas has grown and changed a lot since I moved away 8 years ago. Several new restaurant chains have moved into town and several of the buildings have gotten makeovers. My hometown just east of Dallas has exploded, with a new high school, library and city hall.

Somethings though stay the same. The beautiful skyline remains mostly unchanged, most of the construction I drove through back then is still underway. And the people. The family, the friends, the people I haven't talked to in years but can pick right back up where we left off half a decade ago. That is the best thing about travel. It has to be.

To all my friends and family I was able to spend time with this week I thank you. I thank you for letting me share an hour or two with you here or there this past week. For letting me have a little bit of your time and avoid the "dinner for one" that often comes with the job.

I certainly enjoyed being able to see you and hopefully will be able to again.

Until then I am
Currently Out of the Office

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Sunscreen and sand...

After a few days back at home and some good R and R with my family, I find myself back at the airport, waiting to take off to Dallas for my next extended trip. As I am waiting I am also reflecting back on last week and my time in the 305.

First things first, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale are absolutely beautiful. They always are especially this time of the year. The weather was perfect and my work schedule allowed me enough time to enjoy the wonderful beaches in the area. However, I made a terrible error in planing for this trip.

No sunscreen.

I can not emphasize enough the regret (and pain) I feel for not wearing sunscreen. Since the winter is just now wrapping up in the midwest, I have not been in shorts and flip flops for almost 5 months. My arms get little exposure as well mainly because I never have the opportunity to wear t-shirts either.

To say I got sunburned may not sound too bad and in all honestly wasn't that big of a deal. All that was ok until it came time to fly home. Having a sunburn on your arms legs and feet while trying to drag luggage and taking shoes off for security was a real pain.

Additionally sitting in a small seat next to a complete stranger, unable to move for 3 and a half hours was shear torture. Alas I emphasize again how important it is to wear sunscreen. A beautiful afternoon on the beach or by the pool can lead to a painful and uncomfortable few days ahead.

Now on to the fun stuff. During MU stint in Florida I was able to see an incredible car show on every street I drove down in South Beach. Supped up Mustangs, and Chargers, rolled by as tricked out Lamborghini's and Ferrari's roared up and down the A1A.

I was not only impressed with the cars but also the people. Maybe it's because everyone I talked to was from somewhere else but it seemed that everyone there was very relaxed, friendly and willing to help if needed. I bought some postcards at a little beach shop and when I asked if they also sold stamps the lady gave me the post cards on the house since she was out.

The beaches were very beautiful and there were lots of areas where you could find a little stretch of sand that you could claim and be pretty far from everyone else. All in all it was a nice trip and very successful work wise. It would have been even better though if I had remembered to wear sunscreen.

Now I am off to Dallas. My old stomping ground. This trip will involve a lot of work but also a lot of opportunity to catch up with friends and family as well.

Until next time I am...
Currently Out of the Office

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Airport Delays

I talk a lot about how weather can cause you a headache when you are arriving or leaving a location. Sometimes inclement weather indirectly effects you like it does for me today.

The flight leaving before mine is still at the gate and waiting another 45 minutes to leave because of high winds in Albuquerque. Due to the delay the incoming flight does not have a gate to deplane and reboard.

So now our flight to Chicago has been moved to the other end of the terminal. Nota huge deal but if you are taking a nap or have headphones on you can very easily miss the announcement.

Just goes to show how good it is to keep an eye on your gate even when you arrive very early.

Until next time I am...
Currently Out of the Office

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One word. Earplugs.

One word. Earplugs.

On a flight this morning from Detroit there was a scared puppy who was having a hard time and barked most of the way on the short flight. Since it was early most people were trying to sleep and many were starting to get grouchy. A year ago I might have been a little upset too but if you've been on a plane more than twice you know that loud and disturbing noises are common when flying. That is why you should never get on a flight without earplugs.

Loud seatmates and airplane turbulence can be grouped into this category as well. Airplanes tend to scare small children and dogs often become a complete wreck when they fly. Every person can control their own personal peace with even a cheap pair of headphones or earplugs.

Sometimes a parent may not be helping the situation or the people behind you want to share their conversation with everyone in the 3 rows around them. The only thing you can do though is be prepared. Noise canceling headphones are wonderful but can be pricy. But honestly any kind of small in ear headphone is going to help.

Earplugs though easily fit in a pocket and can be taken out easily if you do want to listen to music. Most are reusable and can provide a nice quiet place to relax your mind while you shoot through the sky in an aluminum tube of plastic and steel.

Until next time...
Currently out of the Office

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Escape from Anne Arbor

A few days back when visiting the University of Michigan, a terrible tornado producing storm rose up out of nowhere. Michigan is not know for tornadoes, but due to an unusually warm winter, spring has arrived early and with it bad weather.

About midway through the event an announcement was made that we were to evacuate the area and head down to the basement. Without time to pack anything up I grabbed my laptop and headed downstairs.

Since it was late afternoon/early evening the union was packed with students showing up for dinner. With nowhere to sit, no cell phone service and being unable to leave, many of us stood for another 2 hours in the basement waiting for the all clear. At least I was in good company with a few other colleagues from other schools.

I had the ability to get over by an outside door to see that it was hailing and raining pretty hard. A tornado did touchdown and destroy around 100 or so homes about 10 miles from us, but fortunately no damage on campus.

Things cleared up and it was a little while longer before we got the all clear. We were all anxious to get out the door since it was another 2 and a half hour drive for most of us to our next stop.

After we were finally allowed to pack up we all rushed out to try to get to our cars before the rain picked back up. 2 of the 6 of us had umbrellas but we still ended up huddled under a street awning for about 10 min to avoid the torrential downpour that resumed about 2 blocks from the parking garage.

With the weather delay many of us got in pretty late that night or had to reschedule our plans. Just goes to show how weather can mess up plans really quick.

Now back to KC for the night and onto Miami tomorrow.

Until next time I'm
Currently out of the Office

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Live on Facebok

Its a wonderful morning and amazingly I am actually in the office! I am here just long enough to set up a Facebook page for Currently Out of the Office. Now you can see when new posts will be going up and see pictures from recent trips. Additionally, you can leave comments and tips of your own there as well as here.

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I am headed out to "The Motor City" Detroit, MI very soon and will again be...

Currently Out of The Office

Traveling Jacket

There is not enough good things I can say about a good traveling jacket. This is something I certainly recommend If you are going to be flying. A traveling jacket not only provides protection from the elements (you never know what the weather might do at your destination before you arrive) but also is a convenient place to stash sunglasses, boarding pass, phone, and headphones.

So what is a travel jacket exactly? Well many people might be picturing some kind of bulky cargo type, but actually any type of blazer or lightweight jacket will do if it has a few pockets, most importantly a breast pocket. Make sure it is comfortable enough you can wear it several hours and you will not be constrained in your movements by it.  Also make sure it is not to heavy or bulky. You are going on a airplane not to Mt. Everest.

The reason I have come to love my travel jackets so much is because I have forgotten to wear one on a few occasions (most recently yesterday) and have realized how flustered and messy everything is when I didn't have one. For instance when you go through security you have to literally strip down to your pants and top shirt and empty all your pockets completely. When you wear a traveling jacket this becomes a very easy task. Most items like your phone, possibly your wallet, boarding passes, receipt from Starbucks and other things that normally are floating around in your pockets can be placed in a pocket on your jacket.

After removing shoes belt and jacket, you are ready for the metal detector or body scanner. After passing through successfully it is quite simple to slip on your shoes and belt ad throw your jacket  back on. There is no need to stuff everything back into your pockets because it never left them in the first place. This saves you a lot of time going through security.

A jacket though also is a great idea because getting to items like headphones and earplugs can be cumbersome if they are stuffed in a bag underneath your seat or in an overhead bin above you. Keep the things you are most likely to use during the flight in your jacket at all times and you will be able to access them quickly and without much effort. I also personally like to wear a jacket because I like to limit the amount of skin that might possibly rub against my neighbor during a flight or by others at the airport.

Finally, air travel is often cold. Due to the altitude and the number of people on the plane who have their vents open the temperature can swing drastically. If you have travel jacket you will probably be nice and warm and if you get to hot, simply slip that baby off.

Keep it simple and also professional. If you are meeting a client at the airport, You do not want to look like you just rolled out of bed.

Until next time I am....

Currently Out of the Office

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Something like this. Professional yet comfortable.

Murphy's Law

Oh Murphy...

Today I leave for Indianapolis. Its a quick trip I make once year but generally brings about good results for business. It is such a quick trip that packing is a breeze and not much is needed other than the clothes on my back and a few extra items. As always though, I err on the side of caution and try to plan ahead to make sure that I have room for any mistakes on my part.

Today, I prepared to leave for the airport extra early as I wanted to run a few errands around town and maybe pick up a movie. Our local library has a great collection of TV shows and movies, not to mention you can borrow them for up to 7 days free of charge. This is pretty handy for myself since most of my trips are within that time frame.  I needed to run by the office and grab a few things I had printed off Friday but forgot to grab off the printer. All of these things were non-essential but I am thankful that I planned for this extra hour of time. After I loaded the car and jumped in to head up to the airport, I cranked the key over and my car wouldn't start.

The most frustrating thing is that I just got it back a few days ago from the shop to get a tune up and now it sits in my driveway inoperable. Thankfully I had time to call my mechanic who works in town and set up to have it looked at when I get back. Even on the easiest and smoothest days, things can still and often do go wrong. Thankfully there was enough time to have the wife take me to the airport before she has to work this afternoon. Murphy's law (Anything that can go wrong will go wrong) seems to always be in effect when traveling.

Public Soap Box.....

So now I am at the airport 3 hours before my flight is scheduled to leave and I noticed something that always irks me at airports and thought I would see if anyone else wanted to weigh in on this.

It seems that I always see one person hanging out at a 4 person table or booth with an outlet when they are not using it. This happens at coffee shops and cafe's all the time and is very common at airports as well. Most people just get upset that the person is wasting table space, which is true also but, I think people don't realize what a precious thing an outlet is to a business traveler. They spend a lot of time working on laptops and making calls on the phone before, during, and between flights. Having a dead cell phone when you reach your destination is a recipe for disaster for most of us.

So next time you grab a place to sip your coffee at the airport, take a peek around you and see if there is an outlet near by. If you don't need it and there are other places to sit please allow someone else the opportunity to use it. It is something we would all appreciate.

Soap Box stump over.

Until next time I am...

Currently Out of the Office

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