Next On The Agenda

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I've got two more business trips on the horizon. Okay, I actually know exactly how it happened. The first one is my boss's fault, since he's hosting a conference and put me on the speaking schedule.

Without telling me first.

But that's another story. Which I'm sure I'll tell you one of these days.

The other conference is one I attend every year and I always learn something new, which makes it one of my favorite conferences. Except that this year, the guy hosting that conference got wind of the fact that I was speaking at the other conference and... you know where this is going, right? Yep... I'm speaking at that conference, too.

Although I was slightly smarter for the second conference. I roped two people into sitting on a panel with me so I'm not up there all by my lonesome. It's not that I mind speaking in public... it's just that I don't want everyone staring exclusively at me. If there's a couple other people to look at, so much the better.

So anywho, you can imagine my predicament. If I freak out about my lack of appropriate wardrobe before ordinary ol' business trips, you can guess the panic I'm feeling about finding something appropriate to wear while speaking at a conference. Luckily, we have... umm... about three weeks to solve that particular dilemna. Oh lord.

There is a bright side to all of this (in addition to the fluffy hotel beds, mounds of pillows, and room service). The first conference is in NEW ORLEANS! I've never been to New Orleans and I'm pretty darn excited about it. Our conference hotel is just blocks from the French Quarter and there are a couple of tours already arranged for conference attendees that I should be able to sneak my way into. I'm hoping to see an alligator on the swamp tour :)

The second conference is in Baltimore in May and, although I'm sure Baltimore is a lovely city, I'm not quite as excited about the location as I am about the fact that Meredith and the BABY are going to come see me while I'm there!!! After all these years of emailing and phone calls and wailing and lamenting and whining and celebrating and such, we're finally going to hang out face-to-face. I'm not sure Baltimore is ready for us.