Things I Learned On A Recent Business Trip

I had a whirlwind business trip this week. I usually travel with my boss or another coworker, but this time I was solo. Well, I was solo for part of it, but other parts had me hooking up with people I work with on one of my magazines. Well, not hooking up but you know what I mean.

You do know what I mean, right? Because otherwise I'd have a lot of splaining to do, Lucy.

This wasn't a conference, which is my normal business trip destination. Instead, I toured a couple of manufacturing plants and interviewed people who will be featured in the Spring and Summer issues of my mag. I wandered around with safety glasses on, marveling at all I didn't know, but then I learned some stuff and felt a little smarter. But not pretty. It's hard to feel pretty while wearing safety glasses.

I was able to hang out with some of my favorite people, meet a few people I'd only spoken with on the phone, and still enjoy plenty of quiet time. I also learned a few things and I thought I'd share them with you. Because I'm cool like that.

1) A hotel room with a king size bed, six fluffy pillows, and no children is a zen-like experience.

2) There are too many 80s radio stations in Northern Indiana. Seriously people - I heard two different songs from Foreigner's IV album within 30 minutes on two different stations. This falls under the 'too much of a good thing' category.

3) Auto manufacturers still make cars without cruise control. Renting one of them for a six hour round trip on the interstate is not advised.

4) Also not advised is tarrying at a manufacturing plant so that your arrival at the airport gives you only 20 minutes from clearing security to boarding the plane. Oops.

5) People can be very irritating. Other people can make the irritating people less irritating. A glass of excellent cabernet makes all the people irrelevant. Except the bartender.

And the Shoemaker's Wife Had No Shoes

Alright, so fine... the husband is not actually a shoemaker. But he's close. It's sort of related. Kind of. And people who actually know the husband will get the reference... but the rest of you are probably confused.

Anywho.

I'm still working (actually, I'm supposed to be editing an article right now but that's obviously not happening). I'm still watching the Olympics (Whoo! Shaun White! Lindsey Vonn! Curling!!! ... what.... you're not watching curling?) . And I'm still going to Indianapolis next week. Which leads nicely to my problem.

I need new shoes.

I have these great black dress shoes that I've literally worn to death over the last 8 years or so. They look cute with jeans and a dressy top, they make me look taller, and they are comfortable. Most importantly, on those rare occasions when I need to look semi-professional, they work perfectly with dress pants. But the much beloved shoes are trashed and I'm leaving Tuesday for another work trip and I've got to find another pair of shoes.

I've been half-heartedly searching for a couple of weeks now but we're down to crunch time, people. I need fast delivery, a good selection, and reasonable prices. Help!

The One Where I Never Learn

It's a well-documented fact that January is hell on earth in terms of my work load. But the last couple of years, this frenzy of publishing/writing/editing activity has extended into February so you'd think I would have learned to keep my head down by now. But noooooooo... just when I was congratulating myself on the potential of two fairly quiet weeks (in a row!), we had a staff meeting. I had one day - ONE DAY - in which I felt I had a manageable To Do list.

Then the ceiling fell in.

The To Do list now stretches down an entire yellow notebook sheet and I'm not happy about it. There's nothing simple like 'Check email' or 'doodle aimlessly' ... it's all 'write this article' and 'interview this person for that article' and 'contact such and such to make sure they're not screwing up the other article'.

Oh. And I'm going back to Indy for a work trip next week, so that's three days of non-productivity in terms of the To Do list.

I'm sure you're tired of hearing me whine, so I'll stop. For now.

In other news, the Winter Olympics are on! I've seen portions of speed skating, biathalon, cross-country skiing, moguls, luge, pairs short program figure skating (and man, that was some horrible judging), women's hockey, and some snowboard cross that looked like one heck of a good time. Not that I could stay upright on a snowboard for more than .2 seconds, but still... someone with more athletic talent and no sense of personal safety might enjoy it immensely.

Year of the Tiger

Today marks the first day of the Vietnamese New Year, also known as Tet. We had a low key celebration, combining the best of Vietnam (pho!) with the best of Valentine's Day (chocolate!).

If you'd like to celebrate like we did, try this simple recipe for pho from Food Network. It's easy and YUMMY!

And then send your husband to the store for chocolate. Tell him to buy the good stuff... you're worth it.

Super Bowl Food Line-Up

I'm a huge Colts fan, so obviously I'm pretty darn excited about the Super Bowl. I also happen to love eating - surprise! - so the intersection of Team I Love and Annual Sporting Event means big-time food at my house.

The key to my enjoyment of the entire Super Bowl-filled day is cooking everything in the morning and then letting my family snack as they desire, leaving me to lounge on the couch and watch Peyton Manning give 17 billion interviews about how hard it is to be playing New Orleans, city where his father played, blah blah blah.

I love Peyton, but this story line is getting a tad old.

Anywho, here's the food line-up. Don't judge.

Ranch Chex Mix (I add 2 additional tablespoons of butter and a second packet of ranch mix)

Spinach and Artichoke Dip (massively cheesy and served with slices of toasted baguette)

Chicken Enchilada Dip (incorporating the very important protein element)

Hot Black Bean Salsa (black beans, salsa, monterey jack cheese, cilantro - combine in crockpot and serve with tortilla chips)

Frito Chili Pie (because I haven't yet reached a calorie quota for the day)

Baked Onion Rings (obviously we should have something healthy... and these are BAKED)

Pigs-in-a-Blanket (for the kiddos)

We'll make an effort toward healthiness with carrots and celery sticks, but I'm sure they'll be very lonely on the kitchen island. I estimate that if I run about 40 miles before the snacking starts, I will only gain 13.5 pounds.