I am once again on the road for work. This is the first time I am traveling alone though and I have to admit it is a totally different experience. Usually the time just flies when there is someone else to go hang out with after conventions/training/etc but now the day(s) just seem to drag on.
Last night I went across the street to Friday’s and had supper after I got into town around nine. I ended up meeting some guys around my age and we discussed the differences in weather and past times from my region to theirs. It’s amazing how 1200 miles doesn’t really make that much difference in this case but in other areas it is like a whole new way of life.
The weather is good here in Michigan with highs in the seventies and low eighties. People are really friendly here just like back in Bismarck. The hotel is also great and has free Internet which is a welcomed change. The hotel really makes the trip. I’ve stayed in some real dives and some real nice places and it seems the overall stay is way better when the hotel is better. I guess the extra price of higher quality hotel is worth it.
Training is going good although today was a little boring but you need to start somewhere. I think the group as a whole is pretty close to all being on the same level, which is a huge help to making the class beneficial for all. I really hate when you have both ends of the spectrum and then class is deliberately slowed to accommodate for some to the disadvantage of others. This happened at a training class last fall and I ended up walking away feeling robbed of what it could have been due to the inexperience of one individual.
I really enjoy being with a group of individuals that all think on the same wave length but after awhile it’s almost as if you need a break from “geekdom” to just socialize and talk about everyday stuff. I guess some people are just more “techie” than others. I like technology and all but every now and then an unrelated subject is very welcomed. It seems like others just live and breath technology while others can just put it down at the end of the day and do something else.
The part I really hate about being on the road is how far you get behind at work. Just today I have 6 new voice mails which is really odd because usually my phone only rings a couple of times a day, or so it seems. I guess when you handle things as they come up you don’t really realize the workload as compared to letting it all pile up and then trying to catch up after a day or two or even a week. Without the Internet, I couldn’t imagine the pile up of tasks when returning after a week of absence. I can’t even understand how some people can take a week or two vacation and totally unplug. I would just want to never go back and attend to all the things I missed. It is so much easier to tackle some every day. I guess it’s not a true vacation this way but to me it is better than the alternative.
I always thought it would be fun to be a trainer or something and travel around all week and attend conferences and seminars and not have to worry about catching up with your real job when you get home. I realize this would still be hard with a wife or kids but for a single guy it would be great. Even now with a serious relationship it gets long being away, much more than it ever was before. It really makes you wonder how some of these people do this full-time with a family waiting at home. I guess with technology and video conferencing and all the Internet tools to connect people it gets a little better but it is not like being there.
Midspot 