"barbecue lifts my spirits, i swear it never fails"...

i am very fortunate that i have a position that takes care of me while i'm out gallivanting across the nation, or it's capital to be precise.  it was a big day at work yesterday and we had a celebration afterwards in the form of a rooftop barbecue.

now, let me describe this place for you.  arlington.  tallest building in crystal city.  there's nothing like getting on to the elevator and skipping all the numbers to go straight for the letter "p".  your spirits get lifted as soon as you press it; you feel like a big shot.  step out of the elevator to the penthouse floor, up the half-flight of stairs and out on to the roof.  you're greeted with a warm breeze, a sky without a single cloud, and an expansive view of washington dc, with the washington monument, jefferson memorial, and capitol building in plain view.  the sun is glittering off the potomac, and you have a cold one in your hand.  stretch out on the lounge chair with my frosty cold budweiser? don't mind if i do.

we cooked an assortment of grilled meats: burgers, sausages, and dogs; corn on the grill, an art that i've never perfected.  it was absolutely delicious, a feast for twenty for ten.  the food, the company, and the atmosphere was stunning.  we laughed for hours until we fell into a deliciousness coma. the sun went down and it was just as beautiful as it was when we arrived.  it could've been the beer goggles, but i swear it was so picturesque.

detroit, delta, depression.

i've been doing this business travel thing for a while but never before has it happened to me.
friday night i got stranded.  officially, 100%, "no way out of this one" stranded.

i made it out of dulles on time, a first for me since starting there four weeks ago.  i got to detroit, quickly grabbing something to eat so i could make it to my gate on time, blasting through my forty-five minute layover like it was nothing.

then the first announcement came.  i got my meal voucher (which wouldn't get me a beer, fyi.  ask me how i know this) and sucked down half a bottle of water and half a bag of sour patch watermelon candies, courtesy of delta.  whatever gets you through the night.  now i'm savvy enough to know that these announcements typically come in threes.  the first two are to tell you you're delayed, and the third is to let you know you're cancelled.  we received two of these announcements and when i stepped on the plane three hours behind schedule, buckled my safety belt, and ensured my tray table was stowed for takeoff, i thought i was golden.  we waited.  and waited.  and waited.

and then the third announcement came.  "folks, we regret to inform you..."and everyone groans and ceases to listen.  we don't care.  we know what's about to come next.  we begrudgingly began to gather our belongings and wait for the jetbridge to come back so we could make our way off the airplane and into the line at the customer care center (which snaked around to the escalator to gates c2-c8, by the way).

by this time it's about 11:30pm.  i was supposed to be home two and a half hours ago, but i know there's no way in hell i'm getting home.  i waited in line and listened to the rumors:  "they're only giving people $100 in delta dollars."  "why are they doing that?"  "because there's no more hotel rooms."  "you've got to be kidding me."  wash, rinse, repeat, until i make it to the desk forty-five minutes later.  while i waited, i looked for a hotel room.  surely, there is a hotel to be found; you can't expect me to believe there are that many people who want to be in detroit for vacation.  i found a marriott not two miles away with a shuttle, sweet victory!!  i did a happy dance in the line because i knew those suckers would be sleeping on the floor, but i would be snuggled in my bed getting a good night's sleep.  i took my $200 delta dollars (being silver status has its benefits, apparently) and new boarding pass and set off for the shuttle.

fast forward twenty minutes.  i'm standing outside said marriott, tears trying not to freeze to my face in the twenty degree night, waiting for the shuttle to take me back.  stupid technology.  you can't book a room after midnight for the same day.  did you know that?  you do now, and i do too, thanks to the hard way.  there wasn't a room in a ten mile radius from the hotel and i didn't have thirty dollars for a cab fare to one further away.  i had never felt more hopeless in my life.

i got back to the airport, went through security again, and back down to where the blankets (all the pillows were gone by this point) and diet coke cans have been pillaged and did what i could to make the best of it.  i found a spot on the floor back in terminal a near the fountain.  it was right beside a small shrubbery, and the planter was the best way i could keep my back to "a wall". i shuddered as i pulled the blanket close to me, shivering, wondering how many other people had used this blanket and what diseases i was bound to contract.  then i remembered i was about to have to sleep on a floor.  in detroit.  god only knows what had been there before.

i slept in two hour stints, waking up for loud pilots, trash pickup near my head, and finally birds chirping as they nested in my shrubbery.  i saw at least a dozen people in the easy chairs around me.  it was like tent city for business travelers.

delta bought me some more candy and water and a bagel.  the personnel at the places i redeemed the vouchers looked at me like i was paying with food stamps.  i know i looked like the closest thing to a homeless person you'd see at an airport.  no luggage meant no toothbrush, no medication, no contact solution, and no clean underwear.  i didn't even feel human.

foruntately my flight went off on time, and i got back home by noon, a mere fifteen hours behind schedule.  at least there was some icing, on the cake, right?  happy saturday.

needless to say, i am not flying again for a very, very long time.

five days later.

it's official.  i went back on the road on tuesday.  it's been nothing short of a major life change on the homefront.  new jobs for both of us, even if it is only part time for one of us, and for me its been adjusting to giving up life's more simple pleasures.  as i've said before this was to make me appreciate the "little things that make life worth living" and this week, more than ever, i am full of appreciation.

i am so happy to be doing what i love doing again--managing hourly employees and working alongside managers are two completely different ballgames. i only had one person to hang out with tuesday thru thursday (life without friends is one of the hardest parts).  last week, more than ever, i am thankful that my boss is awesome, and also doubles as a great friend.  i didn't have a computer to piddle around with in the evenings.  i am thankful for the ability to digitally "check out" every once in a while (believe it or not, life goes on without facebook).  i am thrilled that my violin case fits comfortably in the overhead compartment of even the tiniest of aircrafts, as it was my saving grace on wednesday.

i took every chance i could this weekend to enjoy the things i love about charleston.  exhausted, i stopped for coffee on the way home from dc to visit with my best friend.  i lazed on the couch while the cats ran laps around me (followed by getting lazy too and curling up on my lap or above my head), a perfect way to start an otherwise perfect evening.  i went to the usual friday night places and had my favorite beverages (watermelon shots at the red carpet lounge can cure even the worst of ills) with some of my favorite people.  i even met some new people that were actually quite interesting and entertaining.

a road trip with my friend amber to columbus for a book signing was a simple yet enjoyable saturday adventure (sorry i wasn't better company but 350 miles the day before will do you in!).  hours in a barnes and noble is actually something i recommend. i was able to learn all kinds of things i need to check out while i'm in dc for the next three months, almost got into a fight with the barista at starbucks (hey, i take my americanos quite seriously), and finally got my very own signed copy of the "pioneer woman cookbook"!  truly an afternoon to remember.

a past supper club!

the boys cooked us a delicious feast of three varieties of ribs (om nom nom) and more french fries than i'd care to comment on.  supper club is my favorite part of the weekends, a rotating dinner party that's not all gussied up, where we can feast and booze for a fraction of the price of doing it at a restaurant.  i love nothing more than going to someone's house (or hosting here) and spending a quiet evening with friends.  we always have the best food.  i am thankful to be surrounded by friends who can cook!

tonight? keeping it low key with dinner at the neighborhood indian restaurant followed by cocktails and live music upstairs at the lobby.  today was about spending quality time with the husband and i'm looking forward to a delightful evening!

simple pleasures, man.  simple pleasures.

back to reality.

i started this blog four months ago when i came home after a long 8 months of being on the road.  plans were finalized this week.  i return to the skies mid-month.  i'm still not sure how i feel about this.

i started writing because sometimes i think i took for granted the minutiae of everyday life.  routine.  comfort.  i think i like the boring parts of life more than the exciting parts just because i feel more at home.  i needed an outlet to make sure i started thinking about life as more than just vacations and holidays and huge change-your-life moments. thus, the blog came to life.

i'm really glad i like my job as much as i do, because that makes everything easier.  i chose this position this time around and i'm very thankful to be given the opportunity to keep doing something i'm really good at, but i've gotten so settled back into my minutiae that i don't know how i will trade normalcy for constant change.

i preach change, i teach change.

i can't handle change.

i'm not thrilled about trading 7:30 alarm clocks for 4:00 alarm clocks (that 5:30 to charlotte's a bitch), my 5 minute car ride to work for two and a half hours in the sky.  my bunn coffeemaker and bubba keg for starbucks from concourse d in charlotte. (it's always less crowded than the one near the concourse c security checkpoint.  yes, these are things i have to take into account on a weekly basis.)  but i am excited about trading apathy and disinterest for excitement and appreciation, maid service and waffle wednesdays. being surrounded by like minded people that share my work ethic and strive for improvement.

i will miss being able to run on wednesdays and fridays.  i will miss coffee with the girls.  i will miss waking up in my own bed 7 days a week.  i will miss my poor attempts at home cooked meals, feeding the cats every morning, and the cries of "medic!!" as thomas plays team fortress.  i will miss inevitably falling asleep on the couch.

but it's a stepping stone to something better, i'm certain.

right?

the resolution.

"there's a lot that i don't know, there's a lot that i'm still learning...i need light in the dark as i search for the resolution."

2010.  i described it, as the chinese do, as the year of the <insert something here>.  my 2010 was "the year of the airplane".  silver status on two airlines, platinum status on my hotel brand of choice, and got to see some of the country i hadn't been to before, philadelphia being my favorite.  it was a wild ride, but i'm looking forward to extending the year of the airplane into 2011.

the best of the year?  travel.  feeling like i finally was on the right track as to what i wanted to be when i grow up.  appreciation at work.  a stronger marriage in some ways, though weaker in others (that part isn't the best).  i became more aware of the time i had at home and how to appreciate what little time i had with family, friends, and especially my little familial unit in charleston. the milestone of owning a house for a year, and seeing all the work we've done on it come together.  racking up enough loyalty points to travel for leisure and not have to pay for anything.

the worst?  over 50,000 miles in the air.  almost 200 nights spent in hotels and not my own house.  not being able to play the guitar.  realizing what i want and what i can't have are the same.

despite the lack of time in charleston, i really think this year was exactly what i needed.  i was feeling trapped in this city and my job was able to make the best of both worlds.  i would go somewhere else until i was sick of it, and then i got to go home!  perfection.  i got to work with a lot of like-minded people and made friends out of several coworkers; i am more than thankful for my "work family", without them i would've been a miserable, unsuccessful creature, and i look forward to many more adventures.

looking forward, its that time of year that we make resolutions.  i have only two:  listen to a bunch of new music.  and act my age.  i am still a kid by the numbers, but i've been a part of the adult world for five years now.  i resolve to have a lot more fun, take more risks, and try new things.

keep reading in 2011 to see how i do.  happy new year.