What a week

All of the remote people came into town this week, and it was great as always to see the crew. We went to Skipper's on Tuesday night, and then we hung at the Best Western on Wednesday night. We had fun by the pool, and Phil brought out the evil Tequilla. I think everyone had a great time hanging out together. We had some work meetings on Wed and Thursday, and then I flew to PA on Thursday night. I think Thursday was one of the worst travel days that I have had in a long time.

The dev crew did get to go out on the boat, and Travis even let us take his boat too! Now that is trust! :) We had a great time - well, except for the sandbar part. :)

We had a meeting that was very hard for me. I left the meeting, and I got a ticket on the way to the airport. Ugh. I get to the airport, and I get on the plane. I realize that I left my purse in Tampa. Lovely. I did have my ID and debit card thankfully because I used them at the check-in kiosk. Thank goodness for small favors. I am on the plane and remember that I never got a rental car after one of the trip members has to cancel coming on this trip. Thankfully, Krishan got me a reservation when I called him frantically as the door to the plane is closing. So, the whole flight I am nervous because my purse is in Tampa. I decide that I need a drink, and I order a bloody mary. Of course, a freaking coke is $2 and a bloody mary is $7. Gotta hate US Air. Anyway, I am drinking my bloody mary and starting to chill a little after a very long stressful day, and I spill my drink ALLLLL over my shirt. I have ice cubes in my bra, tomato juice all over my shirt, and I am freezing. Of course I am in a window seat. I pull all the ice cubes out and get as much off as I can with a wet napkin and then try to dry with dry napkins. Lovely. Wow, this is a fun day. We land, and I am immediately shivering. I am in a tshirt and shorts (changed after the meeting).

Wow, it is cold in PA, especially when your shirt is wet AND you wore shorts and a tshirt. I go to get a rental car, and I hand him my license and card. "We don't take debit cards ma'am," says the rental car man. I try to explain that I don't have anything else and I ask if I can make a deposit or something. No, he says. So, I sit outside the car rental place almost in tears. Travis doesn't land for over 2 more hours, and I am wondering what to do. There is a Dollar rental car place next door, and I figure that they surely take Debit cards. I call the Tampa airport too, and they do have my purse and have it locked up for me. Whewwww.... I can't figure out how to get to the Dollar rental place because the lot is all surrounded by a fence. I finally decide that I have to walk out onto the road to get there. I am dragging my suitcase around the spikes that keep people from stealing cars. I am walking down the road hoping that cars can see me ok. I walk into the Dollar store, and I am on the verge of a breakdown. I tell him that I have no reservation and no credit card and ask if he can take a Debit card. I tell him what has happened. He is SOOOO nice, and he gets me a car. It is now 10:45 and Travis still doesn't get in for almost 2 hours. I drive around a little looking for a restaurant (I haven't eaten all day due to nerves and being a bit hungover). I can't find anywhere, and my phone is dying. I pull out my eee pc, and it is dying too. My other phone is dying. Uh oh...I am really panicing now. I don't know how to get to the hotel without my electronics and Travis won't be able to get me either. I call Lisa in near tears, and she tells me that she will let him know to take a cab, and she agrees that I should go to the hotel and chill. So, my email won't connect, my eee is dead, and I have no plug. Hmmmm....

I call the hotel chain and get the number. I call the hotel and get directions. I have no pen. Where is my pen? In my purse in Tampa. Lovely. So, I can't find anything to write with so I used eyeliner to write the directions down. I drive the almost 45 min to the hotel, and I look for food (of course, it is 12 something now). Wendy's! Whew...open until 1. I work on the demo prep as I haven't gotten to do that during the week. Travis calls later when he gets in and he is starving. We go in search of food, and we find a Burger King open until 2. I finally get to my room and go to bed knowing that we have to be in the lobby at 7:30.

The meeting went well, and I got back to Tampa at 6:30p. I met Mike and the kids at Skipper's and we ate dinner. Mike wanted to see the Sauce Boss (he sings and makes gumbo at the same time). Mike and Michael stayed, and I took the girls home. Michael got to stir the gumbo, and I am glad Mike got to go.

What a week....