My Life on the road | Peaches Prattlings

{July 29, 2016} ST>WH>KAB, CS, LB, LS, BA, BE>SDL, CKM>JB

Got your attention, didn’t I?

Well…the day started at ST’s house, I crashed at hours place last night when I got to Atlanta. We motivated and went to Waffle House! Yum!

I worked for a few hours then fought Atlanta traffic to get to Dallas and see KAB, Baby A and his sister Baby E, CS, Lily Bean and her sister, Princess L. It took me almost three hours to get there so I didn’t have a lot of time with them, but the time was well spent! As many hugs, kisses and snuggles as I could get. Oh and the giving of gifts of course!

I left just in time…as the no nap melt downs were about to start. Oh my but I do love those fabulous wee tots! Their mom’s too! And how much do I love my new artwork for our new place in Hawaii!! JJ’s ‘tweet hearts’! Those are Baby A and Baby E’s footprints turned into birds!
I left and headed straight to girls night dinner with two of my besties, SDL and CKM! We had Thai food, lots of laughs and catching up and then on to the movies to see JB…the new Jason Bourne movie! CKM noticed when we were sitting, she was in a J sandwich, ha ha.

After the movie, back to SDL’s, kiss the sleeping Miss A, talk to you and then pass out. Full day, huh? Wonderful day! Let’s see what tomorrow holds!

{July 27, 2016} Technology in hotel…good or bad?

I am a techno-geek! There is said it.

I like the latest and greatest. Sometimes I want it all! I have a work laptop, an iPad and my personal computer is a Surface Project 3, which is is pc/tablet. I have my fabulous “phablet”, that would be my large smartphone that is almost like a pc/tablet so they call it a phablet and finally, well, I think finally, my smart watch.

There might be more and I have forgotten! Could I have more, why not! If money was no object, go for it! I am a software trainer, I work with technology, I want to know about the latest and greatest and I appreciate what’s out there, don’t understand it all, but I appreciate it!

Hilton has implemented their digital check in and keys, which I love. If you don’t know about the digital key, you request it and when it’s ready, hold it up to the door you want to open and it does, just like a plastic key. No more carrying a key and worrying about losing it.

Down side…sometimes the digital key, like everything else, might be having a right day and just won’t work. I’ve had that happen at my room, I call and they reset it or bring me a new one. Sometimes it just doesn’t worth in front of some doors, case in point, yesterday, I stood in front of the girl gym trying to get in, then go down to the front desk for an actual key.

The new thing some Hilton hotels are putting in are the digital elevator. I’ve seen it in other hotels. You put in the number on a key pad, it decides which elevator you take and then it goes.

That’s great until you have too many people and the doors are closed and you don’t move. Hmm…that’s what happened last night when I got back from dinner. Hey, I hadn’t eaten that much!

After a few minutes we all started to wonder, jokingly, if we had hit the weight limit! Someone pried the door open finally and we all got out. There was a gentleman who worked for the hotel counting how many of us there were, about 11. Five adults and six little kids, really? Ok…

We all got off, I tried to take it again, no dice. Next elevator, all good. Apparently this is an old elevator, ok…Made it to my room, all that matters, right?

So, technology in a hotel…good or bad? Not stopping me…

{July 25, 2016} To travel Sunday or Monday…that is the question.

So…the life of a consultant, well not the entire life.

When you’re on a project, it all depends on the project when you need to be at the client site, if at all. Some projects you might be in your local office and never go to the client site at all or maybe just once in a while. For me, I am project based so I am there all the time.

That being said, some projects you’re onsite Monday through Friday, some Tuesday through Thursday, the thought being that you are in your local office Monday and Friday. Most projects are traditionally Monday through Thursday, which is what I am on now.

The difference being, when you are on a training engagement, all bets are off, it’s all dependent on when you teach. I’ve been on projects where I’ve taught six days a week, especially when your client is a hospital and the students are medical professionals, six days a week, could be all hours. This project has classes Monday through Friday.

So, when you have schedules like that, you have to figure out when to travel. Since classesstart at 9am, I travel in the night before, I never take a chance on morning of travel and I generally fly out the day after my last class. That’s what I’ve been doing, fly out on Sunday, back on Friday.

Now that training is over, I have a choice to fly out on Monday morning, be at the office by 11am and fly out about 5pm on Thursday or stick to my original schedule.

So, I’m trying something new, fly in on Monday mornings and out Thursday night. This gives me more time at home, the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends and the cats and work from home on Fridays instead of traveling.

The only thing you take a chance on is that you are at the mercy of the airlines. Monday mornings can be tough, with flights getting canceled, the lines are crazy getting through security, especially if you don’t have TSA Pre-Check. Then there is the getting up at 4am or earlier to get to the airport on time.

So…so you fly on Sunday, leisurely, maybe get to the hotel early, or like me, by 10pm, but your already in the city you need to be, you get up at a reasonable hour, unless you’re going to the gym! and get to the client site by 8 or 9am or do you spend the extra time at home and get up before the sun to travel.

Hmm…to travel Sunday or Monday…that is the question.

{July 21, 2016} Delta came through

So…a few days ago I moved up with my Delta Airlines status…Platinum baby!

There are many advantages with having platinum status. One of them is priority upgrades.

Today, I was booked on two United flights from Springfield, IL. First flight was supposed to leave at 530am, didn’t quite make it out until close to 645am. We landed in Chicago about 6 minutes before my next flight took off.

Untied booked me on a 540pm flight. Huh? So I called my company’s travel port and they got me on a Delta connector…Chicago to Cincinnati to Boston, give me those segments. My first flight was leaving in about 45 minutes, I had a decent seat in coach and within a few minutes of arriving at the gate…first class.

We land in Cincinnati and that flight is delayed. It was supposed to leave at 1030am, then it was 11am and then 117pm. Ok, time to settle in and get some work done. I get on the plane…giusto class. Sounds like a good deal to me.

So…Delta came through and that status helps. What’s the American Express slogan “Membership has its privileges”. Spoil me, I can take it!

{July 21, 2016} Could this be more true?

Fortune cookies can scream at you!

I got Chinese food for lunch and my favorite thing about Chinese food is the fortune cookie. The messages can be silly, funny, introspective, good advice and sometimes it’s spot on.

Could this be more prefect for me? My desire to discover new frontiers…it’s time to travel! Let’s see…does tomorrow’s flight count? ? Or the next big trip PSM and I are planning for the fall? Or, um…moving to Hawaii? Yes think?

Let’s go!!!

{July 20, 2016} Skin of my teeth didn’t cut it this time

I was traveling to Springfield, IL from Chicago today and I was going by rail…and missed my first train.

I booked the train for 145pm and since I booked traveled on Amtrak through my travel port before I didn’t realize it was just a reservation and I still had to pay at the station.

I also found out the hard way that you can’t arrive 10 minutes before your train leaves, you need a little more time.

So…I rebooked for the 515pm and paid while I was there, went back to the office, one block away, got more work done and then at 445, left for the train station again.

I got in line, found a seat next to a nice person and settled in for my 3+ hour journey and we made it, a little late, but we made it.

There were delays, loud people, crying babies, sleeper, oh, and conductors making cheese you announcements!…it was just l like being on a plane. Just no drink cart going by.

I got work done, some conference calls, commiserated with the guys next to me until the annoying woman behind and across from us got off the train, then we had a nice chat about Philadelphia, where he lives and traveling. Then we were at our destination. Nice.

{July 18, 2016} I think travel kicked my…

You guessed it.

The day started at 430am, flight at 6am, delay and turbulance on the first flight, enough time to get to the next flight, only to sit on the tarmac for over an hour before taking off, this was due to the lightening storm going on outside.

Finally got to Chicago about 11, then on to the office. Did get some lunch about 1245, I was hu-hu-hu-hungry! Breakfast was at 530 EST!

The day was productive, but sitting, the travel delays and my allergies kicking in for some reason was kicking my butt! Oh, and I think it being Monday has something to do with it!

I left the office about 630, headed to the hotel, got some dinner and I am now in my pj’s at 845pm! Let’s see how long I make it!

{July 11, 2016} I do not like pickled plums…

Sam I am. I so wanted that to work!

Tonight I flew through DTW and went to one of my favorite Japanese restaurants, Spray. Actually, it was a favorite of almost everyone on the same project when we were at UMHS.

I stopped in there and ordered a salad, a tofu dosh and a pickled plum roll, no wasabi. I didn’t know what pickled plum was like, I asked my server, she hadn’t had it, but served it quite often, ok, let’s try it, I’m game!

Um…my personal opinion…ewe…it was so you! So not for me! Turns out I’ve tried pickled plum before, in something I tried in Hawaii, as soon as I took my first bite I remembered and, if anyone who knows me knows I don’t like ginger, but I ate ginger, had to get the taste out!

I wasn’t sending it back, so I decided to just poked the pickled plum out and ate the cucumbers, rice and seaweed with some soy sauce. When the server came by and asked how it was, I told her what I thought as I was laughing.

So…as my mom always said, just try it. I did, because who knows what you’ll like until you try it and the bottom line…no more picked plum for me!

{July 8, 2016} 15 hours to get home? Seriously?

You thought July 4th was a long day? A walk in the park!

Speaking of walking, I wonder if I could have walked back to Boston…my alarm went off at 545 am as it does every weekday, I was only about 10 minutes at the most from the airport, so I took my time.

I did my hair, I prefer the sparklers on the 4th, rather than in my hair, ha ha. Shower, dressed, breakfast, load the car, fill the tank [$2.49], go to the airport, drop off the rental car, check in and then sit in the waiting area, which is right outside the 2 gates they have.

I wasn’t even sure we’d take off, big storms yesterday and this morning, but we did. It was a little toasty on the sessna, the air wasn’t very strong, maybe they should have left the window open! 9 other people on the plane with me and about 15 minutes in, I was unconscious, another awesome nap! Probably the highlight of my day.

I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to my flight in St. Louis since we left late, but we made it, wahoo, with about 45 minutes to spare, great. Got some food, found a charger then eventually got on the plane. And we sat…and waited and waited…delayed due to weather, hmm…

Got to Philly about 3 minutes after the boarding doors closed on my connecting flight. Thank you gate agent for being less than helpful.

Got in line for customer service, along with the other 50 people who got in late or flights were canceled, called my travel company, they couldn’t help. I called the airline…the next 2 flights were booked. I’m now on the 815pm flight. Considered renting a car and driving the 5+ hours, but I stuck it out. It’s now about 4pm, won’t be too bad, right?

Went and got some food, did some shopping then sat and sat and sat. The charging stations that worked were full, half of them didn’t work to begin with…

The 815p flight is now leaving at 9pm, seriously? So, I sat and waited and finally got on the plane where the woman next to me panicked when the air came on and there was condensation that looked like smoke, that was fun.

It’s now 11pm, I am just getting to my rental car and I started my travel day at 7am. I joked that I could have been in Hawaii a few hours by now!

Time to go home, hug the kitties and pass out! Sounds good to me. I’m safe and sound, all that matters!

Good night!

{July 8, 2016} I really like what I do.

Every time I get in front of a class, I am reminded of why I I’m there and how much I love it.

I may have talked about this before, so I hope you don’t mind if I do it again.

I’ve always enjoyed training, but I didn’t realize how much until someone stated paying me to do it. I know how that sounds, but let me explain.

For a long time at different companies, somehow I would be identified as someone who could train, so a lot of times they would get a be application and say “here, we just got this, figure it out and teach it to us!” Ok…

The sweetest moment was when I was teaching my son something craft related, he was about 10 and he looked looked at me and said “your a good teacher”. Hmm, think my heart melted then?

There was even a point where I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I met SDL when I was in grad school in Atlanta. I didn’t finish my masters, but I met one of my best friends, that sounds like a good deal to me!

My mom had even said, “if you come back to NY, I can get you a job in any school”, hmmm..I didn’t, but it was a thought. Both my parents were amazing teachers, it must be genetic. Well, it didn’t get me back there, but she was right, I would make a great teacher, just in a different type of classroom.

After I got divorced, I was looking for work and had lunch with a friend one day, PK, and the company he was working for was looking for trainers. I had never been officially paid as a trainer, let’s see what happens. I interviewed and apparently, whatever I said worked! They hired me and so began my life and love of being a road warrior, it sparked the bug and as you know, I’m still doing it.

I realized a few things, I can learn applications pretty easily, I need to practice, have hands on time to try and try and try, instead of sit there and listen to someone talk, especially if they are not engaging. I can “fake it til ya make it”, even if I don’t really know the subject matter, no one knows because I’m confident in my delivery. Sometimes I am just memorizing the material and don’t really understand it until I’ve taught it a few times, then things click and I’m really on.

As I tell anyone who asks, to me ‘an application is an application is an application’ and what I mean by that is I don’t even have to understand it, I have to help you understand how to use it to do your job day to day. I do actually learn it, just sometimes not right away.

I have to tell you, when I get in front of a class, I soar, I could be dead on my fear tired but when I get up there in front of the class, it’s like bam! I’m on! I might collapse at lunch or the end of the day, the minute I start teaching, wow, I come alive! I am very energetic, try to be engaging, so far it seems to be working.

I know what is like to be in a boring class, not want to be there in the first place and have a boring or bad trainer. I want to be sure that you stay awake, engaged, participate, enjoy yourself and heaven forbid…learn something!

What people tell me on their way out of class or sometimes during a break encourages me and makes it all worthwhile and that’s what it’s really all about and why I know I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m supposed to be doing and I love it. What do they say…if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. You were right mommy, darn it!

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