My Random Musings | Peaches Prattlings

{August 12, 2016} Sometimes…fortunes are spot on!

How does Confucius know so much! And how did he know to put it in my cookie?!

Ever notice how some fortune cookies say really silly things and sometimes give good advice and sometimes you just scratch your head and wonder what the person was thinking when they wrote it. Or maybe it’s just a giant automated computer program that generates random messages to be put in the cookies.

One time, LaLa had a fortune that said “next time you leave the house, go left”, seriously?

Ever get an empty cookie? Boo

One of the things I seem to do when I’m on the road is order takeout Chinese, especially when I’m working in the hotel. I don’t order that much, but I wonder how many people they think are ordering, I always get 2-3 cookies.

Well, last week, two spot on fortunes…

“Stop searching forever. Happiness is just next to you.” That could be so many things, PSM…well, he’ll be next to me when I move, right? My family here in Boston, my kitties right here in bed with me.

“Life to you is a dashing and bold adventure”. Oh my word, do I even need to explain?

Spot on…

{August 10, 2016} Uber driver…why can’t you all be the same?

Ok, I don’t mean the same person or all look alike, what I mean is manners, attitude, things like that. Let me ‘splain.

I started taking Uber about two years ago and a lot on this project in Chicago. After a while, certain Uber drivers have treated me so well that they have brought up my level of expectation. A good or bad thing?

I like a clean car, that’s not too much to ask, right? I like it when you see that I have bags, ask if I want it in the trunk and you get out of the car to help me or put the bag[s] in the trunk, I think that’s courteous.

I like a polite driver, someone who says hello, how are you?, someone who is didn’t frighten me with their driving.

So…to much to ask?

{August 9, 2016} A good day and a red letter evening…

The day was exciting, the evening riveting, ha!

I taught another great class, it was nice when some of them came in and told me that they heard the class last week was great and I was pretty good too.

Here’s where it gets riveting, hold on to your hats! After class, I went back to the hotel, ate left over Chinese food from lunch, finished my updates to the materials, did my hair, put on my jammies, painted my nails, cross stitched while I watched movies, talked to you and then I’m going to pass out.

What an exciting life I lead! Hold me back! Actually, it was nice, after the very busy weekend and the crazy travel day yesterday, it was nice to relax and almost do nothing!

How was your day?

{July 28, 2016} A nice end to a busy day

Shouldn’t they all be like that?

The day started early with some time on the treadmill, the elliptical machines were both busy. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a treadmill, let the sweat pour!

Of to the office for a very busy day, good lunch company, more busy and work, problem solved, whew! then a good bi-weekly check-in with my manager.

After work, I went with one of my co-workers, who I have become good friends with, LJ, to get much needed pedicures and then we ordered food while we walked back to get apartment. IWe ate, talked and watched the Wednesday night fireworks at Navy Pier. I also got to meet and play with her sweet cat, Max, sigh.

Then back to the hotel, a prior work and now I’m talking to you.

Pretty good day, huh?

{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 23, 2016} There’s a storm a-coming

That’s an impressive sight!

Tonight, I joined GES, ACS, EJS and MGS and two friends at a NE Revs futbal match. That’s New England Revolution, for those of you, not in the know.

There was a threat of a huge storm tonight, but not until about 1030pm, way after we would be home from the match. It’s a hit sticky day in Boston.

Then, as we headed into the stadium, the clouds started rolling in. The nice result was that it started cooling things off, but the sons kicked up, I had to keep my sunglasses on for fear of dirt in the eye!

The sky opened, we scrambled for cover, three minutes later it was over, but the air felt cooler.

But…no matter what, the sky was impressive. The sky gets these amazing colors before something big happens, don’t you agree?

Mother nature is something else!

{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 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 17, 2016} The summer’s half over…what?

I heard that on the radio today and I couldn’t believe it.

All I could think was how is that possible? Some schools just got out a few weeks ago.

But then I thought, well…technically, there are four seasons and since the year is twelve months, each season is three months and as summer technically started June 20th and it’s July 17th…I guess summer is half over, well, I guess if you want to nit pick, August 22nd would be the date for the halfway mark.

Of course, the real kicker to signal the halfway mark or even the end of summersummer is coming…school supplies are in the stores already! What???

Hang on summer, we’re here for you!

{July 15, 2016} Uber redeemed itself

I’ve been taking Uber for a while now and I really like it.

I’ve had some good experiences, some excellent and some less than excellent. Today, less than just good.

Uber has a level of service that I have gotten accustomed to. They smile and say hello and when they notice I have bags, they get out help me load the bags into the trunk. On the way to the destination, they are usually pleasant, engage me in conversation and at the drop off, get out of the car to help take my bags out.

Let’s just say, my driver this morning didn’t acknowledge my presence, didn’t help me with my bags, I had to tell him to pop the trunk so I could load them. Then he drove erratically, I felt like I was in a bad NYC taxi! He seemed quite agitated. Let’s just say, a less than favorable trip.

I decided that I was going to say something, so when I gave my rating, it was stars and I added comments.

I got an email from their customer service department with apologies and a credit of $5, nice. That’s some good customer service.

If this had been my first Uber experience, it may have been my last.

I took Uber on two more trips tonight and…I was quite pleased, they both got all Stars.

Well done Uber, well done.

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