Summer days... drifting away

I’m here! I just… stepped outside for ice cream. Yes, that’s it.

Why is this blogging stuff so hard? Whhhy?



Ehem.

Oh I’d (almost) pay for cable just to have Friday night Soup.

Ok what have I been up to?

Long story short, work, some travel, the occasional bought of shopping and looking guiltily at my huge stack of books that I need to read.

Seriously, I have 11 that I need to finish by some (usually self-imposed) deadline, or that I started on some trip and need to finish because I just...can't...not...finish a book when I start it. Unless it’s truly horrible, then life’s too short for bad books. Just like you shouldn’t waste your calories on bad dessert. I’ve been trying to read Anna Karenina since September, I’m getting there. A variety of London and Paris guides or histories, a book for my book club, a book for the B L and No Tomato Book Club, and a number from plane rides or driving (the audio version of A Walk in the Woods, as I certainly don't condone - or haven't yet mastered - reading and driving).

(I will now shamelessly advertise GoodReads, because you should join and be my friend, since I love seeing what other people are reading: www.goodreads.com.)

I spent a few days in Vegas for a broadcast educators conference, hawking our wares and staring down other big publishers like Routledge (the Harvard of mass comm publishing), Focal Press (whenever I think of a potential journalism book, they already have it) and Pearson and Cengage (just big, period). Seeing Pearson is always weird since I interviewed with them and was offered a second interview. So sometimes I see parallel universe me standing at the booth.

It was strange to be in Vegas for work, I would ride the monorail back from the convention center in my business clothes while everyone else was dressed up to go out for the night. I walked around the strip by myself one afternoon, got to check out all the shopping that we usually by-pass and parked at the Belagio for a while. I even did the buffet by myself, which is hard when no one can watch your bag.
Thankfully, only heard “VEGAS BABY!!!@!@!#$Q@#$^T^Y” once, as I waiting in the airport to fly home.


Working it at the booth


Being artsy at the Venetian


Monorail! Monorail! MONORAIL!

I wanted to see Jen’s awesome digs in Seattle, so I took a three-day weekend to visit her and Atlas. I loved the city, it was funky and uptown, lots to see, lots to do. It was bit like San Fran meets the east coast. I suppose. I like any place where you can be entertained simply by walking around. And the food… THE FOOD! http://www.piroshkybakery.com/ . Yes it rained. Yes it wasn’t too bad. It was worth it because everything was in explosive bloom.


Fun...


...food...


...flowers...


...and friends!



Now I’m back to reality. I think I’ve really settled in at work, so much so that I need to make sure I don’t get too comfortable. It’s easy to spend a little more time chatting and such. We also have an intern who is working in the role of editorial assistant (Publishing is like academic titles. You have no idea about the level of titles until you’re in it: Editorial Assistant, Assistant Editor, Associate Editor, Managing Editor, Editor; Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Big Donor Name Here Professor of Something). It’s a bit weird to have him asking many of the same questions and learning many of the same things that I was doing 8 months ago. He’s so enthusiastic, so it spurs me to be even more productive, to keep up.

Just less than two weeks until I take the double-decker plane across the pond! I’m so excited and have already started my huge to-do list. Now if only this toothache will go away…

Entertainment reward for getting through this post...
If you haven’t discovered Fail Blog yet, well, you fail:
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and if you’d like, the G-rated filter:
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Two fails and a win:

Please don't call it a vacation

Ok, so another trip, this time to Tampa, Florida… plus El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, and Albuquerque, if you count all the stops on the Southwest party plane. I was there to man (woman?) a booth at the AAHPERD conference – American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. We have a lot of exercise science, physical education and sports management books, and this is a big conference for that area. The meeting attracts both dance/PE teachers and our market, the teachers of those teachers (Kinesiology and Physical Education professors).

It was pretty fun to be in that exhibit hall, as there was a lot of sports equipment and all kinds of trendy treats for teachers to use in their classes, like a treadmill-style rock climbing wall, crazy balance boards, rollerblade rentals
(with helmets, elbow pads, knee pads AND shin guards, to ward off any sue-happy parents), an off-brand DDR game, and pads that track your heart rate throughout an aerobics routine. A long way from those little boards with wheels that we’d roll down the playground on (but those were awesome).

It’s funny because most of the people there were dressed in workout clothes, or the PE teacher uniform of choice, tight shorts and a white T-shirt. It made the professors stand out, thankfully, and made the grad students doing presentations stand out, since they were the only ones dressed up.

We were right next to the demo area, so I got in some workout moves when no one was looking. And one, and two…

Tampa was beautiful, palm trees, waterfronts, and sea birds. There was supposedly manatees in the area, but sadly I didn’t get to see any. Unfortunately, they overbooked the hotel I was supposed to stay in, so I spent my nights at the airport Marriott, watching the planes come in. They compped my room, though. It was strange because the hotel opened right into the airport, so at night I would stroll around and look at the souvenir shops and eat at the airport restaurants before heading up to bed.

Anyway, it was busy and exhausting, I felt like I was in "jazz hands" mode the whole time (our big goal is to get professors interested in adopting our books, because then students have to buy our books and that's where the money comes from) but I generally enjoyed it. Pats on the back for all!

Lately, when I go somewhere, I ask myself, “Could I live here?” Or when I talk to someone who has been living elsewhere, I’ll ask about whether they like it there, what’s there to do, the weather (very important), etc. Who knows where work and life will take me, so I’ve been trying to figure out my boundaries on places to live. Of course, we all have dream places (may I drool for a moment over northern California, well, actually anything from San Francisco up to Seattle? And while I’m at it, Denver?) and places that we’d very much like to avoid (sorry, but the Dakotas do not appeal for so many reasons) but it’s a big country with lots of possibility. Anyway, I did like the time I spent in Tampa, and could say “sure.” Of course, this is before experiencing its humidity in conjunction with summer heat. It’s like someone deciding to live in AZ without bearing through a toasty July. But it certainly was beautiful, and the people were generally nice (Southern hospitality? You know, I don’t consider Florida the south, even though it’s about as south as it can get.)

Of course, one of the best parts of traveling is… SkyMall! For those of you who haven’t flipped through one lately, I will present some of the best treats from the “Late Spring 2009” edition.

Kristi, I still owe you the hot dog cooker.


I realize that this is probably very comfortable, but can you imagine whipping this out and setting it up on a plane?


This guy also is rocking an awesome plane sleeping ensemble. He looks like the Don Juan of Seat 19C.


Just when you thought texting while driving is bad, how about conducting your entire office business? This still doesn’t beat the guy I saw practicing drums with two drum sticks while driving.


Once you get in an accident from working-while-driving, you can use this contraption. This makes me think of an old timely remedy. Or like cartoons when they have a tooth ache and wrap their head.


Does anyone else immediately picture this all falling on the car?


This just looks enormously tasty.


This does not look as tasty, but for all you wannabe cowboys, or those who are just really possessive about your steak.


This just wins for most gratuitous bandwagon use of the “i” style. It’s called the iWallet. Why? Because, “Beauty is in the ‘i’ of the wallet.” Groan. It also gets a gold star for claiming it will make yourself a conversation piece. I don’t know why. “Gee Tim Edward Turner, what a cheap looking wallet.”


Another instance of bad copy writing: “Match your pet’s personality with the perfect dog bed.” Is your dog a tire?


Grass?


A pile of rocks?


You can buy grandma this “beautiful” pendant. So that she can be constantly reminded that she may fall and not be able to get up.


This is just... wrong. Something is very creepy about this. Why not just buy two umbrellas?


I do enjoy that you can now purchase a spy pen, with a tiny camera in it. The best part is that they tacked on the last line, “Oh and it writes too.”


This deluxe margarita maker costs $350. Can someone please point out what makes it different than a $30 blender, except that it comes with a carrying case?


Can someone also please tell me what the country on the right is? This makes me realize that some countries/continents are not as attractively shaped as others. It also kind of looks like they are in need of that “Africa is not a country” lesson.


I seriously want this and will be obsessed with completing this giant crossword puzzle.


And finally, for Brian, your very own Bigfoot yard statue.

Now if only someone would lay out a delicious breakfast for me every day...

Oh yes, I forgot to post this glorious picture (a repeat for you Facebookers, but you know you love it):

Tey-has Parto Dos

Ok, so I may have left you all hanging - "Did she make it back? Is she pulled over on the side of the crazy Houston freeway clutching the GPS and rocking back and forth?"

Yep, it's over and done with, thankfully. Texas A&M was a beautiful campus, but very big - especially when you realize that your first appointment is in a building across campus from the one you thought it was in. I definitely had a few of those umbrella-inside-out moments too, as the weather proved that it's still winter in some parts of the country. The tornado watches on the morning news were a bit unsettling.

By the third campus, Texas State, my nice-to-meet-you demeanor was getting harder and harder to keep up, but I kept hiking up and down the campus. It was definitely strange to be eating lunch in a busy student union in a college other than U of A.

On the way home I stopped at the Alamo which is amazingly tucked right in the middle of downtown San Antonio. Sadly I didn't see the King of Hill episode about the Alamo until today, so I had to learn what I could from catching the ends of the tours. I actually liked the gardens the best. Lots of comments on the flip flops in the rain. I thought rain or shine sandals was a total southwest thing!

Now it's back to regular work - I had my first performance review today, that was quite interesting. All went well, it felt kind of like going through an interview all over again, except the secret was out, I had the job.

Now if you excuse me, it's time for guilty pleasure Wendesday... ehem... America's Next Top Model. I hear they're doing the next cycle with girls under 5'7". Hmmm maybe I should go for it? I've figured out that you can't be the mean one, because you'll get kept around just for drama, and you can't have a sob story, because you'll only make a few episodes before Tyra has milked it for all its worth. You can't do too well too quickly and you must learn and over come some random modeling problem they attach to you. So, I know the strategy... I'm ready!

The stars at night are big and bright

So here I am, on a business trip. I'm adventuring across Texas on a work trip, driving a Prius in the land of trucks. Things aren't necessarily bigger in Texas, but there are certainly are more country stations.

I'm visiting universities in southern Texas to talk to some of our authors and make connections. It's terribly intimidating, especially when I have to drop in on professors who never answered my polite e-mail asking to set up a meeting time. Mostly I smile and nod a lot and then hold out our flier. I do get to hand out business cards. Woo hoo.

My buddy is the GPS that my work bought for such trips. The computerized lady calmly tells me to stay right while I'm tensely dealing with Houston traffic. It does get annoyed when you ignore its instructions and dejectedly says "recalculating" until it finally declares "make a U-turn when you get the chance" and stops talking. Perhaps they can add a polite conversation function?

Houston looked like many big cities, but the countryside on the way to College Station (home of Texas A & M) was beautiful. White picket fences, cows, fields with dots of flowers.

Staying in a hotel alone is strange. I remember when we'd travel, all we'd want to do is sit and watch the cable, so to have it all to myself is kind of like "wow, here I am!" Continental breakfast is still my favorite part, though.

So, let me say it because I can - "I have an early meeting tomorrow." Hopefully I'll have some (good) stories to tell later!

Lauren is doing good well

Inspired by the new year and the new president, I have embarked on a quest to better myself, or at the very least make myself a few degrees more awesome. I don’t do resolutions because, really, I don’t need the guilt, but I suppose I’ve set, oh what do the lady mags call them… goals?
I guess they’re not so much goals as nebulous ideas of what to accomplish, so I will call them goalishes. (Not to be confused with goulashes, the adorable but ridiculously-impractical-in-Arizona rubber boats.)

I know there are probably thousands of these kinds of blog posts floating around this time of year (though by now many are probably long gone and broken), but I suppose putting them out here for my two-person audience makes me more accountable? Ok, there, I justified writing about this.

In that theme of completely uncreative I present the “work out more” goalish.

Progress so far: I’ve actually done pretty decently. I’m doing yoga at the YMCA, where I prove to myself on a weekly basis how inflexible I am. However, I am up there with the little crazy dancer girls in the class when it comes to balance stuff. Wee! Look at me on one leg! I also have made it to two (count ‘em TWO) classes in a row for BodyPump, an uber peppy weightlifting class full of Scottsdale moms. Doesn’t anyone wear soft, larger T-shirts from a past event/school anymore? No one will know that I was in Irving’s orchestra or that I went to Las Vegas if I am wearing a matching tank top outfit! Oh well, I just huff and puff in the back and slip out when they are talking about their kids.

On a side note, Saturday mornings must be when YMCA kids’ basketball games go on, because the place is a tiny sea of purple and orange (go Suns!) jerseys when I’m leaving. And I must say, it’s pretty cool to see how many girls are there attacking the treat table after their game. When I played for an awkward year in the YMCA league, I think there were maybe two other girls who played. So hurray!


(I realize that posting an LOLCats pic is also uncreative, but I like to keep things consistent!)

All I want is a room somewhere

Much of my childhood was spent fantasizing about having my own place. I made elaborate diagrams of what my dream house would look like. Forget Barbie pink, I wanted hammocks, floating TVs with both Super Nintendo AND Sega, and a large indoor pool. My ultimate wish? Having my very own bathroom. Really, it was all a girl could ask for.

So it’s a bit strange to be there, or here rather, in my own apartment, lacking the hammocks and floating TV, but having (joint) ownership of a Wii and, yes, my very own bathroom. I have grown up furniture like a couch and a kitchen table, and I have grown up responsibilities like remembering to drop the rent check in the slot every month. I mean, I’ve been living away from home for six-ish years now, but it takes on a new feeling when it is just you (and yes, roomies, I do miss having you around!).

This is especially novel because I don’t have homework anymore (sorry, grad school buds, but it is wonderful!), and my evenings and weekends are pretty much up to me. Suddenly, having this free time has created a tendency to waste it – “Should I read? Play World of Goo? Knit something other than a scarf? Practice piano? (yes, I am a proud owner of a Yamaha electric keyboard, complete with 100+ musical sounds, including an ability to play Moonlight Sonata entirely with helicopters and gunshot noises. Moonlight Shoot-out?)” and I end watching YouTube videos montages of old 90s cartoons all night (rockin!). Lately I’ve been making lists to guide my thinking on the weekends, which say things like “You must do laundry this time!!!!” But I still get sucked into the internet when I’m not looking.

Of course what was missing from those fantasies was the fact that if you are the sole occupant of a place, you are also solely responsible for cleaning it and restocking such vital items as food. By the way, grocery shopping has officially lost its allure – the excitement of being able to buy ice cream and candy whenever I’d like was quickly shot down by scales, dentist visits and the constant realization, “I have to go shopping again??? But I went last week!”

I guess what I mean to say is that this week I had this feeling of slipping into adulthood, of crossing, unceremoniously, from being a kid to a grownup, however you want to define that. Sure, you could argue that you’re no longer a kid when you become a teen and have your first “my life sucks, everyone sucks” teenage thought, or that you’re no longer a kid when you are allowed to drive down the street to your friend’s house (but not, I guess, to winter formal, even if you actually write a 3-5 essay explaining why you are perfectly capable of driving three miles to the high school using only the back roads). Most people would even point to when you can legally drink, even though turning 21 tends to make you regress in age for a few months. But I guess now that I have a commute, a steady flow of bills and a porch all my own, here I am. An adult. Woot?

Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go watch some old Tiny Toon episodes.

(I thought about adding a ceremonious, “Look! I’m back and blogging,” but it seems that every time I start with that, I drop off by the next week and have that embarrassing proclamation repeatedly greeting/mocking the two people who check in. So I’ll hide it down here.)