Jun 30, 2008
To the left to the left... – Oklahoma City, OK – June 2008
Okay, I know this is a bad take on a rockin’ Beyonce song, but really EVERYTHING in my hotel room was honestly designed for the furniture to be moved about a foot to the left of where it currently is.
I was sitting at the desk and kept getting an error when attempting to log onto the internet. I called to the front desk and she said that they’d had some connectivity issues earlier in the day, but she would restart the server if I thought that would help. Well I didn’t want to put her out at all but I really feel lost if when on the road I am not able to connect. So I told her I would restart and let her know if that didn’t work.
Just as I was about to disconnect I hear her say “Ma’am, did you try moving to another area in the room?” At that point I was willing to try anything so while on the desk phone (which by the way is corded) and moved about a foot to the left and plopped down onto the bed, and simultaneously yanked the phone off the desk, knocked my cell phone, iPod, a clock and almost the desk lamp off the desk with a crash, (because that was where my laptop was plugged into). With the lady at the front desk laughing her head off, I clicked the IE icon on my desktop, VOILA!!! The Holiday Inn Browser bloomed into life! I squealed with delight and the front desk attendant laughed even harder. “Sounds like that worked,” she said with a final laugh and we hung up.
So here I am in my hotel room with the phone cord stretched to its potential, sitting on the very edge of the bed, with nowhere near a clear view of the television. But I don’t care I have the INTERNET!!! YAHOO!!!
Till Next Time,
Bon Voyage!
Jun 17, 2008
Upon My Return – Just back from San Diego, CA. – June 2008
Note to Reader: Don’t laugh, but as a family, my Hub, myself and our two cats Kitty Sticks and Malchek we have the most nick names for each other then anyone I know. We try to embrace creativity and really we pretty much answer to anything even “Hey You!” Just wait till we have kids.
Second comes the pitter patter of little feat, the four legged ultra curious type. Now, depending on how long I’ve been away the following events unfold...
Kitty Sticks is stead fast and will actually sit backwards in the living room recliner so as not to
This trip in particular was the longest thus far just over five days and the kitties were in rare form. Malchek was into EVERYTHING and as you can see Kitty Sticks couldn't even be bothered to wake up. I walked in the door, she cracked her eyes, saw it was me, and then promptly returned to her nap.
Till Next Time,
Bon Voyage!
Jun 11, 2008
Peanuts!!!??? - New Orleans, LA - June 2008
Note to Reader: Just in case you don’t know this, if you have the 6 am flight out of Memphis to Atlanta you’d better think twice about getting anything to eat or drink at the airport that is served to you by anything but a cold hearted unforgiving vending machine that really doesn’t care that you don’t have correct change, and could care less that you absolutely hate Diet Fresca because regardless of how many times you punched Coke that was what was delivered.
As a Frequent Flyer / Sky Miles /World Perks member I’ve had the privilege of becoming a grumbling pessimist when it comes to the way that the airlines jack you around. It is a rare occurrence when I have the opportunity to, without chanting to myself “Think Happy Thoughts”, to entertain feelings of joy for the air travel industry.
Additional Note to Reader: Being truly honest, I did leap for joy when my best friend Stephanie’s brother, Jason was hired as a pilot for Northwest. YAHOO!!!)
But I digress, I really just wanted to take a quick moment to say, “Thanks for the nuts Delta! Keep up the good work as you merge with NWA.”
Till Next Time,
Bon Voyage!
Jun 9, 2008
Six Degrees or less… It’s TRUE!!! - San Diego, CA - May 2006
saw him speak in person last week at the ASTD Conference I attended in San Diego.) One of the points he makes is referencing the “Six Degrees of Separation” theory. The theory basically states that any two persons can be connected by six or fewer people.Note to Reader: There is a slightly funny twist on this called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” which is note worthy but not worth going into… Google it!
Anyhow the point of this story is that I truly had a six degrees moment on my flight out to San Diego last weekend, so here goes.
So there I was minding my own business in my 11-F seat over the wing, two rows behind the exit row and down plops an early twenties guy in a camouflage baseball cap. He’s friendly and introduces himself. (For our purposes we’ll call him “G”.)
Additional Note to Reader: I am always slightly hesitant to begin conversations with people that I sit next to on airplanes. I know you are thinking, ‘but Lili, you’ve never met a stranger! I don’t understand???’ but when you’ve had a friend have the privilege of sitting next to THE "Debbie Downer" (That's for you Anna!) and learn the most intimate details of a perfect strangers life you become far more jaded and are slightly less likely to engage in conversation with the unknown, especially when you have to sit next to them for 4 and ½ hours.
With my ear buds shoved snugly into my ears and my crazy looking neck pillow positioned between me and the window I snuggled in for my long ride out to the west coast when I feel a soft tapping on my shoulder. The drink cart had arrived. “I’d like a Ginger Ail please.” I say to the flight attendant as I pull down my tray table.
“Don’t you think its funny how people really only order Ginger Ail on air planes?” says ‘G’. I’d never really thought about it before, but realized that really it’s true, but not to be out done, I nodded and said “Yeah, and punch, people also put Ginger Ail in punch.” He laughed and said that he’d never made punch before, but he would be sure to remember that. Thus it ensued. We began the inevitable airplane chit chat. Where are you from? Me: Memphis – G: Mississippi. Where are you going? Me and G: San Diego, CA. Are you traveling for business or pleasure? Me: Business – G: Fun! - He’s running the Marathon. If any of you know me, at the mention of the word “Marathon” my ears went from half-way listening to fully engaged. I’ve run four Marathons and 3 halves. I love running and love to find new people to talk to about running. We moved from idol chit chat to good conversation. We talked about sports and college. He asked where I went and I told him UT Knoxville, then asked him the same question. His answer was Furman University. I asked if it was the one in South Carolina and he said “Yes”. I told him that I’d had a room mate for one semester who’s twin sisters had gone to Furman and played soccer there, but it had been several years ago so he more than likely didn’t know them. He asked what her name was and I
said “Rachel.” His Jaw dropped and he said her last name and after a slight pronunciation back and forth we discovered that it was the same family and the same girl!So to make a long story short, ‘G’s’ room mate is one of Rachel’s twin sisters. So here are our Six Degrees or Less.
1. Starting with me: Rachel and I were room mates
2. Rachel has twin sisters that attended Furman University.
3. 'G' is room mates with one of Rachel's twin sisters.
4. 'G' and I sat next to each other on a flight from Memphis, TN to San Diego, CA.
WOW!!! What a small world!
Till Next Time,
Bon Voyage!
May 28, 2008
What I could have been - San Bernardino, CA - May 2008
Upon my arrival at about 5:45pm I was seated at my luxurious booth and I noticed I was directly across from the sweetest little old couple. They smiled at me as I sat down and I smiled back thinking, ‘I love old people!’ This got me to thinking. I really could have been a retirement
community activities coordinator! I really like old people. I used to play scrabble with a group of ladies all over the age of 75 and LOVED it! I’m not by any means calling these women old. I wouldn’t dare put it past these crazy cats (Mabel especially!) to learn how to use a computer, become a wiz at e-mail, join Face book, invite me to be their friend, (notice I am not saying ask me I they can be my friend), discover that I have this blog, and read it. If upon reading, they find their name and the word ‘old’, or any other seniorly affiliated reference; they will personally come to my house and spank my behind! But seriously, I would have loved to do something like that. This little old couple was celebrating an anniversary and by the time I was ordering my meal they had finished their shared cheese cake with strawberry topping and paid the check with a gift certificate from their grandchildren. He was helping her to her walker and they were shuffling out the door by six o’clock. SO CUTE!!!I also think I could have been a food critique or a restaurant reviewer! My husband sometimes gives me a hard time for being so critical when we are eating out, but really, if I am spending $30
to $50 on a dinner out, I don’t think it is too much to ask for someone to have reasonably good service and good food. I was taken to my table by the manager and I literally waited eight min. for someone to take my drink order and he only took it because I stopped him and asked him to take my drink order! Another reason that it occurred to me last night that I could be a restaurant reviewer is because I was eating by myself. When I was flying from Denver, CO to Onterio, CA, they played the movie Ratatui (Yippee!) and the food critique always ate by himself. Granted, I generally don’t have his sour puss face and grumpy disposition, but sometimes I am that critical, especially when they forget the ranch dressing for my stake fries that I asked for three times.Okay, moving on. For the last couple of years, I have been confident that I could be an M-1 medical student. I loved helping my husband study by making up cheers for pharmacology drugs…
“Dantrrolene it makes no heat,but for malignant Hypothermia it can’t be beat!”
and
“Doctor makes the call
to use Propaphal.
From head to feat,
It will make you sleep.”
I’d like to point out that I don’t think I could have successfully made it through medical school, it is way too hard! Also, I am not that patient nor am I a very good test taker, but I really think I would have made a really great first year medical student, except for Gross. I thought it was really interesting exploring the bones in the bone box that resided in my dining room for about 4 months, but the formaldehyde smell and actual touching of a dead body is way more then I could handle.
The next one really didn’t have anything to do with my dinner last night, but while thinking
about possible careers this one occurred to me.Having just recently watched Nancy Drew a couple of weeks earlier, (Loved it!) and because of the fact that I have above average hearing, my next possible career choice would definitely have to be a detective or a gossip columnist, both of which I think would require the same sort of skill set. Now some people, like my husband, might say that this is not a skill, it’s just being nosey, but I’m not too sure. You make the call.
Oh well, all of this really is irrelevant, I am what I am, a technical writer for a fortune 300 company, Funny, it really is EXACTLY what I wanted to be when I graduated from college which really is pretty cool. One day I would like to add the title of “Mom” to my resume…
Hummm, it’s funny, now that I think about it, all of those skills I mentioned above, working with people, knowing the “in’s” and “out’s” of food, medical skills, having above average hearing and being a super detective, the skills that would have contributed to the above careers I think are really all requirements for being a mom. Interesting…
Till Next Time,
Bon Voyage
May 27, 2008
A Good Healthy In Flight Cry – somewhere between San Bernardino, CA and Las Vegas, NV (by way of Denver, CO…)
Note to Reader: This may verge on the edge of girlie, so to any boy readers out there please read on, because this may help you understand the women in your life a little better. =)

The conclusion of my most recent read and my most recent travel assignment coincided somewhere in the skies over Colorado I believe. The trip was a workshop tour in our Inland Valley region and the read was the latest Jennifer Weiner novel Certain Girls which is a follow up novel to her first novel Good in Bed (not too dirty I promise). To all of you that enjoy a good laugh and a story about a girl that really in more than one way could be exactly you, this is a MUST READ!!! Without revealing anything too important, the end of this book did a completely wonderful one eighty from where I thought it was going and in turn, had me in tears at 35,000 feet. I was so completely engrossed in the life events of Cannie Shapiro and her daughter Joy Shapiro Krushelevansky that I didn’t realize hat due to one of those events, I was whole heartedly crying, full sobbs, in my row 25 window seat A. Thank goodness seat B was empty, but that having been said, C, the aisle seat was occupied by an older gentleman in a suit who I am sure thought I was going through some sort of crisis.
I had my folded up drink napkin in my hand, arms crossed across my chest, head leaning against the double pained port hole window when the man taps me on the arm and he says, in just above a whisper, “is everything okay?”
I quickly pull my ear buds from my ear and in an attempt to be graceful wipe my eyes and nose and clear my throat. “Oh yeah, I’m fine, I’m just listening to the end of a really great book. And well…” I said trying to choke back the emotion of the last fifteen min. “someone died. And well…” I continued trying to desperately keep it together. “It was just really upsetting.” I said as the tears began to flow again. “Shoot! I hate being a girl sometimes!” I sniffed as I folded the already soaked napkin and dabbed at my eyes again.
He grinned and reached into his inside jacket pocket (the same pocket they reach for in the movies when they want to shoot their crazy airplane seat mate), and produced a travel sized package of Kleenex (WITH LOTIAN!!!) and handed it to me. “When my baby girl was pregnant with her baby girl I got into the habit of carrying these cause she would cry at everything.” He chuckled a little and added “especially the songs on our town’s country music station. Kenny Chesney’s There Goes My Life was the worst!” We both laughed. “I think you women have it hard. He said looking up at the ceiling of the airplane. “Ya’ll all have so much caring inside you for everyone else. My wife says that every good woman deserves a good healthy cry every once in a while to keep herself from exploding and I think she’s right.” He looked at me with his sparkely wise old eyes and smiled "I'll let you get back to your book."
I took one of the Kleenex and tried to hand them back and he refused “Keep ‘em in case you go exploding on any of your other flights. We both burst out laughing “Thanks!” I said and I returned my ear buds to my ears.
I ended up needing that entire package before the book was complete and now I keep a couple of those travel packs one for me and one to give away to other “good Women” like myself.
Till Next Time,
Bon Voyage
May 23, 2008
My Crafty Diaper Cake!!!
OK Here's the proof...
The Diaper Cake I made for Amy's baby shower (with Jeremy's help)!!!It still surprised me that it came out as good as it did. Maybe one day I will craft again! I've already got a few ideas of different things I can do for the next Diaper Cake. I'm not sure I'm good enough yet for a cookie bouquet, but this really gives me hope! =)
Till Next Time,
Bon Voyage
P.S. See post below, "I Just Might Be Crafty" for more info.