Something is Wrong...

Something is wrong lately and I've been in such a funk and can't sleep nights. Some people generally just disappoint me, but that's only part of it. I'm tired from working on the house basically every night. Or maybe the funk is all my fault. I've been distancing myself from some people lately both because of the funk and just disappointment. I'm a person - not a bank, charity, comic relief, food pantry, shuttle service or a carpet. I have wide variety of friendships and some treat me better than others.

I posted a while ago on friendships and it's still something I struggle with. I must be doing something wrong. People are human and all mess up. I'm no where near perfect and mess us. We're made differently and not all of us are the same levels of caring, consideration or responsibility. We need to accept others and how they might think differently. However, it's learning from the mistakes, apologizing and not continuing to repeat them that separates us.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles - How Travel Is Never Dull


Do you remember that classic movie "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" with John Candy and Steve Martin? Well, I think I was living part of that recently with my work travel and the advertising must go on. It's kind of funny to reflect on this a few weeks later and what sometimes we need to do to get someplace on a business trip. Emergenices are for medical staff, not for ad guys.

I was heading to Phoenix for focus groups and our plane was hit by lightening the night before and there was a 50% chance our 7am flight would leave at all. So what do we do? Go home, not so much when other co-workers are panicked...With no flights that work out of Milwaukee, we rented a car and drive to Chicago to take a non-stop and just make the flight. We get on our plane and they need to de-ice and snow is coming....in the end we got out a little late. We get picked-up and get lost going to the facility, but we got there about 45 minutes before the groups were scheduled to start. Phew, advertising crisis avoided.

The week after I was going to Atlanta for more interviews and Milwaukee is hit with a mid-April snow storm. As I parked on the roof of the parking garage and walking through about 8 inches of snow (carrying advertising), I just stopped and started laughing. Middle of a snow storm and I'm heading to Atlanta, I must be nuts. My flight was delayed, but was supposed to take-off. Well it eventually got cancelled and I was re-booked on a flight 5 hours later. Meanwhile I was getting back-up plans in place - drive to Chicago get a flight out in the morning, fly anyplace close to Atlanta etc. Lots of fun in the Milwaukee airport for 5 hours, woohoo. That flight was also delayed an hour, so it only took me 11 hours to get to Atlanta...Problems with the rental car as well. Phew, another advertising crisis avoided.

A few days later I was heading to New York City for an advertising research conference. I had decided to fly in earlier on Sunday to get some extra time in the city....Well, my first flight was perfect and I was sitting in Minneapolis waiting for the connection. I'm watching CNN at the airport and see this "nor'easter" hitting the east coast, wait that's where I'm going. Living in the Midwest I never thought I would experience a Nor'easter (and never really wanted to)....Basically, it's a storm that winds come from the Northeast. It ends up being high winds and either heavy rain or snow in a very short period. They predicted 40-50mph winds and flooding in NY/NJ. We took off an hour late and it was rough ride the last hour of flying and a fun cab ride hydroplaning over the Triborough bridge. The storm broke a record from the late 1890's on amount of rain in NYC. 8 inches of rain in the first day and then Monday was another 4...I'm glad it wasn't snow, that's the good part....

I love to travel, but sometimes it just isn't as fun as it looks. We did eat an awesome Brazilian steak house in NYC, so i guess that makes up for some of the travel hiccups.