Category: travel

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Happy New Year!

Have a great 2008, dear readers! We’ll be spending today recovering from Amy’s dad’s last holiday gift to us from our Louisiana visit last week: a headcold.

Meanwhile, here are my two photosets from that trip: New Orleans and Oak Alley Plantation. Oh, and Amy wrote pretty extensively (with more pictures!) about our trip here and here.

If I’m feeling up to it later, I’ll try to write something profound about my hopes for the coming year. Meanwhile, we’re gonna chill out and get back to our Lord of the Rings marathon on the big TV.

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What am I, a farmer?

Last night, I was writing to a buddy about how tired I was from my autumn biz-travel schedule. I think I was attempting to elicit sympathy for going to Milan, Las Vegas and San Diego over the course of 6 weeks. “Boy, you think you’ve got it tough. . .”

In that spirit, I won’t even try to express any sort of discomfort over tonight’s gala in NYC. It’s a dinner/dance benefit event for Just One Break, an employment service for people with disabilities. Pfizer’s outgoing R&D chief is one of the honorees, and one of my pals at that company kindly invited me and my wife. (Thanks, Mak!)

I’m suspicious that this is just a plot by my (day job) readership to find out exactly what sorta woman would consent to spend the rest of her life married to me, so I’m thinking of asking Amy to wear a burka to the event.

I, meanwhile, am wrestling with the concept of “black tie optional.” I don’t think that covers leather chaps and a giant sombrero, so it looks like I’ll have to stop off at the dry cleaner and ransom my nice black suit.

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Deee-LAYED!

Well, we got out of the hotel at 6am to get to the airport for the 8am flight. There was an enormous line for security, but my Elite Access pass got us to the front. And, as it turns out, the Delta Crown Room Club accepted my Il Duce Club card, so my boss & I got to lounge for a bit.

And, as it turns out, the card is worth every penny. Our flight’s delayed 75 minutes, and the atmosphere out at the gate is getting pretty surly.

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Martini madness

More pictures from the show. These are from a post-conference reception, which featured an innovative way to make martinis. Since vodka is my kryptonite, and gin doesn’t go well with raspberry or apple, I decided to stick with beer.

rose-colored (and other) glasses

mixmixmix

Voila!

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Sorry

I really don’t blog much when I’m at conferences, so here are a couple of pix from yesterday:

The view from the roof of my hotel.

One of the exhibitors has a foosball table set up. In case the proportions of the two figures seems odd, note that the woman in the foreground is over six feet tall.

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Bear Ugh

Lately, I’ve found myself a little worried about dying in a car crash. I’m not sure why that is, since I’m a good driver. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I have to deal with New Jersey drivers on a daily basis.

On the drive out to Newark Airport (where I’m writing this post), I came across pair of driving omens that can’t possibly be good.

First, on the big hill out of town, there was a dead bear cub on the side of the road. We see plenty of struck deer in this area, but I’d never seen a bear get pasted. (Because of its location, there was no opportunity to swing back and get a photo; sorry.)

Then, shortly after I got onto Rt. 24, I noticed that the SUV-crossover in front of me was living up to its name, crossing over from right lane to shoulder a bit wildly. Since it was also traveling 10 miles under the speed limit, I passed it pretty quickly. And that’s when I noticed that the driver was holding a 10″ teddy bear up to the steering wheel. Don’t get me wrong; she held the paws against the wheel at 10-and-2, but still! (Needless to say, there was no way I was going to slow down and take a picture of that.)

Anyway, I made it into the airport safe and sound, and I’m just hoping there’ll be no bear-omens on the plane.

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Givin’ him the business

Last business-trip of the year, dear readers! I’m off to San Diego for the AAPS conference! I managed to get two suits, a second pair of shoes, and a third day’s business attire in my carryon case! Sure, they’ll be a bit compressed by the time I get to my hotel, but at least I won’t have to stand around at baggage claim!

Oh, and happy Veteran’s Day / Armistice Day!