Blog Of The Road Warrior

Mall Time

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 01:50:00 +0000

It's been a lot of fun having a couple of teenagers around the house these last several months. As teenagers, I thought it would be good to give them some time at the mall. Of course, I decided that a standard mall here in California would be good, but the Mall of America in Minnesota would be even better. So, we did a quick weekend trip to the mall. Since I spent a few winters in the area, I thought it I would be greeted with the standard blizzard conditions in February. To my surprise, it was just as warm in Minneapolis as it was in Southern California. After the entire day at the mall, I think we were all worn out.

Later.

Vacation Time

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 09:22:00 +0000

I became a temporary father to two teenagers for a year. In order to start things off, I decided to take the boys on a quick vacation in Los Angeles. Of course, we had to see the Hollywood Sign. For some reason, that was one of the "must do" things on the list of most people from outside California. The sign is deemed a cultural and iconic landmark by some, but it was initially designed as a marketing gimmick to sell real estate about 100 years ago. My new sons were impressed by the sign, but thought it was still a bit smaller in person. I guess that can be said about a lot of things in Hollywood...

Later.

North Carolina Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 09:05:00 +0000

After all this time, I'm back at it again. The adventure continues as the lady sitting next to me on the plane must have been in a rush because she decided to walk over me instead of waiting for me to get up. She tripped and used my throat for leverage while attempting to keep from falling, not that I needed to breathe or anything.

Upon the return trip, the pilot needed to dive fast because we were experiencing "pressurization" problems. This was probably not the best way to temporarily return to the world of the road warrior. However, it was nice to get back in to the field for one last trip before I transform into a single soccer dad in a couple of weeks.

Later.

The Transitional Life

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 07:18:00 +0000

One of the things that really makes me feel like I have finally retired from the daily life of a road warrior is the fact that my airline club memberships have lapsed for the first time in almost twenty years. I did do one trip to Colorado earlier this year, and I realized that I was completely over it. Don't get me wrong. It was a wonderful experience with all of the interesting and strange adventures throughout. After reading through this blog and some of my other adventures, I realized that my life was pretty exciting at times.

After a career spanning three decades, I no longer crave the road warrior challenge. It just happens that way sometimes. I probably have a couple more adventures left in me since I still have to make a living. However, I really do want to transition back to normal life, whatever that is... We'll see how this goes. Stay tuned.

Later.

Life On The Ground

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 07:21:00 +0000

There really is a temptation to stop and smell the roses. Really. No kidding. I've been grounded for a while now, and I really have no intention of getting back onto the road full time. Reality will eventually kick in, I'm sure. Being grounded in San Diego does have some great advantages. I've been able to spend more time having a life. Who knew? I actually do have a life that isn't 35,000 feet in the air.

All good things must come to an end. I guess it's time to book my next adventure. I'm going to a reunion in North Carolina in a few weeks, and then I do have to get on the road for work for a few random days this summer. It's time to get those wings out of storage.

Later.

Grounded

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 05:30:00 +0000

As strange as it may seem, I have been on the ground for a couple of months. I am still employed with even more work and reason to travel than ever. It seems that working at my desk has been a quite appealing prospect for the last several weeks, and it gets harder and harder to want to get back in the saddle again.

In a strange turn of events, I was the only one who didn't have to travel for a company meeting earlier this month. Thanks to the polar vortex this winter, most people were quite happy to have a meeting in Southern California. Due to inclement weather, a lot of people had some interesting travel stories. Sadly, I think I've experienced almost all of those stories sometime in my career.

I'm not sure what the future might bring, but I do believe that I'm not quite finished yet. For now, I'll enjoy being on the ground with a lot of paperwork. Happy travels to all!

Later.

O Canada . . . Again

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 05:09:00 +0000

And so I returned from another exciting adventure to Western Canada. Between the low visibility due to the blizzard-like conditions and the challenge of the day job, it was one of those experiences that I just don't want to repeat. At temperatures averaging twenty below zero, it made me realize that I need to get back into semi-retirement.

I do have to admit that getting in to Canada was much easier than getting back in to the United States. Of course, I really should not have attempted to do so on the day before Thanksgiving. What was I thinking?? The interesting part of the experience in US Customs today is that our border patrol seems to favor anyone but US citizens. The customs officers paraded a lot of the returning US citizens into different lines that took ten times longer than visitors from other countries. I was first off my plane from Canada and the entire plane beat me through the customs lines. My luggage was the last piece waiting on the carousel, and I almost missed my connecting flight. Two hours in customs is a bit much, but I guess it was compounded by the holiday.

I have one more major trip this year, and then I can rest for a little while. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May your travels be less complicated than mine...

Later.

Canada Revisted

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 04:45:00 +0000

It is easy to forget that Canada is a country separate from the USA. I recently got back from a quick trip north, and found that travel problems exist no matter where you go. In this adventure, I found that we have really set travel backward in the last twelve years. Bear in mind, during this entire trip, I was wearing a leg brace due to the injury that was chronicled in the last two posts.

In Canada, it seemed to be a lot easier to get around in the airports. I noted that even though we did have metal detectors, there were no intrusive x-ray machines or other invasive technologies designed to make the traveler uncomfortable. There was sufficient security, and it wasn't disruptive either. The airports were designed to make it as painless for the traveler. What a concept! This is what travel used to be like twelve years ago.

Even though the airports were not the issue, I still had a few problems with this trip. It was just before school started, and there were quite a few children on the plane. One of them accidentally splashed me with some water on the airplane (at least I hope it was water). Kids will be kids, I suppose. It has also been a while since I had my last border crossing, so I forgot that different currency is used in Canada. I had the hardest time finding places to eat that took my brand of credit card.

After an unexpected flight delay and missed connection, I got reroute to Seattle. The airline wasn't able to get me back to the right airport, but at least I made it back to the general area of Southern California. Close enough. After all that, I eventually returned back home, and am awaiting the next adventure. Until then, I'll continue to limp along.

Later.

Limping Along

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 05:39:00 +0000

It's been over a month since my ankle injury in Texas. I've hobbled along for brief day trips to San Francisco, Sacramento, and Minneapolis in the intervening weeks. Before my heralded return to Canada (for a day), I am attempting to remember how to deal with the intricacies of the international aspect of travel. Many years ago I used to travel frequently into Canada, and had many difficulties. This time I'm fortunate enough to be traveling between a couple of smaller airports, so I think it shouldn't be too difficult.

Fortunately my travel schedule has become a lot more manageable. The last round of constant travel over the past three years has made me realize that semi-retirement really wasn't a bad thing. Anyway, it's time to get back to business. It has been several years since my last opportunity to cross the border, and I am trying to remember where I left my passport and other documents while limping along.

Later.

The Longest Week Of The Year

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 06:00:00 +0000

I returned to my old schedule, just for a week. It all started on an overnight New York flight on Sunday. Since flights have been so inconsistent lately, I had to stop in Washington DC for a "quick" connection, which turned out to be several hours. Delays are pretty common these days. However, if you're meeting a large group of people from all over the country and no one makes it on time, it may be time to look at our air travel system.

In the middle of the week, I rerouted myself to a last minute job in Texas. I had a 20 minute connection in Cleveland, so the airline decided to reroute me through Chicago. It took an extra 10 hours to get to my destination, since I missed the last connecting flight. In the tradition of a true road warrior, I decided to reroute myself to the closest available airport with a flight and drive through the night.

This was one of the few times that I didn't pack too much extra stuff for an "emergency" add-on trip. After all, it's been almost a year and over 200,000 miles since I had to add a few days to an existing trip. At least I didn't tear the seam of my pants like I did in Cleveland several years ago. Also, I didn't give the airline a reason to lose my luggage, as I carried everything on the plane. However, I still needed to get the WalMart suit, and get some other extra clothes and stuff. I did still manage to twist my ankle and wind up in extreme amounts of pain on Saturday. Some things never change...

I finally limped my way back home, and I'm still limping along. That was one of the longest weeks I've had in a while. Let's not do that again.

Later

Work Life Balance - Three Unrelated Words

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 06:14:00 +0000

Every now and then, there are short periods of time when you have to remain office bound for one reason or another. I'm in between assignments at work, but I know things are going to pick up in a week or two. In the meantime, oddly enough, I have started to actually miss the airport after being grounded for more than a week. However, when I'm on the road as usual, I really miss the time at home to get on with my personal life. It's a really strange cyclical anomaly.

Many people have reminded me about work-life balance, and it is interesting to see the different perspectives. People older than I am will tend to lean toward the work aspect, while the younger group will tend to lean strongly on the life aspect. The interesting thing to note is that I can't seem to find the balance portion with either. In my current line of work, you just have to accept the busy periods, and take the opportunity to catch up with your personal life during the slow periods.

I'm off to Detroit to work on my other personal projects for the weekend. It's not exactly work or life or balance, but at least I'm getting to see the airport again. Wait! Did I just say that? ...

Later.

The Travel Game

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Wed, 29 May 2013 05:16:00 +0000

It's been well over 50,000 miles since my last post, and I finally have a few moments between all of my projects for a quick personal trip to New York. Since I resumed my life as a road warrior a few years ago, I have found that I seem to have a lot less personal time on my schedule. Even though my assignment is nearing completion, I still needed to take a little time for family.

Travel is a really unusual game. It's supposed to be about getting from point "A" to point "B" with minimal disruptions to your life. It's also about trying to get the lowest fare, most frequent flier miles, and best seating. Just like standard business travel, it can be a no-win scenario, especially around a holiday. In this case, I needed to be in upstate New York for a graduation on a Saturday morning. The lowest fares were either overnight flights that would allow me to arrive in the morning on Saturday, but place me180 miles away from my destination. I made the tactical error of getting in to JFK right before rush hour on Friday. It took three hours just to get out of the city. I managed to stop for dinner in New Jersey before continuing onward.

So, a minor miscalculation while playing the travel game did cost me a bit of sanity throughout the weekend. However, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Later.

Winter Revisted

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 07:16:00 +0000

I never really understood the meaning of a winter wonderland. Since I have lived for most of my life in warmer climates, it usually causes some trepidation every time I encounter snow and ice. This winter has been no exception. I've been spending a lot of time in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. Needless to say, there has been a lot of snow so far. It has been a few years since I have experienced freezing temperatures that actually hurt with just a few seconds of exposure.

While the fresh snow looks nice, it does have its challenges. Rental car companies don't provide the shovels and ice picks that I needed in the last several trips. The snow and ice were challenging in Duluth and Minneapolis, and I really needed that shovel in Chicago and Grand Rapids after experiencing the same snow storm twice in the same week. The small brush and ice scraper that I had available was just not enough to dig myself out of the parking lot.

There are still several more weeks of winter, and I'm not quite finished with my travels into Minnesota for now. I have yet to understand this concept of a winter wonderland. However, I do wonder when this winter will end.

See ya.

It Begins Again

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Another year, and another long adventure begins. I log over 250,000 miles domestically every year, and log over 200 flight segments a year easily. As I start to get a little more grey, I've noticed that my patience seems to be growing shorter for air travel. Maybe I'm just getting tired or set in my ways. After all these years of the increased security measures, it just seems really taxing to even walk through the scanners these days. If this were fifteen years ago, I would consider the standard pat-down-after-a-scan treatment that I get at airport security to be a form of assault. However, these days I have to dismiss it as the fact that the agents don't need to have a reason to touch me in places that would be classified as molestation by anyone else.

Lately, in Minnesota and a couple of other California airports, I've noticed that the scan with pat-down seems to happen most of the time. It's not like I'm unaware of the protocols with shoes, outer clothing, and other stuff. I just think that after subjecting me to radiation from multiple scans every week, are the extreme pat downs that touch or get close to your private areas really necessary? I've been feeling violated way too much in the past year from improper touches, but it's not like I have a choice, since I have to travel for work. I recognize many of the TSA agents at the airports that I frequent regularly. I'm there every week, sometimes multiple times. Yet I still seem to get singled out more often than what I would consider normal. I've been dismissing it as the fact that they probably recognize me from previous visits. After all, I'm sure the TSA agents see thousands of faces every day, too.

As I was saying, another year, and another long adventure begins. Time to roll...

Later.

There's No Place Like Home

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 09:41:00 +0000

As we begin a new year, I can't help but look back to the last couple of years on the road. I was traveling as much as the old days, and I had the same number of whacky adventures as well. For some reason, I just couldn't find the time to keep up the blog. I can't say that I'll be too much better in the upcoming year, but I'll give it a try.

In the meantime, I have been home for a couple of weeks, and it has been great to rest up a bit before another year that will likely top 250,000 miles once again. I've got a new home office thanks to one of my close friends, and I think that this will be an interesting year of changes. It's a long road back, but the journey has to start somewhere.

The journey begins in California and continues to Wisconsin and beyond. Time to get started...

Later.

Paper Umbrellas

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Most people take real vacations and stay somewhere for a week at a time. I'm the type of person that gets by on a couple of days in Hawaii to visit family and friends. In this visit, I have scheduled a little time with everyone, but I often forget the time for myself.

What do I really want out a vacation? I think it would be a nice relaxing tropical beverage with a paper umbrella. Of course, it would be nice to be overlooking the beach, with a nice warm breeze, and no access to email or any other distraction. Although, it's hard to imagine life (or a vacation) without my technology. Maybe I'll try that sometime.

Later.

Another Round

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:07:00 +0000

It's been a while since my last update. I've been through quite a bit in the last few years, and I've traveled quite a bit as well. It all started about two years ago, when I became a victim of corporate America, and found myself looking for a new career. I returned to another round as a full-time road warrior. Unfortunately, it seems that I seem to have less time to provide updates to my various blogs. In searching for a new a new job, I realized that I just don't think I can leave the wonderful weather and sights of Southern California. Since my skills are somewhat specialized, I decided that I needed to find some work on the road.

I was also catching up with my previous posts, and I noticed that a couple of years ago, I was wondering how I ever gave this up. I think I realized why. It seems that there is a linear relationship between age and difficulty when playing the road warrior game. So I'm not fresh out of college any more. At least there a few advances in technology that make life on the road a bit easier. I had mentioned this past week that my GPS has failed, so I had to resort to my map reading skills. I was then asked what "map reading" meant. Ha!

Anyhow, I have returned from semi-retirement for one more round. There are still quite a few more stories to tell. Stay tuned!

Later!

The Remote Office Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:03:00 +0000

As in past years, I'm wiping the dust off my home office to make it a fully functional working office. At the moment, I can work from home occasionally, but it is not the most ideal circumstance due to the clutter. I decided that it is now time to clean up and turn the office into the command center that I require for my various work and volunteer activities. I'm starting with the paperwork tonight, and then I get back in touch with my inner geek, and rework the electronics in the office this weekend.

Later.

Just Can't Get Enough

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:39:00 +0000

In an unusual turn of events, I have returned to my old travel schedule for the last month. In an effort to maintain my status on one of the airlines, I decided to take a day off to visit a friend in Honolulu. However, I decided to take the trip via Newark. Yes, it is an interesting routing to go from California to New Jersey to get to Hawaii for a couple of days. However, it actually cost me a couple of hundred dollars less to go through New Jersey than it did to go on the regular routing through Los Angeles. After all these years, I am still baffled by airline fares.

I just got back from a quick business trip to Boston, and I think I now have enough to keep me as a top-tier traveler for one more year. This might actually be the last year I get to do this, unless I can find a travel job in the upcoming year. You never know. After all, I still wonder why I ever gave this up.

Later.

Back In Action

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:02:00 +0000

After all this time, it was great to get back into the field. While on a day vacation to San Francisco, I go rerouted to Dallas to a quick customer meeting. The following week, I had another customer meeting in Minneapolis, followed by a four hour drive to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a marketing event. It seems like old times, and it was during the last trip to South Dakota that I realized that it wasn't the travel or the airports or the hotels. It's all about your colleagues in the field, and the interaction, teamwork, and camaraderie that you experience during the different missions that you need to accomplish in the field. During dinner in South Dakota, I remarked that I had really missed working with some of my sales team on a regular basis.

I still have a few more places to go before this year is over, so I'm not quite finished just yet. For now, I have a week of desk duty ahead of me. I forgot about the late-night paperwork that follows the adventures on the road. The adventures continue, for a little while longer, at least. For now, I'm gearing up for a quick vacation to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. Travel safe.

Later.

Behind The Desk

noreply@blogger.com (Brent) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 09:00:00 +0000

I once held a position that required me to be a road warrior in a different city every day of the week. It was an interesting job. However, time did take its toll, and I did get a bit worn down after a decade or two. Every now and then, I do seem to think that I have been stuck behind a desk for a bit too long. For the last year or so, I have been permanently behind the desk, keeping everything together for all of the people who still decide to make a living by playing road warrior on a daily basis.

I do miss the camaraderie that you have with your colleagues on the road. I think I have a closer bond with the people that I have worked with in the field than those that I might have seen in the office setting. I have been asked if I would go back to doing a remote job. If the travel schedule were a bit less demanding than what I used to do, then I might consider it. However, if it's my old 300,000-mile per year domestic travel plan, I think I might be getting a bit too worn down to keep up with that level of travel.

No, I'm not leaving the desk just yet. However, I do think I'm going to get myself onto the playing field a bit more than I have this past year. I'm not quite ready to start getting out of practice just yet.

Later.

Wherever You Go

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:24:00 +0000

I once wore a button that had a cool quote -- I live in the past, the rent is cheaper. I like quotes from the past. Another one comes to mind lately -- No matter where you go, there you are. I think this one is from Buckaroo Banzai in the 1980's. I thought about traveling for the weekend, but ultimately decided against it.

I spent a few hours in Los Angeles at an diversity event for the company earlier in the week. I was thinking about going to San Francisco or Phoenix for the weekend. However, I decided to change my plans since one of my friends couldn't make it. So, I decided to stick around here in San Diego for the weekend. There's still a lot of stuff to do here at home. After all, wherever you go, there you are.

See ya.

Here We Go Again

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:05:00 +0000

I've been grounded for a bit too long. When you reach a certain point in your career, the temptation is always to get back onto the road to have a presence with your team. Up to this point, I have resisted the temptation, as my responsibilities remain in San Diego. However, there does come a point in time when you just can't stop thinking about life back on the road.

I've decided that it may be time to hit the road on a couple of long weekends. I haven't quite decided upon the destinations, but just like life, it's all about the journey. Since life is a journey, I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride. I'm going to throw the dart at the map and see where I'll end up next weekend. Stay tuned...

Later.

Getting Away From It All

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:28:00 +0000

Economic pressures have wreaked havoc with just about every aspect of my life. There have been really tough adjustments at work, and work has picked up at my various volunteer jobs because of external pressures. And so I returned to Hawaii for the third time this year. For the first time in quite a while, I'm spending an entire week on vacation. I'm stepping back to spend some time with friends and family.

For the first time in years, a couple of my friends made appearances in San Diego briefly this past weekend. We haven't been together at the same time in almost a decade. I'm spending some time with friends and classmates from the old days, and will be attending one more wedding. This time it's my cousin getting married.

This truly has been my big chance to get away from it all. My last few entries have highlighted the fact that I really needed a vacation. Even though I've said many times that it isn't a good strategy to do so, I do hope this vacation is enough to recharge my batteries.

Later.

Aftermath

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:53:00 +0000

I spent a week in Chicago at a trade show. This was the first time this year that I had traveled for work, and it was a bittersweet experience. In the days before I had to leave for the show, the company had some layoffs, and my team was impacted. It was really hard to leave for a show when I should have been back at home trying to pick up the pieces.

Due to the economy, there weren't too many of my colleagues at the show, but I did get to see a few of my close friends there, so it was a welcome break. For the first time at one of these shows, I decided that I needed to break away from the rest of the group for some "alone" time. I just couldn't deal with being around people during this round, due to the events of the previous week.

I've returned home to deal with the aftermath. As soon as I got back, I was moved to a new building and new office. I'm taking a short time this weekend to rest before trying to bring order to the chaos on Monday.

Later.