Its life Jim, but not as we know it.
I remember my first business trip to the US quite well.
The year was 1998 and I was visiting NCSX in New York who was my biggest suplier of Japanese and US games.
I had a retail store and suplied import games to a dozen or so other outlets, times were good.
Arrived in New York, checked in at the Crowne Plaza at the United Nations, nearly got raped by a woman who looked like a Playboy model(wonder if Brenda will ever read this) while her husband was present and finally fell asleep exhausted.
The next day consisted of some sightseeing and meeting up with NCSX and people I had come to know online.
The evening before I was leaving NYc I went to the front desk of the hotel and asked them to book me a flight to Cedar Rapids in Iowa around noon the next day where I was to meet a girl who until a few weeks prior claimed to be a boy online.
Got up in the morning and the hotel had arranged a limo for my transportation to La Guardia airport.
From La Guardia NYc to Chicago midway and from there in a silly little plane to the tiny airport in Cedar Rapids Iowa.
The bill for the hotel was just south of 1000$, flights to Cedar Rapids around 800 and my flights to and from Belgium another thousand or so.
Money was no isseu as my company credit card had a HUGE limit on it(import and export of games all happened on that card) so I didnt have anything to worry about.
Fast forward to today and I am preparing for another trip to the US.
Today however my budget is extremely limited and I have to take advantage of the hospitality of people I have come to call friends over the years. Without their financial support, their couch to sleep on, their car to rely on to drive me around et cetera I wouldnt have been able to do my last few trips.
There used to be a time where I went to videogame industry parties to socialise and have fun, lately though I went because it meant I saved money abroad on a meal.
My life has changed drastically and sadly I can no longer afford to do what I have done with great passion for so many years.
After this trip is over I will be forced to find a crappy job somewhere and work until my pension or until my body gives up.
Its been quite a ride.
The year was 1998 and I was visiting NCSX in New York who was my biggest suplier of Japanese and US games.
I had a retail store and suplied import games to a dozen or so other outlets, times were good.
Arrived in New York, checked in at the Crowne Plaza at the United Nations, nearly got raped by a woman who looked like a Playboy model(wonder if Brenda will ever read this) while her husband was present and finally fell asleep exhausted.
The next day consisted of some sightseeing and meeting up with NCSX and people I had come to know online.
The evening before I was leaving NYc I went to the front desk of the hotel and asked them to book me a flight to Cedar Rapids in Iowa around noon the next day where I was to meet a girl who until a few weeks prior claimed to be a boy online.
Got up in the morning and the hotel had arranged a limo for my transportation to La Guardia airport.
From La Guardia NYc to Chicago midway and from there in a silly little plane to the tiny airport in Cedar Rapids Iowa.
The bill for the hotel was just south of 1000$, flights to Cedar Rapids around 800 and my flights to and from Belgium another thousand or so.
Money was no isseu as my company credit card had a HUGE limit on it(import and export of games all happened on that card) so I didnt have anything to worry about.
Fast forward to today and I am preparing for another trip to the US.
Today however my budget is extremely limited and I have to take advantage of the hospitality of people I have come to call friends over the years. Without their financial support, their couch to sleep on, their car to rely on to drive me around et cetera I wouldnt have been able to do my last few trips.
There used to be a time where I went to videogame industry parties to socialise and have fun, lately though I went because it meant I saved money abroad on a meal.
My life has changed drastically and sadly I can no longer afford to do what I have done with great passion for so many years.
After this trip is over I will be forced to find a crappy job somewhere and work until my pension or until my body gives up.
Its been quite a ride.