The Smell
New Orleans, leave your nose behind. I walked to a post office yesterday and around some today and the prevailing smell is raw sewage. Even people I pass on the street have this smell. Every storm drain and manhole issues forth with the putrid aroma. Being below sea level, I guess the waste has nowhere to go.
The food in the city is supposed to be outstanding. I haven't noticed. I had to buy fiber supplements because the oil content has been giving me diarrhea. I'm desperate for vegetables and fruit, but the menu seems to be fat and oil. This may be showing my bias, but the food in Montreal was far superior. For one, there is a variety of flavors and textures. My experience in New Orleans has been a meal has one consistency and one flavor. Perhaps I'm just going to the wrong places. Maybe the smell of the city is overpowering any flavor in the food.
I'm prety much out of money now. I'm a bit irked about things not quite going as advertized. All my co-workers were saying, "don't worry, it will all go on the card used to reserve the room. You won't have to worry about it going on your own account." I didn't believe that. I arrive at this hotel, and I have to provide a card. Isn't the card used to reserve the room acceptable? Yes, if I have the card and it is in my name.
The charge to my account (or put on hold to my account) the total for my stay plus $200 for incidentals. Contrary to my intent, I have charged two meals to my room. I wanted to go out and sample more food, but I'm out of funds and left with relying on the incidentals charged to my bank account.
My mood is not great. That''s coming across in this post. I think a lot of it is I just want to go home. I did in my foot for walking yestreday. It's now in constant pain. Definitely need to see a doctor once I get back. Work sent me a laptop to replace the broken one. The replacement one has not wifi connection (diagnostics say there is some bug attacking it), but I can use it to practice my talk. For the return, I have to carry two through the airports unless I find the money to ship them back. Things to note for next time:
The food in the city is supposed to be outstanding. I haven't noticed. I had to buy fiber supplements because the oil content has been giving me diarrhea. I'm desperate for vegetables and fruit, but the menu seems to be fat and oil. This may be showing my bias, but the food in Montreal was far superior. For one, there is a variety of flavors and textures. My experience in New Orleans has been a meal has one consistency and one flavor. Perhaps I'm just going to the wrong places. Maybe the smell of the city is overpowering any flavor in the food.
I'm prety much out of money now. I'm a bit irked about things not quite going as advertized. All my co-workers were saying, "don't worry, it will all go on the card used to reserve the room. You won't have to worry about it going on your own account." I didn't believe that. I arrive at this hotel, and I have to provide a card. Isn't the card used to reserve the room acceptable? Yes, if I have the card and it is in my name.
The charge to my account (or put on hold to my account) the total for my stay plus $200 for incidentals. Contrary to my intent, I have charged two meals to my room. I wanted to go out and sample more food, but I'm out of funds and left with relying on the incidentals charged to my bank account.
My mood is not great. That''s coming across in this post. I think a lot of it is I just want to go home. I did in my foot for walking yestreday. It's now in constant pain. Definitely need to see a doctor once I get back. Work sent me a laptop to replace the broken one. The replacement one has not wifi connection (diagnostics say there is some bug attacking it), but I can use it to practice my talk. For the return, I have to carry two through the airports unless I find the money to ship them back. Things to note for next time:
- Don't go along with other people in making the reservations for airline and hotels.
- Don't travel with "bargain" luggage.
- Don't bring a laptop (although it's hard to avoid when traveling for work purposes).
- Don't trust other people's personal experiences, they're almost never based in fact. (Consult the literature on self-deception and artificial memories.)
- Stay in a cheap hotel with complementary breakfast.
- Avoid the freebies from vendors. They're ultra-cheap and take up valuable luggage space. (Wonder what they think of all the stuff I dumped int the garbage in my room?)
- Bring more business cards.
- When it comes to choosing conferences, little fish in a big pond is more fun than big fish in a little pond.
- Let other people worry about the image of one's employer.
- More naps. Always need more naps.