The Rest Wasn't So Bad
After Monday's helluva travel day, and Tuesday's start with the technology problems and so many non-participants, I really thought the rest of the week would suck. It in fact did not. I can't claim it was at all exciting, but at least it didn't suck.
The class participation did not get any better with each new group. Not that they were rude, nasty, etc. but pretty much each group made it clear that they couldn't be bothered to verbally engage during subject matter (on breaks, small talk, completely different issue) no matter how many times I said "I don't want this to be all lecture, let's have some give-and-take, how do you guys handle this...") Such is the nature of on-site classes for some customers.
That first day's class was in a Country Inn, and they have that neat little Lending Library thing they do in the lobby, so I grabbed Lawrence Block's THE BURGLAR WHO LIKED TO QUOTE KIPLING, and a facsimile edition of Edna Ferber's orginal SHOW BOAT novel. I'll return them to another Country Inn when I'm done reading them.
I ate at the hotel every night. Burned out a bit on chicken, beef and pork.
After today's class, I hit the road right away for the 3 hours (give or take) drive to Northfield MN. When I realized I had to change my plans to fly out of Minneapolis on Saturday rather than Des Moines (it was either change that, or change the entire car rental to a different company because Enterprise doesn't do one-way drops), I figured it made sense to drive back up here tonight and have a shorter trip to the airport tomorrow morning. Grabbing a room at the Country Inn here in Northfield meant a) far enough out of Minneapolis that the customer won't balk at the difference in price from the room in Fort Dodge, and b) I get to see Hunter and finally meet Chloe.
Had a quick dinner with Hunter tonight. Only our second time hanging out in person, and I am not ashamed to say that being around him just makes me happy. We have an easy rapport from all these years of online friendship and I can be myself around him. I had Pad Thai, which was great and light after all that meat all week long. Then I checked in here for a relaxing night. Tomorrow, I'll have breakfast with Hunter and finally, finally, finally, meet his girlfriend Chloe after all this time.
And then I'll fly home, provided weather here and on the east coast cooperates. I should be landing in Newark around dinner time, be home about an hour later, and then can catch up on the Smallville and Merlin episodes I missed tonight as well as doing laundry.
It's going to be a quick turn-around. I leave again on Weds for 1.5 weeks in Orlando, Memphis and Nashville -- in that order.
The class participation did not get any better with each new group. Not that they were rude, nasty, etc. but pretty much each group made it clear that they couldn't be bothered to verbally engage during subject matter (on breaks, small talk, completely different issue) no matter how many times I said "I don't want this to be all lecture, let's have some give-and-take, how do you guys handle this...") Such is the nature of on-site classes for some customers.
That first day's class was in a Country Inn, and they have that neat little Lending Library thing they do in the lobby, so I grabbed Lawrence Block's THE BURGLAR WHO LIKED TO QUOTE KIPLING, and a facsimile edition of Edna Ferber's orginal SHOW BOAT novel. I'll return them to another Country Inn when I'm done reading them.
I ate at the hotel every night. Burned out a bit on chicken, beef and pork.
After today's class, I hit the road right away for the 3 hours (give or take) drive to Northfield MN. When I realized I had to change my plans to fly out of Minneapolis on Saturday rather than Des Moines (it was either change that, or change the entire car rental to a different company because Enterprise doesn't do one-way drops), I figured it made sense to drive back up here tonight and have a shorter trip to the airport tomorrow morning. Grabbing a room at the Country Inn here in Northfield meant a) far enough out of Minneapolis that the customer won't balk at the difference in price from the room in Fort Dodge, and b) I get to see Hunter and finally meet Chloe.
Had a quick dinner with Hunter tonight. Only our second time hanging out in person, and I am not ashamed to say that being around him just makes me happy. We have an easy rapport from all these years of online friendship and I can be myself around him. I had Pad Thai, which was great and light after all that meat all week long. Then I checked in here for a relaxing night. Tomorrow, I'll have breakfast with Hunter and finally, finally, finally, meet his girlfriend Chloe after all this time.
And then I'll fly home, provided weather here and on the east coast cooperates. I should be landing in Newark around dinner time, be home about an hour later, and then can catch up on the Smallville and Merlin episodes I missed tonight as well as doing laundry.
It's going to be a quick turn-around. I leave again on Weds for 1.5 weeks in Orlando, Memphis and Nashville -- in that order.