Diamond

Let’s face it, air travel can take its toll on you.  I’m pretty sure no one actually likes it.  However, having status with an airline certainly improves the experience.

As I’ve mentioned before, Delta is my airline.  And, this year, I managed to squeak by with Diamond status.  For those of you who don’t stalk Delta, this is the highest advertised status they offer.  And, only takes 140 flight segments to earn.  Yay for far too many weeks in hotels and on airplanes!

This status does come with some rather awesome perks.  I probably get upgraded about 75% of the time, and get free sky club access.  Plus, a much shorter hold time whenever I call Delta and in general awesome customer service.

Recently, I got to experience what I’m pretty sure  is the epitome of their customer service.  A coworker and I were delayed in Austin, leaving us with just 10 minutes to make a connection from B6 to E1 in Atlanta (see map)... so we expected to just spend the night there. However, as soon as we stepped off the plane, a Delta agent was standing by with our names on a sign and shouting for us.  I quickly approached him as he assured me he’d help me make my connection. Next thing I know, the back door or the jet bridge is opened, and I’m following the agent downstairs and being lead to a PORSCHE.    And, not just and Porsche: a fully Delta-customized Porsche Panamera.  The driver raced along the tarmac- giving us a behind the scenes view of ATL- rushed us up the back stairs of our next jet bridge, and successfully helped us make our 10 minute layover – with 5 minutes to spare.

So, there are certainly times travel can wear on me.  But, this once in a lifetime experience definitely brightens my travel up along the way

AND Breathe....

So, I never claimed I was great at maintaining a hobby for any long period of time..... To make up for my absence, here is the rapid fire version of my last six months:

June: Cousin’s wedding, Move to a New Apartment, Cory’s Bridal Shower, Still in Iowa
July: New Bootcampers, Party Boat, Visited Nick in Dayton, Still in Iowa
August: Cory’s Bachelorette Party, Nicole’s Wedding, Ann Arbor trip, Recruiting starts up, Still in Iowa
September: Cory’s Wedding, Lake House, Stephanie’s Wedding, New Project in Jersey City
October: Recruiting madness, On site Interviews, Austin City Limits, Daenerys for Halloween, Pretty much no sleep
November: Reunion with Katherine in Boston, Thanksgiving and vacation in Michigan, End of recruiting

::EXHALE::

Over the past few months I’ve been feeling like I’ve hit nearly my college schedule again: the ~5-6 hours of sleep/night, insane ups and downs, but also the huge adrenaline rush of getting through it all.  This fall, I was very involved in the college recruiting process for my role.   And, while it certainly cut into my sleep schedule, it was probably one of my more rewarding career experiences to date.  Recruiting was a great opportunity for me to interact with some members of higher management, meet some really awesome students, reflect upon my own experiences as a consultant, and really put my organizational skills to the test.  In the end, I think the candidates we’ve secured for next July was definitely worth the sleepless nights.

So, now that recruiting is done, I’ve decided to use my flight time (previously dedicated to just trying to keep my head about water) to get a jump start on a New Year’s resolution and restart this blog -  hopefully elaborate on some of the above rapid faire as well.  Maybe I’ll get lucky and can win some loyal followers back (because you likely all know me well enough to know I’m definitely watching my traffic/data) ;)

Remote Week

Last week, I got to work remote, which means that I got to spend an entire week at home.  And, let me tell you, it was pretty much the best thing ever.

I hadn’t spent more than 4 consecutive nights in my own apartment since October, so it pretty much felt like a vacation.  First, I didn’t have to spend my weekend preparing for travel.  So, I could do laundry Monday night instead of Friday or Saturday, and Sunday I could spend the entire day out with friends without having to worry about rushing home to pack.  Then, I got to sleep in until 6am on Monday (instead of 3:55) to start the great week where I got to pick out clothes from my own closet and use bottles of shampoo bigger than 3 ounces every day.

Being home was also great because I could accomplish so many things all week.  I packed up 3 whole boxes (yeah, I know) for my upcoming move, sorted through all of my old clothing, and even cooked! That’s right, I used my stove for the second time since starting travel.  I could even go to a yoga class or happy hour with friends in town.  Every night was almost like an adventure because there was something new to do.

I have to say though, the best part of being remote was really reconnecting. It has been so long since I spent much time in Austin that I hadn’t realized how much I was allowing myself to disconnect from it.  Being in the office was incredible to interact with and be inspired by so many coworkers that I hardly see outside of an email.  It also allowed me to feel reconnected with friends at home, because even though I might not have seen all of them all week, it helped me to feel like Austin was really home again.

Being remote last week was incredible.  But, it also made me realize that all of those little things would not have seemed so special if I got to do them every day.  So, in a way, being remote made me appreciate travel even more, because it always makes home so exciting

Thunderstorms Are Bigger in Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas, right? Well, this weekend I learned that this applies to thunderstorms too.  Now, it may seem weird that it has taken me nearly a year to see this, but, remember, that with all my travels I don’t really get to experience my own weather all that much (plus the huge drought thing last year).

This Saturday I was reminded of how much I LOVE thunderstorms.  I love seeing the lightening streak through sky, hearing thunder so loud it rattles my windows, and just watching the storm.  This time, the storm started while I was out, so I got caught in the rain downtown, and in just the few minute walk to car, I was sufficiently soaked enough to cross “get caught in the rain” off the spring/summer to do list.  Fortunately, I made it safe inside before the big storm really hit.  Which included power surges, hail (I think), and so much pouring rain that there appeared to be a river running through my parking lot.  Perfect way to end the night :)

Then, Sunday night, I realized that these storms can be pretty awesome (provided they come on Sunday and not Thursday) at giving me the consulting equivalent of a snow day.  Since I decided to take a chance flying American Airlines again (only because it would be leaving home) my flight Monday morning was delayed from the late night storms.  So, with my connection time reduced to 5 minutes and SO many daily options to get to Des Moines, I was rebooked onto a flight at 6pm instead of 6am – nice work thunderstorms :) 

Always One Day Away From Healthy Eating

One of the great perks of being a consultant is that you get to eat out at awesome places and try new foods all the time.  One of the problems with being a consultant is that you have to eat out ALL the time. 

I love trying new foods.  When I found out I would be coming to Des Moines, I spent several nights on tripadvisor, yelp and google searching for all the restaurants I needed to try.  Within my first week on site I probably had at least a dozen different places bookmarked.  And, this might not be such a problem if I hadn’t bookmarked places like Zombie Burger; where you can get a bacon cheeseburger made with grilled cheese sandwich buns.  (Yes, I ordered this.  And yes, it made me feel very, very sick).

So, after a couple months of eating like that, I decided it was time I improve my habits.  And, for the month of January, I did great.  Ate a ton of salads, fish, chicken and veggies.  As a general rule, I wouldn’t even look at the burger/sandwich section of the menu.  But, then when birthday month came along, every meal was a new excuse to try something new.  And, I quickly slipped back into my diet of cheeseburgers and fries.

Every couple weeks, I tell myself I’m going to start making changes and eating healthier.  No more french fries, no more deep fried appetizers.  And, then within a day or two I hear about a new amazing place that I just HAVE to try before leaving Des Moines.  Or, I hear that the new hotel I’m at has free chocolate cake in the lounge.

So, I guess I’ll start eating healthier tomorrow, one night can’t hurt, I tell myself.... But, until then, I’ll just work on trying to find more new and exciting salads to fill in the gaps and try again the next day.

Seat Selection

Being the person I am, I sometimes analyze seemingly meaningless things a lot more than other normal people.  Choosing my seat on the airplane is no exception (on the nights I don’t get upgraded that is).  Since I fly so often, I’ve learned exactly where I like to sit, and even a few tricks to get what I want.

Sitting near the front is an obvious choice.  You get off the plane sooner, get drinks sooner, all that good stuff.  In general, in the mornings I like the windows (to lean against to sleep) and in the evenings I like the aisles (makes a regional jet feel less claustrophobic).

In the past couple of weeks, however, I discovered a new great flying perk: THE EXIT ROW.  I know what you’re thinking, either: “Veronica, you fly every week, you’re just now realizing this?” or “Veronica, you are 5’2”, why do YOU need the exit row?”.  These would both be logical questions.  For a while I avoided the exit row because I really didn’t need the extra leg room and felt bad taking it from people who did.  But, last week, I discovered that on a CRJ900, if you take the exit row you get TWO tray tables.  That’s right, you get to pull one tray table out of the armrest, and then can also fold open the one on the back of the seat in front of you.  Creating a perfect space for both a laptop, a drink and a snack. WIN!

Then, tonight, I realized a brand new perk of the exit row, picking it really allows you to pick any seat in coach that you want.  How? You might ask. There’s the obvious choice of asking the airline to reseat you, but this not guarantee you end up anywhere better.  Instead, you just watch tall men board the plane, and, if they sit some where you’d rather be, ask if they want to switch – haven’t had anyone tell me no yet.  So, when I sat down tonight and realized that on an A319, you do not get a second tray table in the exit row, I turned to the man behind me (who was seated next to an empty middle seat) and asked him to trade.  Score for having enough room to sit cross-legged a spare tray table right next to me :)

Never Flying American Again

Us consultants like our loyalty programs.  For me, Delta is my airline, but, I will very occasionally deviate when it makes drastically more sense to fly someone else.  For example, when it takes 1 hour to get to Chicago on American vs. 4.5 hours with Delta.  Well, never again American Airlines...

This year, I’ve attempted to fly American Airlines 3 times.  And each flight was delayed or canceled all together. 

First, they put me in  “maybe” situation on whether or not out our flight would even go out, and told me that they would try and rebook me for next day or the one after that.  Which, kind of doesn’t work when you’re only taking a 2.5 day trip.  Fortunately, that flight did end up going out about an hour and a half late because they wanted the plane to get stuck in Chicago if it was going to be stuck.

Okay, I will give you that there was a pretty big snow storm that night.... but worse was the return trip, where, with only a few clouds in the sky and a light drizzle, American decided to cancel my return flight.  But, not to worry, they told me.  Since I was on the last flight of the night on Sunday I had been automatically rebooked for Monday at 10pm - which wasn’t gonna work for this girl. So, I tried to convince them to put me on an earlier flight.  They said that was no problem and that they could accommodate me at 5pm (meaning I’d still miss the entire day of work) but no earlier.  Being the stubborn person I am, I told American that I was sick of struggling with them and to refund my ticket and I’d just drive it instead.  Now I can add the lovely trip from Chicago to Des Moines to the list of drives I have no desire to repeat.

Alright, so maybe it was just Chicago that had issues.  And maybe I just had a bad weekend, so I’ll give it a try once more going through Dallas, I think.  Flight check in time is 5:45pm and at 5:44pm, my flight gets canceled.   Here is where my attention to checking in early comes in handy, because I am likely one of the first people on that flight to notice the cancellation and call American right away.  Only to enjoy their lovely hold music – interjected every 3 minutes with a message telling me that I could get help online  - for the next half hour.  (Which, when the website tells you that you have to call, just adds insult to injury.)  Fortunately, in this case I was able to claim I had a very important meeting the following morning, so they were actually able to rebook me successfully onto an earlier flight.

I was at least lucky in these situations to always end up where I wanted to be eventually.  But, after all that hassle, I think I will stick with Delta from now on.

Michigan!

Okay, so I’m not very good at keeping up with this whole blog thing.... But, are you really all that surprised with me?  I have this tendency to come up with these great ideas to improve my life, swear that I will stick to them, and then get sick of it after about a week (like the 2-3 times a year where I swear I’ll start eating healthy/not so much fried crap).  But, better too little than none at all, right?

Anyway, a pretty awesome part of my job is the ease it gives me to fly all over the country at will.  I guess I sometimes take for granted that most fresh out of college graduates can’t just hop a plane to a new city for the weekend.  So, last weekend I took a trip back to Michigan, which (while pretty busy) was every bit as great as I remembered it.

 I got in Thursday night, and the greatness started right away by being greeted at the airport with a ride and a hug from a friend - way better than a trip to the rental car counter :)  Within an hour and a half of the wheels hitting the ground, found myself at Ashley’s with a beer in hand, and a few of my favorite Theta Taus.  The only thing that could make the night better was the fact that one of the waiters remembered me from a year ago and gave me some extra signatures on my card (I’m up to 66 if anyone is keeping score at home).

Friday, I got to enjoy the general greatness of Ann Arbor by wandering around campus, enjoying the beautiful Michigan spring, munching on Blimpie Burger and swinging by Kilwin’s for coffee truffles.  In the evening, I got to see everyone from Theta Tau and meet my new grandlittles! I love getting back at times and really seeing how the chapter has grown and catching up on everyone’s lives.

Saturday morning I grabbed a rental car first thing to go visit Cory for the day.  We had a great time shopping (yay for finding bridesmaid shoes!), but more importantly, catching up.  Time and time again I’m reminded with her that even though our lives are miles apart, some things just never change :) Finally, Saturday night I headed home to see my family and celebrate mom’s birthday with the family – a perfect end to the weekend.

As hectic as my life can be sometimes, there are moments where I have to take a step back and realize how great it is.  I really am fortunate that I can travel home so frequently and that I’m able to fit all that greatness and so many loved ones into just one weekend :)

This is March? I’ll take it

Not quite sure when march became absolute perfect weather, but I love it.  Somehow, just this weekend, we finally hit that warm-enough-to-be-out-at-night-without-a-jacket streak and then great the weekend just started to fall in place accordingly.

Friday night started with the intention of hitting up IKEA, however, since stores are not open nearly late enough (in my opinion) dinner ended up postponing that plan.  So, we took it upon ourselves to go exploring a friend’s new (and possibly my future) neighborhood.  Turns out, exploring on a March evening is a great idea– live music at the grocery store anyone?  Buy a bottle of wine inside and enjoy the free music outside.  I must do that again sometime...

Live music outdoors at the grocery store :)

Then, Saturday after helping Emily furnish her entire apartment (okay, maybe I like shopping too much sometimes...) an evening downtown was in order.  Perfect weather meant new dresses, outdoor concerts, and dancing on rooftop bars – a pretty awesome Saturday if I do say so myself.

I did learn Saturday that not nearly as many people here cheer at the “South Detroit” line in Don’t Stop Believing.... But, the few who do remember each other.  So, the lead singer may just find you after the concert to ask where in Michigan you’re from :) 

The Apartment Hunt

I can’t believe I’m coming up on a year since moving already... So the apartment hunt has begun!  It’s not necessarily that I don’t like where I’m living right now, mostly, I think I’m just ready for a change.  The apartment I’m in now is beautiful, with a ton of space, a balcony, and a nice pool – most of which I never use with my work/travel schedule.  I’m also getting a little tired of not being able to get anywhere without getting into my car.  Having lots of trees and nature around is nice, but I miss the days in college when I could just walk across the street to get a cheeseburger.

When starting the search back up again, it took me about two days to realize that I can’t have everything I want, in the area I want, for the price that I want (big surprise there).  So, I’ve since spent most of the week feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of options on the internet while I try to figure out what it is I actually do want/what I’m willing to pay for it.  On the advice of a couple of coworkers/ friends, I finally contacted a realtor who I’m very optimistic will help make my searching much easier over the next week.  I did start some tours today, and started feeling a bit better after seeing places in person.  Some places were clearly no’s: $1100/month for a studio is certainly not in my price range.  But, the maybe’s are a lot more difficult.

I’m thinking what it will really come down to is where I want to live: south area that’s close to downtown, or father north that’s closer to friends/the office.  I love the idea of staying south so that I wouldn’t have to learn a new area, and being nearly walking distance from downtown.   But, I am getting tired of feeling trapped by rush hour on Friday afternoons/evenings.  So, I’m looking forward to exploring the north campus area tomorrow with some friends and hoping that will make my decision a bit easier.

Hotel Cautionary Tales: The Iron

There are certain things I’ve come to love about living in a hotel all the time (maid service, someone making my breakfast, valet service, etc.).  However, I’ve also learned a couple hotel lessons the hard way, namely the iron. 

Every week, my routine on getting into the hotel room is throw my suitcase on the second bed, change the thermostat and check the iron.  Checking the iron may seem like a ridiculous habit, but, in just my few months on the road, I’ve stayed in at least half a dozen hotel rooms with irons with the bottom covered in rust.  The first time I noticed this was unfortunately while sleepily ironing a shirt to wear that day when I saw a huge rust stain on the front of my shirt.  Shirt was totally ruined - not a great way to start the day at 6am.  (Fortunately, the hotel did pay to replace the shirt). 

And apparently this isn’t an isolated incident.  Since hotels buy all their irons at once, they all tend to go around the same general time frame.  So, if you’re staying in a certain Hyatt they seemingly do not have any irons in the rooms that aren’t at least slightly tarnished.  Meaning that following the iron inspection every week is a phone call asking the front desk to replace my iron... again...

So, upon checking in today in my not-so-perky-Monday-morning-just-got-off-a-plane-haven’t-had-coffee-yet mood and finding yet another rusted iron, I decided that phone calls were no longer sufficient. I grabbed the iron, marched down to the front desk and calmly but assertively told the manager that I was tired of reporting the iron every week only to get them replaced about half the time (putting hotel pillowcases on top at least protects the clothing). The manager assured me that this would be taken care of with the housekeeping manager and that rusted irons were not acceptable. 

Feeling victorious much better after speaking to the manager directly, I looked forward to coming back to my room tonight to discover.... just a slightly less rusted iron. Here’s to better luck next week!

Des Moines

I’ve been working in Des Moines, Iowa for about three months now on the typical, out on Monday, back on Thursday schedule.  After being there for three months, I’m beginning to feel ready to leave, but at the same time, there are some things about Des Moines I’ve really enjoyed.

The Small City

The nice thing about Des Moines being so small, is that it really is pretty easy to manage.  I can drive most places without getting lost (quite the accomplishment for me) and it wasn’t hard to start feeling like I fit in there.  In a city this size, it’s pretty easy to get to know the different restaurant, hotel, and airport staff to make you feel a little more at home.

But, after 3 months, I am beginning to feel a little of the small town squeeze.  I’m starting to get a bit tired of the restaurants near me, and am still a bit nervous about venturing out to the suburbs where it’s quite uncommon for someone to eat dinner alone at the bar (making me self conscious about doing so).  I am quite thankful though that the downtown restaurants do have a bit of variety to their menu, so even when I repeat locations, I can still try something new.

Working Alongside the Client

In Des Moines, I’ve had the pretty awesome opportunity to work with the IT department at the client site.  Our team has about 8 developers, 3 QA staff, 2 business analysts, 3 subject matter experts, and 2 managers – only 2 of which are consultants/contractors.  At first, it was a bit intimidating that so many people with years of IT experience were working so close to me, but, over the course of the project, it’s gotten incredibly empowering.  Not only have I been able to learn more about their company and the IT world in general, but more importantly I really feel like I’m making a difference there.  Whenever I’m feeling a little uninspired, I think back to my first day on site where everyone felt a little clueless and reflect on how far we’ve come.  From things as simple as showing some one where a particular feature was or how to use it, to devising a solution for complex concepts that initially went right over my head, the team as a whole is accomplishing things I was worried weren’t even possible at the start.

So, while packing up for another trip to Des Moines on a Sunday night isn’t necessarily the most exciting weekend activity, I’m excited for what new challenges and accomplishments I might cross this week.

Starting to blog

Where to begin? I’m Veronica, a business process management consultant and a recent college grad.  Through my last 4 months of travels for work, I’ve realized that I’ve had some really awesome opportunities to experience some pretty incredible things. Whether this blog really grows, or even makes it out of the word document I write in to in the airport is still a question to be answered, but I look forward to sharing my travels, trials, and adventures with you :)