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Nov. 24th, 2012 05:15 pmThere were a few more interesting details from my trip to present at a technical conference than my nose injury. I'll fill this in more detail later (or in subsequent posts) but wanted to capture a few bullets.
- GoGo Inflight, the WiFi service used by Virgin American (VX), used to be very reliable. Not at all on both legs of the flight.
- Had dinner with Julie and Reggie at Dave and Busters, sans children. We played games, I was the recipient of a wonderful bear in an orange hoodie, and the three of us managed not to understand the new-fangled photo booth which resulted in a series of images of the three of us staring blandly at the camera.
- Finished my presentation less than twenty-four hours before it was given. Good attendance at the session and several contacts made. Mission accomplished.
- The Westin Providence is lovely and staff very good.
- Rental car was a Ford Fusion. Other than the fact that the previous driver had ruined the alignment (the car pulled strongly to the left) and it smelled like old gym socks, it drove very nicely. Who in the world did the dash design? Ugly, ugly speedometer/tachometer in lovely colors from 1984 and the worst designed radio/satellite/environmental controls I've seen in years.
- The conference was challenging because most of my time was spent with vendors and customers. I am moderately extroverted and it was exhausting.
An example of why - clueless vendor asks repeated questions about my personal life then is offended when I share something personal:
At dinner vendor asks repeated questions about my husband and children. I mention I have a partner. Later, he asks me why I did not join the military despite being heavily recruited in graduate school. I said, "I would not lie and check off the box 'I am not a homosexual.'" He stopped learning forward, sat up stiffly and said, "Why did you feel the need to share that with me." My response - "Why wouldn't I? It's just a part of who I am." He expressed shock and I said, "Oh come on, look at my footwear." He looks confused. Discussion ensues. Tiring.
I recounted this story to my gf who told me "This is why people think Terri Gross on NPR is gay. Those are NPR shoes, not lesbian shoes." HAH!!!! She's so fabulous.
- Flew home a day early. Interesting tidbit - while Logan is hell, VX has its own security at the gate (as do many of the airlines in terminal two.) Saves a good deal of time. Missed an opportunity for another dinner with Julie. This means another East Coast trip is in order soon.
- GoGo Inflight, the WiFi service used by Virgin American (VX), used to be very reliable. Not at all on both legs of the flight.
- Had dinner with Julie and Reggie at Dave and Busters, sans children. We played games, I was the recipient of a wonderful bear in an orange hoodie, and the three of us managed not to understand the new-fangled photo booth which resulted in a series of images of the three of us staring blandly at the camera.
- Finished my presentation less than twenty-four hours before it was given. Good attendance at the session and several contacts made. Mission accomplished.
- The Westin Providence is lovely and staff very good.
- Rental car was a Ford Fusion. Other than the fact that the previous driver had ruined the alignment (the car pulled strongly to the left) and it smelled like old gym socks, it drove very nicely. Who in the world did the dash design? Ugly, ugly speedometer/tachometer in lovely colors from 1984 and the worst designed radio/satellite/environmental controls I've seen in years.
- The conference was challenging because most of my time was spent with vendors and customers. I am moderately extroverted and it was exhausting.
An example of why - clueless vendor asks repeated questions about my personal life then is offended when I share something personal:
At dinner vendor asks repeated questions about my husband and children. I mention I have a partner. Later, he asks me why I did not join the military despite being heavily recruited in graduate school. I said, "I would not lie and check off the box 'I am not a homosexual.'" He stopped learning forward, sat up stiffly and said, "Why did you feel the need to share that with me." My response - "Why wouldn't I? It's just a part of who I am." He expressed shock and I said, "Oh come on, look at my footwear." He looks confused. Discussion ensues. Tiring.
I recounted this story to my gf who told me "This is why people think Terri Gross on NPR is gay. Those are NPR shoes, not lesbian shoes." HAH!!!! She's so fabulous.
- Flew home a day early. Interesting tidbit - while Logan is hell, VX has its own security at the gate (as do many of the airlines in terminal two.) Saves a good deal of time. Missed an opportunity for another dinner with Julie. This means another East Coast trip is in order soon.
