Okay, now I'd really rather be in Chalfont

That last post was a long one, so I'll try to keep it brief. This time I'm blogging from an airport - Denver International to be exact - and I'm hoping this will be my last time ever spending enough time in an airport to be able to blog. All I can say is thank God for this little "device charging station" and the ability to spend a few hours on my laptop to break up the time. I'm already in my tenth hour here. It is currently 5:45 pm Mountain Time, and I arrived here at 8:25 am.

When I looked at the Departures board this morning, I thought there must be some mistake. My 10:33 am flight was now leaving at 8:50PM? Really? How could there be a ten hour delay on such a beautiful summer day? And why me? What would I do with all that time? I thought about going back to the hotel and checking myself back in, or taking a cab to downtown Denver, but I didn't want to go that far from the airport in case something changed. After taking a few minutes for a pity party, and receiving a Skype call from the girls in the D.R. only to find that they couldn't hear me, I nearly sank into a depression. I started to make a game plan in my head about how I would spend the next twelve hours. One hour doing crossword puzzles, one hour eating lunch, one hour shopping in the airport stores, one hour on my laptop, one on Facebook, one having dinner, one hour reading - okay make that two... and after all that I still had four hours left! Not a great way to end a vacation, but maybe Colorado really wants to keep me... at least that's the way I'm looking at it.

Now it is 5:41 pm MDT and I still have three hours and ten minutes before take-off. It's hard to believe I've killed this much time, but when you do everything reaaaallllyyy slowly, it's easy. I think I spent 20 minutes this morning just looking at earrings in a store, and I never even bought any. I've watched disappointed passengers all day, finding out that their flight to Vegas was delayed two hours, or that they would need to wait an extra 45 minutes for their flight. If they only knew. The problem is that 18 of Frontier's fleet of planes were severely damaged by a hail storm the other day. So I guess they figured anyone going to Philadelphia would really rather be in Colorado (they got that right) so why not give them the longest delay?

It's too bad I didn't realize this sooner, or I would have spent the day in downtown Denver, but it is another 95 degree day. Besides, I did learn a lot about how to waste time, which is something I don't get to practice very often.

Now I'm off to the Mexican restaurant on the mezzanine for a quesadilla and a margarita. At this rate, I should get home around 3:45 am. At least I'll beat the girls home from the D.R.!

Goodnight from DIA!

Okay, I'd REAAALLY rather be in Colorado...

Nothing against Paris, but ever since I started my obsession with it over 20 years ago, it's become so "common". I mean everywhere you go there's another Eiffel Tower clock, pillow or framed print. Last month, I even found a collection of colored glass oil and vinegar decanters in the shape of an Eiffel Tower. Plus, I've been to Paris once - in March of 1992. I've now been to Colorado three times. What does that tell you? Anyway, the longer I'm here the more convinced I become that this is my next home.

It may not be for another 10 years, but someday I will move here. I've even started scoping out some neighborhoods and streets that might be a good fit for my next abode, and thankfully there are plenty of small homes in the Colorado Springs area. They may even be too small for me, but I've yet to see a McMansion neighborhood here, and it's refreshing.

Today I check out of my Colorado Springs hotel and head up to "Breck", as Al T. affectionately called it at lunch yesterday. He told me to take Rte. 24 to Rte. 9 and look for the famous "cabin in Colorado" as I pass through the town of Alma. I've been writing about the area for so long that I figured it would be worth a visit, even though I may have passed through Breckenridge before, it was before I started writing. I may make a second stop at Garden of the Gods on my way out of town this morning, since my camera was still charging the last time I was there.

Since I'm kind of using this blog as a travelog (sp?) for this trip, let me review what I did over the past few days. On Wednesday, I drove from Denver to the 'Springs and checked in early at the Marriot Courtyard. After setting up my room, I headed out to see some of the sights. While I was out, I purposely drove by the Marrison and Clawson Law firms, the office of Action Team Realty, and the U.S. headquarters of the Navigators. Even though I had no intention of introducing myself as their "blogger" it was still nice to see where they're located. I drove onto the campus of Glen Eyrie Castle and was met with an overzealous security guard, who gave me "permission" to visit the bookstore and cafe, but not to walk the grounds or tour the castle. That was fine with me, but when I drove into the property, I was very impressed with everything about it. It would be the perfect place for a woman's retreat. It even has some of the same orangy-red rock formations as the Garden of the Gods, which is their neighboring property. After buying an iced caramel macchiato and a few souvenirs, I headed into the Garden of the Gods and took some pics with my cell phone.

The afternoon went quickly, and I used up a lot of gas just driving from neighborhood to neighborhood. I went through charming Manitou Springs and Old Colorado City, drove toward the Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel, and saw some incredible sights along the way. After searching in vain for a place to grab a salad or something healthy (such as Saladworks or Chipotle), I ended up at the Burger King across the street from RMCC and chowed down on a double stacker meal. Yikes! But the same people who were behind me in line at BK ended up sitting behind me in church just a few minutes later.

The Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel has some of the same things that ours has, only on a much larger scale. Their Solid Rock Cafe has a wall of windows that looks out on the whole Pikes Peak mountain range, and leads to an outdoor balcony deck, with more tables and a massive grill. The senior high youth group were out there enjoying a cookout after the service. All in all, the Colorado version of Calvary Chapel is a lot like the PA version, except there were some very "Rastafarian" and hippie looking greeters, and everyone wore sandals. Peter John Courson, who was their guest speaker from a Calvary Chapel in Capo Beach, CA, was wearing leather flip flops and gray tight straight-leg skater jeans. Even the pastor was much younger and hipper than any that I've seen in my area. But the message was the same, and everyone was very friendly. Another difference was the way they take communion. People who feel led are asked to come to the front of the church and take the elements back to their seat, instead of passing the plates down the aisles. There was no reminder of the sanctity of communion, or discussion of how we should search our hearts and not take communion "unworthily". Perhaps they figure that everyone already knows this? It might have been just a little too casual, but this is the West. After church I grabbed a "to-go" salad from Macaroni Grill and brought it back to my room, then went to the pool for a late swim.

Yesterday started out with an email from Al, telling me he would be arriving at the Mexican restaurant in his Harley. So I took my time in the morning and decided to visit the Garden of the Gods Trading Post before meeting up with him in Manitou Springs. After 45 minutes of being sucked into the vortex of souvenir shopping, I was proud to have spent only $40! Al and I enjoyed an oversized burrito on the outdoor deck of this authentic Mexican place, with a creek running through the back. It was strange to take our relationship out of the two-dimensional world of email and blogging and into a three-dimensional face-to-face conversation, but I really enjoyed getting to know him. I would speak more on this but I don't want this blog to become my diary.

After leaving Al to ride home on his Harley, I headed to Cripple Creek. It was a beautiful drive, and I stopped along the way to take pictures, but then I realized my phone was acting strange. Being wholly dependent on the GPS features of my phone, and for communication of course, I was more than a little concerned when it wouldn't even charge. Cripple Creek was a cute little Western town but it turned out that every store front was really a casino inside. It was a little surreal, but Al did warn me of this. I asked the first casino employee I found whether there was a Verizon store in town, but they said I would have to go back to Woodland. Why did this not surprise me... Cripple Creek is really just one big casino. I might have spent 15 minutes there, total, before heading back to Woodland. And wouldn't you know it, I had to drive back through 16 miles of winding roads on Route 67 - in a hailstorm!

This was one of those times when I could hear my mother's voice - warning me of the dangers of being a woman traveling alone - but I just prayed that God would get me back there safely and help me find a Verizon store. And of course, He answered my prayers. When I finally found the tiny Verizon retailer, I was told they didn't sell batteries, but somehow a woman named Morgan saved my vacation. She called tech support and found that my battery was covered under warranty, so she had them send my new batter to her and gave me a battery from her new phones. Before I knew it, I was on my way.

The next stop was the zig-zag mountain road known as Cave of the Winds Rd, which led to the Cave of the Winds of course. This was just another example of why I want to live here. Absolutely beautiful! I didn't take the tour, but the view from the top was incredible. Plus, I think the gift shop uses Pikes Peak Rock Shop (one of my blogging clients) as their supplier, so I had to buy an Ammonite fossil plate, and a few other souvenirs for Mom and the girls. From there, I headed to Old Colorado City and watched a free concert in the park until I was hungry enough for dinner. Then I walked down to Pizza Rustica, at Al's suggestion, and ordered a Rustica pizza, which I ate on their outdoor patio. By now it was after 7, and I was tempted to go back and just rest, but the diehard tourist in me kept me going a little further. This time, it was to Seven Falls.

Driving to Seven Falls was another adventure, involving a lot of winding mountain roads on Cheyenne Canyon Road, only to find that I went the wrong way. I saw a small waterfall, and then a steep climb up to a mountain resort, and wondered where I went wrong. So I headed back down the mountain road in 3rd gear and realized where I made the wrong turn. This time I did end up in Seven Falls, where I paid $10.75 to see the "real" falls. Getting there at night was a great idea, because the falls were lit up in a range of brilliant colors. They even had a Native American dancing show right next to the falls. I took the elevator up to the top and took lots and lots of pictures, grabbed a grape Gatorade and headed back down the hill to my car.

I arrived back at my hotel very tired and glad I spent so much time seeing my beloved Colorado Springs. It will be sad to leave here today, but as Arnold Schwarzenegger has said, "I'll be back!"

I would rather be in Colorado?

Okay, here I am, first night in Colorado - by MYSELF! The girls are in the Dominican Republic and here I am, in the middle of what looks like a tropical storm in Denver. It all started when I sat in my black Chevy Impala rental car, trying to figure out the XM Satellite Radio I rented for $4.99 per day, only to find that IT DOESN'T WORK! Anyway, I'm scrolling through the Denver radio stations and all of a sudden that beep-beep-beep sounds comes on. You know, the Emergency Broadcast System. Only this was not "just a test".

As I stared into the sunset with the white peaks of the Denver airport in the distance, my first thought was "Great... I just got here an there's gonna be a tornado or something..." but it was just a flash flood warning for some county I never heard of. So I started on the 27 minute drive to my hotel, the Hampton Inn on Zuni Street. All I could see was a spectacular light show of lightning bolts far ahead of me on the highway, but it didn't really worry me. It was actually kind of pretty, that is until it started raining. Being in a rental car, I couldn't even find the wiper controls. Before I knew it, it was pouring so hard I couldn't hear the GPS on my phone, and I had to repeatedly wash the windows because I couldn't find the wipers! The guy in front of me put on his hazard lights, and then the floods came. I could barely see, and decided to put on my hazards tool. Thank God I finally figured out the wipers, and I made it to the hotel okay.

Now it's 10:30 Mountain Time, but it feels like 12:30. I ate the hotel's complimentary "Honey Roast Mix" and a coke from the machine down the hall. That was my dinner. I didn't see any restaurants nearby and wasn't really hungry enough to look for one in the rain. So here I am, on my laptop, watching Billy Ray Cyrus being interviewed by Piers Morgan, and wondering if I really need to move my car out of that handicapped spot I parked in. No hot tub for me tonight, I'm afraid, but at least I was able to revive this blog. To be honest, I had forgotten all about it until I was flying here today. Hoping tomorrow will be better... so far I'm not doing anything different than what I would normally do on a Tuesday night.

Goodnight from Denver!

another weekend, another set of "to-dos" that will be left undone (again!)... for some reason I cannot find the motivation to clean, exercise, run errands, etc. Maybe this is because ever since I lost my job i have no real schedule... and since I can just make it up as i go along, i tend to put things off. I'm sure i am not the only person who feels this way, but when you're feeling unfinished and misshapen on the inside, it usually shows in the way your house looks... how neat you are, etc. so, i am hereby giving myself a break. I vow to read, watch a movie, cook something yummy, take a leisurely walk and give myself a pedicure BEFORE I do anything else. (now, watch me put THAT off too!)

Craving structure and time mgmt skills!

okay, it's 11:53 and i should be asleep, right? well I just had to do something fun before turning in for the night. after all, I just spent the past six hours (or more) reinstalling windows xp, microsoft office, my printer, skype, odesk team, all my favorites, google toolbar, gmail, blogspot, and so many other things that make my life complete. I got the dreaded windows system32 ntoskrnl virus and had to reinstall everything. in the process I lost all my data, so i guess you could say i learned my lesson. BACK UP YOUR DATA!
And just one thing before I go (I must get the blood flowing to my legs after sitting for WAY too long)... I hope Sergio really kisses Lauren tomorrow.... I really, really do. (c'mon Serg, you can do it - and Lauren, what is so wrong with wearing some lip gloss, really?)
And one more thing - i really really hope i get the job at i-marketing... interview is in 8.5 hours! the only thing i won't be happy about is the drive to princeton every day... i was really starting to like the "content creation" business. too bad it doesn't pay well enough!

rainy, rainy monday

Here I go again... blogging when I should be job searching! I never realized how everything seems to come down to "optimization" these days... in other words, it's not just for search engines any more. Now our resumes all need to be "optimized" for specific, job-related keywords. I learned this when I applied for a new business development position (for which I am the perfect candidate, by the way!) and was told I didn't have enough experience in business development (or selling new accounts) to qualify for an interview. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard that... anyone who looked at my resume would have clearly seen that this is not only a huge part of my background, it is my "forte"! But the recruiter said I needed to "incorporate specific keywords into my resume" in order to PROVE this to the hiring company. Apparently, no one even reads your resume anymore... they just scan it for specific keywords, same way Google scans gazillions of pages of web content to find the most relevant pages for your search. If the keywords aren't in there - in significant numbers - your resume just gets overlooked. After learning this new little tidbit of job-searching wisdom, I'm tempted to create a resume that makes absolutely no sense, has no complete sentence structure, and relates nothing about my 20+ years of experience... rather, I will simply repeat the relevant keywords throughout every paragraph and bullet point, and see if that will land me an interview. Should be an interesting experiment...

Meanwhile, a word of advice to all "traditional media" people (newspaper veterans, radio and broadcast, even outdoor advertising sales reps): Be aggressive... B-E- AGRESSIVE! Before long, you will be fighting for your life in an even larger pool of potential employees in already oversaturated job market. With just about every major newspaper and traditional media company about to go belly-up, there will be a huge (and I mean huge!) influx of unemployed media people out there with you looking to "break in" to the digital space... so be sure to "optimize" your resume with all the really cool interactive buzzwords that they haven't learned about yet. It will be the only way to compete in what promises to be dog-eat-dog job market.

Enough said.

okay, lauren talked me into this, so i guess i will have to write something now... hmmm.... maybe i should have named this blog something else, like "i'd rather be watching anderson cooper", or "iwishihadajob" or "iwishilookedlikemegryan"... but i guess i'd really rather be in paris, even if it has been SEVENTEEN YEARS AND 5 DAYS SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE!!!!! so, this is what blogging is like huh... like why would anyone even want to read this besides me? well maybe if i'm famous someday, someone will find this blog in the blogspot archives and publish it into a bestselling book, so i better be on my best behavior (kinda takes the fun out of it though!). one thing i will say is that it's better than twitter. i was having a hard time fitting all my thoughts into 140 characters, and some really creepy people started following me. there's definitely something sinister about twitter, i just haven't figured out what it is yet.

well, goodnight and happy april fools day!