But I just got back......

Just got an email from another event planner at my company. My hotel room is already been booked at the swanky Orlando World Center Marriott & something-or-the-other and I have 31 days to book my flight down to Orlando, Florida. Normally, I would be thrilled to escape the cold northeast to the warmer lattitudes. But last weeks trip to San Diego has left me a tad frazzled. I need more than 31 days to recover before I can haul me to the airport again. I am supposed to be there for a whole week, all 7 days, all 168 hours..... arggh. Before you go off and say "U are being dumb!", let me enlighten on what this trip means.

Every year, we (my company) hold our annual national (well, international, we have loads of people from all over the world coming, so why call it national, duh!, but that is another story) forum in some exotic location or the other. The last few years it has been Orlando, Florida, before that it was New Orleans, and I don't know (don't care) where it was before that.  Like I said, we get thousands of people from all over the world. Last year we had 5500 people, from 20 countries. Nice bunch, all fancy folks from the healthcare industry. Nah, I don't work in healthcare, but work in the engineering fancy applications for the company to use. It is actually quite thrilling (for a few seconds) to converse with CEO's for top hospitals in US, Doctors for John Hopkins, and Nurses and Administrators. But then we have very little in common, that they in healthcare and me in computers. The job description for me during these 'fun' 7 days will be saying hello and directing (read: herding) people and handing them their 'coveted' tote bags filled with loads of paper (WHA! When are we going paperless!! Save the trees, Read online..... sadly no one listens!!). It is a mindless job, but then everyone from the management (leave out the senior management) down to co-ops in the company do this staffing job. There are two-three other jobs that I could have done, like room checks (checking with faculty and Audio-Visual checks before the session begins), or on-site registration (glorified clerk to take payment, change peoples session, listen to gripes, tell people session is full, and every few mins aggravate my captain with "can I take a break?"), or catering (help to organize catering for the few thousands, so that they can eat). Except for the catering, I have done all other positions and the jury is is still debating on which on is better. Current verdict is neither is better than the other. I rather be..... sitting poolside with a book, or taking a walk on the beach alone or with someone nice, or having a great conversation with someone intelligent (read: no gossip.... it leaves me brain-dead), or watching a movie, or knitting, or going to the gym, or sightseeing, or hiking, or or or.... for that matter be clickitty clicking on my keyboard, developing a new application (in short working my day job).

*Sigh*, so I don't want to go, but I have to.... If you like to go instead of me..... let me know. Oh! Just remembered, last year when I flew down to Orlando (for the national forum) the airline lost my luggage..... Ah, now it is coming back.... and I hated every minute of it. Oh dear!! There is too much hostility, too much negativity, too much angst..... this cannot be good......... I MUST concentrate on getting back to my happy place..... whatever and whereever that is.