Random Ramblings

I'm sitting in business class on a train headed back to Montreal, so I suppose that means the conference is really and truly over. I thought at this juncture it might be useful to wrap up with some thoughts I've collected over the course of the week.

( Be warned: it's quite long )

So, all things considered, would I do it again? Probably. Though I would very much like to have evenings off, as I did this week. I'm glad I went, and I'm glad I experienced it, and I'm especially glad I got to see some friends and family I'd neglected for two years, but I'm also glad I've got next week off.

The short version: Another long day at the reg desk, followed by room service and (finally!) a dip in the hot tub.

( The long version )

The short version: 11-hour workday, followed by quasi-work.

( The long version )

The short version: Lots of very tasty and very expensive food, moderate amounts of work.

( The long version )

Starting tomorrow, I get to pretend I'm a corporate jet-setter for a week. I'm going to Toronto to work at our organization's annual conference (attendance: approx 550). We're traveling in style! Business class train, staying at the Fairmont Royal York, eating room service... the good things in life. (Yes, my boss has confirmed that she's perfectly happy to have the company pay for my room service, so long as I "don't abuse it." Apparently the girl in my role last year managed to charge $3,000 to her room by the end of the week. I don't even know how that's possible.)

My train leaves at 10:10 tomorrow morning, and I'm mostly all packed. I'll just need to pack my computer before I leave. My suitcase is stuffed! It's odd, because normally I don't pack that much. A one-week trip usually just involves a pair of jeans, a bunch of t-shirts, and changes of underclothes and socks. This time, I've got to bring business clothes as well, which apparently take up a lot of space. Oh, well. They've got a laundry service at the hotel, and I may take advantage of that towards the end of the trip, lest I return home and have no clean underwear.

My boss has offered to reimburse me for a taxi to the train station, but I suspect I'll just take the metro. It's weird thinking about charging things to the company, though I suppose I'll get used to it pretty fast. (Not fast enough to charge $3,000 in one week, but I digress...)

It's going to be a busy trip. We're working Monday through Saturday, and every day but Monday starts at 7:00 a.m. or a little before. Ouch! I expect I'll be pretty exhausted. On the up-side, there's a pool and hot tub in the hotel. I fully intend to take advantage of them, especially the latter.

I'll be trying to get at least a bit of social life in, too. Monday I'm Skyping in to my weekly D&D game (will the wonders of technology never cease?), Tuesday I'm having dinner with some friends, Saturday is dinner with family, and Sunday I'm hoping to have a "hang out with Julie" brunch for all the friends I haven't seen in a while. (If you live in Toronto, and you're reading this, you're invited. Details TBD.)

So that's it. Tonight I'm hoping for an early bedtime, and tomorrow I'm on the train. More updates as they appear.

Two major events of import yesterday:

First, lunch at Massey. Yes, I dragged Marc out to my old UofT stomping grounds to have lunch with some of my friends. Most of them have since moved out of Massey and don't spend much time there anymore, but I was able to marshall them together for lunch. And a mightily fine lunch it was, too: lots of laughter and catching up, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I also gave Marc the 25-cent tour, and he rubbed the wart on the statue of Robertson Davies, so all is well.

Afterwards, we went to the One of a Kind Show -- a huge exhibition of artisans. I think we were there for over six hours. We had to be: there were a thousand exhibitioners. In the end, my aunts bought tons of stuff (much of it quite lovely, too). Marc and I didn't buy much -- mostly presents for our friends. HOWEVER, I did find an absolutely awesome shirt: red, tight, and sexy in an elegant way. I had to have it. Unfortunately, it was slightly outside the budget I'd set for myself. Fortunately, my aunts see "budget" as more a guideline than a strict rule, so my Aunt Ricki bought it for me. Thank you, Aunt Ricki! For posterity, there's a picture of me wearing it behind the cut. (It's not the best picture, but it's a very nice shirt. *grin*)

( Click to see me in a sexy red shirt )

It took us about an hour to get back to my Aunt's place because of a huge amount of traffic (we're theorizing there was a hockey game letting out). When we did, we broke out some soup, cheese, baguette, wine, and fruit, and just generally conversed for several hours. I wound up going to bed around 12:45, and Marc joined me at some point after that. And now, once more, it is morning. Time to start moving.

It's been a whirlwind few days for me. I helped Kyn out fixing up the cafe on Saturday, went to the opening on Sunday (after about 5 hours of roleplaying, of course), finished all my courses... whew!

Today, Marc and I are heading to Toronto until Monday. I've got quite a few things lined up for us, some of them inked in, some only penciled. I hope Marc doesn't mind that I'm dragging him along to see all my friends.

Once more: if you're a Torontonian and want to get together, email or comment with a phone number so we can make plans.

Cheers!

Hello, my long-lost Toronto friends! From November 28 to December 3, I will be in Toronto, along with my boyfriend Marc. If you've been longing to see me (or us) again, now's the time to book our presence, or at least make your interest known! I'm already booked for the Sunday, but otherwise my schedule's still free.

To make plans, comment, email, Facebook message, or call me. I'll be waiting!

I woke later than intended this morning and promptly (well, perhaps not quite so promptly) went out walking with Ian. We explored the area around his brother's place, discovering a number of nifty stores in the meantime. There are so many things that I now need that I'd never heard of before today... or perhaps I'm just giving in to commercialism.

The hours between 2 pm and 5 pm are probably best unmentioned. Suffice to say that the lovely relaxed feel of the morning gave way to stress and annoyance, for more than just me.

Somewhen around 5 pm, Ian and I arrived at the nominal reason we're in Toronto this weekend: a party celebrating his grandmother's 90th birthday, his father's 70th birthday, and his parents' 45th anniversary. The good news is that there was not an hour and a half of speeches (unlike the last familiy affair of theirs I went to). There was also some decent food. To top it off, I sat at a table with a three-year-old and a five-year-old, both amazingly cute and talkative. Yay for cute kids.

Somehow, I managed to find myself the new owner of a one-person teapot (the centerpiece for our table, filled with flowers) and two teabag holders (someone else's prize that they didn't want). Now all I need are little teacups to go with them; thankfully, I know where they can be purchased.

I actually managed to make it through the dinner without too much stress. Then, foolish me and foolish Toronto urban planning, I managed to get lost and spent 15 minutes becoming progressively more-so. It was not a pleasant time. I eventually found my way back to the 401 and reached Andrew's, but it took a long time for me to calm down from the aggravation. Many thanks and hugs to Marc, who spent 20 minutes on the phone with me, long-distance. Also many thanks to Eric, who took the time to talk with me on MSN for much the same purpose. Speaking with them is wonderfully therapeutic.

One final note for the evening: you know you're in a geek's house when you've got 3 computers in one room, all of them in use, and all of them on Facebook.

That's all for tonight. G'night all.

Today's breadcrumb reminds us that everyone must observe the Passover, just in case it hadn't been mentioned enough already.

I was awakened this morning by Ian, phone to his ear, asking me if I wanted to go for breakfast with Jess. I did, so I woke up (from a particularly odd dream, I might add) to shower and head out to near Kipling subway station. I have come to the following realization: I hate driving in Toronto. With a passion. The depths of hatred I have in my soul for Toronto driving is nearly equivalent to the hatred I have for driving in downtown Montreal, and that says something.

Anyway. Got to the breakfast place, and got yelled at by the owners for parking in their parking lot without actually eating there. Picked up Jess. Ate there. Situation resolved. It was nice to see Jess again.

Afterwards, I left my car in a strip-mall parking lot, crossed my fingers that it would still be there when I got back, and hopped on the subway to downtown.

I stopped in at Massey and CMS, gave a few hugs and chatted a bit, then walked around downtown Toronto with Ian. We went from Bloor and St. George to Front and Yonge, across the waterfront to the pier, and spent an enjoyable hour or so talking and watching the water lap against the ship hulls and stones. I like watching large bodies of water. I had nearly forgotten how much I missed it.

We had sushi dinner. It was tasty. Then we went back to Andrew's (I hate driving in Toronto), tripped the alarm, hastily called Andrew to find out the code to disengage it, got through just in time, and all's well that ends well. Not that my evening is finished yet: we've still got friends to meet at a pub nearby. I suspect I'm going to be sleep-deprived by the end of this trip.

Hugs to all the Montrealers in the audience, especially Marc. See you all soon.