A Girl Named Shopping

Yes -I've been waaaayyyy negligent of my blog(s).  It only took me a week to go back on my word to keep current with Stories.  I'm bad - what can I say... But in my defense....:)

I've been in Sheboygan, WI; Edina, MN; San Francisco, CA; and a bunch of other places and work has been crazy!

BUT!  Today I'm headed out on vacation/work.  It all started as vacation and then I opened my mouth and says "hey if you need me to do anything", and of course they took me up on it.  I'm headed back to Beijing!  I originally was just going to hang with Julie and celebrate the Chinese New Year Beijing style - and now I'm also adding a day of work with our customer there.  I'm strangely ok with it as Julie and I get to stay at a Marriott there for two nights as its closer to the office.

And what's with the title.... Well - if you'll remember the last time I was there, I was in the Starbucks by Julie's and one of the baristas saw me reading my Bible and told me she was a Christian too... So I'm hoping to see the most wonderfully named (albeit a taken name) girl called Shopping!  She was awesome and so is her English name:)!

Off to China.... Hoping to sleep a little on the way!

Where? What?

There's so much to tell - in a dull, backwoods sense...

So, I just got the email this week from a hospital system that I've (yes I've) been working with as my rep for the corporate account switched positions after two meetings and then kind of left me carrying the ball as there's no new rep yet.  I've been running the meetings, arranging the trials, forming the initial relationships - not usually what a manufacturers rep does... But Ill do anything to get business.  Yes I use that proverbial phrase with the proverbial caution of "well, almost anything..."

So HSHS just told me this week that they gave the corporate order for all accounts to officially make the switch to my product from their current.  Great news - but with 13 accounts and me needing to soothe and caress each account its a long road to conversion.  A lot of info and meeting and trialing - and unfortunately HSHS tends to be all rural accounts and only in IL and WI.

While I'm up in MN, I'm hitting two accounts for them by Eau Claire, WI.  The first today was a 3 hour drive from Rochester and is in the teeny tiny town called Chippewa Falls. One of those small Midwest towns where everyone has the plastic deer contentedly grazing on their front lawns, there are warehouse sized American flags flying over every gas station (of which there are exactly two),  the little old men wear those ear flap hats and drive slowly downtown in their gigantic 1987 Buick Lasabres and - yes - where everybody know your name.... And if they don't currently know it, they learn it quickly!

We're headed over to Eau Claire after this - a teeny tiny bigger town.  Next week I'm headed Sheboygan and Green Bay way for those booming metropolis sized towns!  Heck - one even has its own football team! (I forget the name...:)

And - a good friend of mine asked me something driving related and when I looked dumbly at her she commented "well if anyone would know I figured it would be you because you've driven way more than I ever have!"  And then I thought - darn right!  I've driven more probably than anyone else on the planet -- well, within reason:). So I decided, as much as I can remember to - I'm tracking my miles this year.  Well - at least my big trips, not the day to day stuff. I have my tally already but Ill wait until Friday later to post it.  Probably not as shocking this week, but still more than just goin to the office!

BTW - It's getting warm out there!!! Break the flip flops out!

Take It To The Beach!

I remember a sign on the train in Tokyo -my favorite sign ever.  Although it was tongue in cheek as an advertisement for civil behavior on the train - it means something more to me today!

Take It To The Beach!

And as I drive north into Minnesota and actually escape our negative weather, I'm reminded of this sign... And I feel as if I am indeed going to the beach....

As we say in Chiberia as of late..

"Stay warm!"

Chiberia

WWAAAHH!!!!!!!

That's all I have to say!

It's freezing here!  My rep in MN said we were colder than they are -never happens!  Heck -they said the South Pole is -9 today... We've gotten to -18 ... And that's not with the wind chill factor which is putting it to like -40!

And to boot!!! My flight that I had to reschedule from last week because it was cancelled.... I just received notice that its been cancelled until Wednesday!  So I may be stupid but I've decided to drive it because I can't cancel on this account again - and I've got 4 other appointments booked. 

I'm cold and I'm already tired and - I need a nice holiday break...

Wait - I think I just had one???!!!!

Again - WWWAAAHHH!

And by the way - Stories is up for Monday!!! Think warm - no - think HOT!:)

http://storiesfromasnapshot.wordpress.com

Lawnshoeing On The Runway

It took all I could muster, but how could I not get up early on a Saturday when a few friends said "let's go snowshoeing!"  So get up I did, grabbed a local friend and headed downtown to meet up with a group of my city mice at Northerly Island.

Northerly is part of the Chicago Park district right by the museum campus and - turns out - its the site of Miegs Field -well, old Miegs Field.  The tower and the terminal building are still there - the terminal building is now the park district building.  

You can see the broken up runway down along the shoreline.  And then you can walk over by Adler.  The problem was that since its right on the lake, the wind was pretty wild and the snow is always less directly downtown so the snowshoeing was more lawshoeing as half the course was pavement, ice or just plain old sod!  It was still fun just because of everyone who was there!

The skyline is great from the park - and the beauty here -parking is only $1 an hour!!!! If you ever do any of the museums - park at the park!!!

And then we ended up back in Edgewater and eating sandwiches and pie at this place I've been wanting to try. By the time we left after a good long hang out, it was starting to snow again.  Ahh - stop the snow already!

Back Where I Started

Update...

I began my day at 5 a.m., started sitting in the airport at 7:30 a.m.  Sat through various time and gate changes - all to be told at 5p.m. - "your flight to Minneapolis is cancelled".

AARGGHHHH!!!!

Seriously?!

So, I came back to where I started the day and Ill try again next week.

Oh - Brittany left late - but she left!  She's home in KS nice and warm.

New Year - Old Snow

It started in 2013.  Initially softly falling from the darkening skies around 3pm on December 31st.  And then we rang the new year in - 2014 - snow still softly falling.  We went to bed around 2am on the 1st -softly falling.  We woke up around 10:30 am - softly falling.  We ate brunch at noon - softly falling.  We drove home at 2:30 - softly falling.  We got home at almost 5pm - softly falling.  We went to bed again - softly falling.  We woke up at 5am-softly falling.  We drove to the airport - softly falling.  Sitting at the empty gate waiting - softly falling....

Did you realize that two days of "softly falling" snow really adds up!!!!!????  My flight was supposed to leave at 8:45 and now its 9:15, but were still sitting by an empty gate.  At least my appointment isn't until 1 and Minneapolis doesn't seem to have snow right now - probably because its below 0 and so its way too cold to snow!...

Happy 2nd day of 2014!!!!

Happy New Years 2014!

New Year's Eve was spent celebrating with friends (and niece) downtown at Viant.  We hung until midnight - actually after.  And then four of us who don't live directly downtown, headed across the street and spent the night at a hotel.  It wasn't wild and crazy, but it was definitely fun with tons of laughs and the food was pretty good too!

New Year's Day at noon we headed to a Spanish place in the old Blackstone Hotel for brunch.  It was crazy snow, but it was another fun time with friends before heading back to the reality of a new year:(.... 

I head out of town tomorrow until Friday night - Minneapolis - well see if I make it out with the weather!

Happy New Years 2014!!!!!!!