Starting Monday I'll be out of town and probably away from the blog for a while. I'll be attending a very large trade show for my paying job which only happens every two years. I know I should have been in Chicago 2 weeks ago for FRI, but this is as close as I could come. For those who were lucky enough to be at FRI, this show, by comparison, fills all four of those buildings at McCormick Place. It's a rough week for me, I assure you, I am walking the floor all day and have about 20 different appointments during the show hours. When the show closes, we head back to our Hotel, drop our junk, nap for 20 minutes and head out for a business dinner, every night. We get in at around 11PM (sometimes its a bit later) and do it all again the next day. Yeah, we eat in the best Restaurants and drink top shelf liquor, but it's all work. When I finally return home, I am shot and it takes me 3 days to recover. I usually get home from my flight at around 11PM to 2Am and have to make an appearance at work the next day. Not fun.
Returning to work the following Monday, my co-workers act like I have been on a paid vacation. I hate that. It is really hard meeting all those people, working on future plans, eating all that fillet Mignon and keeping up a professional appearance (falling down is considered in poor taste, funny as hell, but in poor taste). Then there are all the models on the show floor I have to navigate through, it wears a guy out. Last time I had a model sit next to me on the shuttle bus going in to the show and she was impossible to shake. When I walked past her booth later in the day it started all over again. she didn't even know I was a Firefighter, so I'm wondering what the attraction was. I'm sure it wasn't the fact that I was wearing a badge that indicated I was employed, and therefore making purchases for, a major worldwide corporation. No that couldn't be it, but what could it have been? It must have been the mustache.
Anyway, you guys will have to read some of the better blogs this week while I am off working hard. Last time I was in Chi-Town I was going to try and visit a firehouse. It turned out there was one right around the corner from my hotel, a ladder company as I could see. Every time I grabbed my jacket to take the walk over I saw them headed out on a run. It seemed like those guys only came back to the house to pee. For an entire week I counted them going out on twenty runs and I didn't spend hardly ANY time in my room except to sleep. I heard sirens so much that I felt like I never left home. This year we've got a better hotel (read "closer") and I hope I can find a house nearby.
So look for me to show up about the same time I return.
UU
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