OUT OF THE OFFICE

Don't you feel like people are immune to out of office replies? So in order to make sure people are paying attention, I want to make sure that I'm using my out of office replies appropriately. If I used one for every day I was not at my desk, you'd get an out of office reply from me every other day!

I used to use "Up in the Air" when I was flying (but now there is gogoinflight). I used "Out of the Country" but wifi usually gets me internet most places. "At an event" but now I have a cell phone with 4G coverage. I almost have no excuse to be offline for so long that I need an out of office reply. Email responses within a day I think is acceptable, and for coworkers who really want to know where I am can stalk my calendar.

Two exceptions

1. When I'm out of the office on vacation, I now write clearly in the subject line: "Out of the office on vacation" so people realize that I'm OFF of work.

2. When I'm out of the office for all day trainings with limited access to email, I will write "Out of the office in training" so they'll realize that I'm unavailable all day day.

But what about for business travel?

Now that the internet allows us to possibly be connected wherever we go, I wonder what my appropriate out of office reply should be when I'm traveling for business domestically with some access to email in between meetings on my phone or computer?

A) Out of the Office

B) Slow to Email

C) Traveling for Business

D) None of the Above


What do you think?

BLOWING A KISS

Usually, it feels nice when someone blows you a kiss but not when it's a cab driver who blows you a kiss after telling you he isn't willing to take you to JFK, leaving you shivering in the snow.

:(

LOOKING FOR POWER

Always.

As a traveler, I am constantly looking at my battery life, looking for power under my seat (getting furious when my row's power doesn't work or on American Airlines flights where they require you to have a car charger on some flights - !!!), looking for the Samsung power stations at airports, and when those aren't available, hidden power outlets along walls, columns, and floors of the airport. I would find myself standing awkwardly by a column so my phone could charge while I wait to board my flight. I want to make sure that my phone battery lasts to be able to scan my boarding pass at the gate and take a phone call from the car picking me up.

And I'm not the only one.

I see people awkwardly sitting on the floor next to a bathroom at the airport. Not the best spot to wait for your flight. Not surprisingly, there is a power outlet available there. I will sometimes sit at a restaurant within the airport where I know there is a power outlet. At the Starbucks in Penn Station, they have power outlets in the benches. I always know that I can get juiced up at Starbucks for the price of an iced coffee as I wait for my Acela train. So smart!

Today, I discovered a new idea for making sure you have power for ALL of your devices. Carry a power strip. HAHA. Someone was kind enough to lend me 2 spots on her power strip today - one for my laptop and one for my phone. Not sure if this is a thing I'll start doing though. Although I was so so glad for her power strip.

TRAVEL + TRANSPORTATION = 53% OF CREDIT CARD SPEND

So, someone help me calibrate whether this is a lot or not. I just got my 2011 American Express end of year recap, and it appears I spent a total of 53% on transportation or travel. This doesn't even include the hotel stays that went on group room blocks and such.

FEDEXED MY LUGGAGE

Traveling out to the West Coast for a few weeks + tacking on a Tahoe trip with my gear meant that I had 3 bags packed for the trip. Three days before heading out, however, I got a call from work asking me to come to DC first. In 30 minutes, I had changed my housing, my rental car, my flight, and bought an Amtrak ticket from NY Penn Station to DC Union Station.

But what was I to do with my luggage?
I was NOT going to lug all of my bags from NY to DC to SF.

Not to worry! I had always heard about Fedex Luggage services, but had never tried it. So on Monday, before I went to work I took my bags to a Fedex that opened at 7AM in the morning to ship my snowboard bag and 2 other pieces of luggage. You don't even need to put your things in boxes. They'll just tie your zippers shut, add a Fedex tag and ship your luggage ground. For me to ship my bags across the country it was going to cost me $87... that's it... and it was going to take 4 days to get out to California.

So, when I head off to DC with my little Rimowa carry-on, I felt as light as a feather!

Unfortunately, I had to learn one huge lesson: 4 days ground shipping really meant 7 days. Shipped my things on Monday. Packed only enough clothes for 4 days in my little carry-on. And Fedex tracking kept telling me that I would get my luggage on Monday. I had to do laundry on day 3. I had to do some shopping at Safeway. I had to buy sneakers. (Got into workout clothes to actually exercise on this trip and found that I only had boots, so I just went to bed early that day.)

I'd still do this again for a long trip. In fact, I'm shipping all of my bags back East, except Rimowa, since I can't bear for her to get beat up.

$1260

Flight to San Francisco < $1260 Flight to Hawaii < $1260 Flight to London < $1260 Flight to Brazil < $1260 Flight to Shanghai < $1260 Flight to Detroit > $1260 Really? I really deserved that upgrade. And thank goodness the company's got this one.

BURLINGTON AIRPORT

Seven things I learned about this airport that might be good to know if you ever head to BTV.

1. There are 15 gates.

2. You can board and deplane from the rear. Just step outside and go up/down a few stairs.

3. There is free wifi in the airport (That's where I'm writing this entry!)

4. You get a beautiful view of Vermont and Lake Champlain flying in and out.

5. There is no Hertz gold lot. The rental car area is so small, you get your key at the counter, pick up your car, and no one checks your car before you leave the lot. When you return, you just park the car, note your mileage, and return your key back at the counter.

6. The TSA guy is so strict (I guess since he doesn't have the time pressure to get people through security speedily)... he stopped EVERY SINGLE person in line (all 5 of us) and re-checked all of our bags.

7. Apparently the honey ricotta cheese I bought at the Rutland farmers market is considered a LIQUID or GEL. C'mon people! I had to leave the $5 deliciousness behind. The gal who checked my back put the cheese container on the floor and not in the trash. I bet she just wanted to eat it. I even bought heirloom tomatoes to go with the ricotta cheese. There is liquid inside those tomatoes, and they didn't have a problem with that. Ugh! So upset. I was really looking forward to tomatoes with ricotta cheese!!!! :(

*** The guy in the row behind me just said.... "You know what I could really go for right now? Some ricotta cheese! he he - I was right behind you in line." He apparently had lots of things tossed out in this airport before. ***

THESE GIRLS KNOW HOW I FEEL!!

Thanks for understanding, gals! (Shared on Google+)

POST:
ME - Yesterday 2:11 PM - Mobile - Limited
Guy next to me just said I'm not tall enough to take advantage of the leg room I have in the exit row. :(

COMMENTS:
JY - [outrage] wow ... i hope you stretch out to your maximum abilities!
Yesterday 2:12 PM

ME - I'm surrounded by tall, broad-shouldered men whose knees touch the literature pocket....I do feel a little bad for them.
Yesterday 2:17 PM - Edit

JH - Whenever I get an exit row and I see 6ft+ guys coming on the plane, I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep bc I can't look them in the eye.
Yesterday 2:27 PM

KT - ok, maybe you feel bad on a plane for those 6ft+ guys. but just remember all those times at concerts where you can't see sh*t because they're all standing in the front 10 rows when they should all the way in the back.

JH - true that
Yesterday 2:46 PM

ME - +1

+1!

If you are too shy to leave me a comment, I added +1s to my blog about a month ago. It's like secretly letting me know you're reading! It's easy... you can +1 from your phone easily too.

And you can tell me in person what you think ;)... many of you do, which encourages me to keep writing about my experiences!

Now... if I could somehow link these posts to my Google+... I'll have to figure that out next.

MY LIFE IN CALIFORNIA

I was in California for 3 out of the past 4 weeks… Flying home on the weekends. Felt a little bit like I was living there. If I were to describe it, with a little bit of extra details to make it more interesting:

I drive a white Nissan Altima hybrid (that's what Hertz gave me two weeks in a row). My concierge knows me by name (the guy at the front desk at my hotel now recognizes me). It's a 20 minute commute to work by car. I don't take the back roads, though I've already figured it out because I like to make a stop at the Starbucks on University Ave. The same guy is at the register every day... (he wears way too much chapstick), and I put in my regular order… Grande Americano in a Venti cup. Actually, it's become my new order because I'm just constantly tired since I'm traveling so much. I get to work between 7:30 am - 8:30 am. I'm an early riser (only when I'm in California). That way I don't get stuck in the crazy traffic on the 101. At work, I've taken over a phone room, which has become my office. People know to find me there. After work, I usually hang out with coworkers or my California boyfriend (my friends are convinced I have one). Get dinner. Then Froyo: yellow cake flavor + strawberries = strawberry shortcake! Watch a movie... maybe. And a few nights of the week, I stay in to watch TV (Law and Order or House always seem to be on) as I do more work. While in California, I don't work out. I also snack constantly and eat more fruit because it's so readily accessible. I also try to get chiliquiles any chance I get because they just don't make them right on the East Coast. And on the weekends, I go up to wine country.

Doesn't my California life sound so glamorous?

TODAY, I'M DROWNING

That's it. That's all I've got to say today.

I WAS TOTALLY STALKING THIS GUY

You're probably expecting some juicy story about I was madly in love at first sight with some incredibly good-looking guy at the airport... didn't have the nerve to talk to him, but stalked him and took a photo to remember the moment by.

Unfortunately, real life is not that juicy.

I got onto the blue line at SFO after turning in my rental car and saw this guy who had some party going on in the back... but not like a mullet party. This guy was sporting a rat-tail-like-looking braid that went down past his waist. If that were not braided, the hair would probably reach the floor. But he was all normal elsewhere. Glasses, salt and pepper hair, sport jacket, trousers, pully computer bag... the only thing that was slightly weird was that he wore a fanny pack in the front. But I see that ALL the time while traveling. (People love their fanny packs still.)

So the whole ride I wondered... How long had he been growing that hair? If on average we grow 6 inches of hair a year, and he had 48" of hair, that meant that he's been growing that tail for 8 years. Was it for religious reasons? Did he believe that he couldn't cut it or else he would lose his magical powers? In a past life, did he sport a different style? Could he just not let himself cut his hair because he's had it so long he's attached? Did his wife like it?

(This is what happens when you travel alone... you have too much time to think!)

Anyways, I had my phone out the whole time looking for the right moment, right shot. For some reason, I wanted to take a picture. And when we reached the escalators, I was successful:

RESERVED - PREMIUM ROW

That's what Continental calls the front row of their economy section. Only people with Platinum Elite or Gold Elite get to choose these seats for free. So everyone else has to pay a little extra to sit here.

Today, that meant that I had no one in my row, though the rest of the plane was completely packed, even business class (otherwise, they would have upgraded me.) So pleasant! so nice! I have room for ALL of my stuff, my phone, my headphones, my book, my laptop, my bag, etc. to be sprawled all over ;) Very happy today.

Which is why I have the privacy and space to write a blog post:

Two days ago, I thought I had the same luck. But at the last minute, the seats were claimed. Did you know that in many flights, this row is where they put baby bassinets? I always learn something. Thankfully, the folks next to me refused the bassinet.

The woman was Asian, probably 30-35 with a two month old, who sat in the middle seat. She was wearing leopard print leggings that poof out a little bit on the top - the kind that is sorta fashionable right now, but I don't know what they are called. She wore a cardigan of some sort on top and flats. The person next to her was probably 60? He was wrinkled, combed his hair over his bald spot in the back and was graying… he could be younger, just unfortunately balding… so let's say 55? He was wearing old people's jeans, a belt, and a black button up shirt with the name of his company on it. Turns out they were married. Anyways, I ended up chatting up the woman, found out the name of the baby, that she's from LA, her sister lives in NY, this is their first trip with the baby, she's an American living in London, moved out there because of her husband's job, and she loves it in London.

So, instead of the bassinet, the mother kept her little baby on her 90% of the flight. The baby cried a little here and there, but not bad at all. Slept nearly the entire flight. I'm not complaining about that. BUT with these seats, you're just really close. I was close enough to smell the baby. I don't have babies of my own, but newborns have a particular smell. It's not terrible. It's just that they smell like baby, breastmilk, and baby sweat. I also don't know why mothers do this, as I wrote about in my other post, but they nurse right next to you. No coverup. I was not looking. How uncomfortable for me!

I wish this was the redeye leg of my trip, but it wasn't. I wasn't tired. I watched 3 movies on demand, wished I had a book, and got up only once because I felt bad tripping over the bare feet of the mother pressed against the wall, the baby bag, baby and such. *sigh*

(I bet people would never talk to me if they knew I blogged about them afterwards! Hee hee!)

PLANE READING

I should have packed my Kindle. I am on a no wifi plane, and they are playing a movie that I already watched just a week ago on another flight. Instead of packing my Kindle, I bring a book! Just one.

The thing is, my friend wrote this book, so I wanted to read the book from a book with a designed cover and flippable pages, not my Kindle. Too bad it was SO good I read it in 2 hours, and now I have 3.5 more hours of the flight with nothing to do (but write my blogpost)! I'm a pretty quick reader. I usually pick up a book when I know I can finish it. I just underestimated the amount of time it would take to read this one. The other 2 books of the series are back at home, thousands of miles away, and I decided not to pack them, so I could fit another pair of platform shoes in my bag.

I should just sleep.

LEARNING THE "AUTOMATED" ACCENT

On my business "road" trips, I am mastering understanding the "automated" accent. That's understanding my GPS telling me to "take-exit-four-hun-dred-six-ty-on-to-ca-li-for-nia-state-high-way-thir-ty-se-ven-east-to-na-pa-val-ley-val-le-jo." A mouthful, all said in a robotic rhythm without taking breaths for me to process my thoughts in between words. Or when my car service calls to tell me that "car-num-ber-one-hun-dred-six-is-on-its-way-it-is-a-five-to-six-pas-sen-"gar"-s-u-v." Yep - that's passenGAR, with a soft "g" rhymes with Iyengar (type of yoga). You would think that Limores.com would make that change. At least it makes me laugh every time I get upgraded to an SUV pick-up.

STYLIN' IN MY ..... BACKPACK.... (NOT!)

I used to carry a 3 part massive blue backpack that my company gave me. When I met up with people for dinner after work, they'd always say something about the backpack. I'd barely make it through the narrow passageway between tables (without whacking someone with the backpack) to our 2 person table that they had to move, so I could scooch in.

Asked the sis what she thought of the backpack one day... and for Christmas she got me a slimmer black Samsonite backpack instead. It's stylish for a backpack, and a total upgrade from the blue one. But how stylish can a backpack get?

It wasn't so bad, when I worked in midtown, but then our offices moved to the meatpacking district. I'm reminded of how much I compromise on style when I walk out of the building on Thursday nights, going home, when leggy gals in their heels strut the cobblestone streets carrying their mini clutches. There is something about being around beautiful, well-dressed people that makes you feel a little stupid, especially when you're in work clothes, wearing a backpack hailing a cab next to the chic in her lbd.

Some people manage to fit their laptops in their oversized designer handbags. But if you travel and commute like me, the backpack is a godsend. It saves my back, fits a lot of stuff, and most importantly, frees my hands - one for pulling my suitcase, the other for my phone.

Anyways, I probably have about a month before I let the backpack go into hibernation during the summer. The only reason why I choose the over the shoulder built laptop bag (which is also "oh so stylish") is because my back will sweat when I walk around too long with my backpack. That wouldn't be ladylike.

"UGGS...

Are not meant for rain.
Are not meant for men,"

I wanted to say to the 60 year old man I saw on the ferry with mid-calf UGGs with his pants stuffed into the boots and no umbrella in the rain. I had to look up whether UGGs were even available for men. They are.

NO, THANK YOU.

So, you wanted to tell someone that you decided to take a later flight to take advantage of the $400 travel voucher that United was offering you. I happened to be standing there. I nod, I tell you that I understand and would do the same if I were traveling for pleasure. Unfortunately, I'm traveling for business, and I didn't make it onto this flight that I was flying standby because I wanted to try to get on an earlier flight. I walk away. Might as well get food, I think. At the food court, I contemplate what I want, and I decide, nothing. So I turn around, and there you are again. Would I like to join you for breakfast? NO, THANK YOU. I tell you I'm going to do some work by the gate. WHEW. Can't you tell by the fact that I'm wearing leggings, sweatshirt, no make-up, and glasses, that I'm not looking for company? And gross. Why would you ever think I'd want to have breakfast with you, okay-looking-but-not-really-hot middle-aged man?? When someone asks questions like this, an immediate reaction is a quick glance at the ring finger. Yes, there is a ring. I don't think your wife (or kids) would like it if I had breakfast with you. Just being friendly? The innocuous first chat was being friendly. But SORRY, I'm not friendly enough to join you for breakfast.

MARCH 2011

That's when I will need to renew my passport. I'm even thinking of renewing it earlier just to replace the photo. I'm not THAT vain, but I took the old passport photo at some cheap campus photo / printing place with my hair wet, in a hurry to get my photo and take it to the Passport Office to get my passport renewed for a Junior year spring break trip to Barcelona.

I don't know what I was thinking. I was probably too rushed or too cheap to retake the photo. I look terrible. My parents, my sister, my friends, and even the immigration officers have affirmed this. They usually don't say very much, but they have taken second glances at the photo and my face many-a-times.

The worst.... this winter, an immigration officer looked at the photo, then at me, then back at the photo, and said, "You look much better in person."

"Uh... thanks???"

I thought briefly about getting rid of any evidence of this photo. But the stamps, the visas, the proof I traveled is documented in that little book, and I think I'll want to keep it forever. Who cares if I look like a mad monkey.

APPARENTLY, I AM NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK

I get Bloomberg BusinessWeek weekly -- and even when it was just BusinessWeek. It's been almost 7 years. It's fair to say that I am not the typical reader, though. There are a lot of things in the finance/investing section that I vaguely understand and gloss over. Even still, I didn't expect to feel so clearly not targeted to until I flipped to page 91 of this week's magazine.

I was only flipping through casually trying to get through the magazines that had piled up while I was away when "Packing the Perfect Bag - The comprehensive guide to the bags, gadgets, and techniques you need for a four-day summer business trip" title caught my eye. (My suitcase is open, recently emptied, only half packed on the floor, and this topic interested me greatly.

However, I was disappointed that all of the content was geared toward men. The Roller, Under-Seat, Duffle, Garment Bag recommendations were neutral enough. They only tell you how to pack a suit perfectly, what kind of hangers to use, what types of dress shirts/boxers/swim trunks/blazers/socks to buy.... And they only show mens clothes. Where are the tips for the women?? Okay, I get that there are many more men traveling for business and infinitely more male BusinessWeek readers, but then don't say that this is a COMPREHENSIVE guide and focus on men, because you've just excluded the women.