My post convention bounce

Denver is one of the few stops NOT on my itinerary this week. But that doesn’t mean I wasn't there in spirit. I even declined an invitation to a work dinner last night with the excuse that I “had to watch Obama’s speech”. The only reply I got from my boss was “that makes me ill on so many levels”. I felt like it was a really excellent networking moment.

So sorry – not much to blog about…but I do have a random collection of punditry from the past four days:

• After last night’s speech, the Republican who DOESN’T get selected today as the VP may be one lucky republican
• Obama took a look of heat for the “messianic look of the greek temple stagecraft”…ummm, I think that’s supposed to be the oval office – granted an oval office with Stevie Wonder playing in it, but the oval office, nonetheless. If you don’t like the architecture, talk to Thomas Jefferson.
• Barack and I are now texting regularly.
• I, for one, will be paying close attention to Cindy McCain’s speech next week. Because let’s be honest…if the president is 73 years old…it’s really going to be the wife running the country.
• We consume 25% of the world’s oil and have less than 3% of the world’s reserves. Even if we drill in ALL of John McCain’s backyards… we STILL won’t be able to affect the price of gas.

I hate that I will be out of the country for the start of the Republican’s convention…but I am SURE I will have ample blog material for the end of next week.

Welcome back

It’s good to be online again….and there are certain ways I can tell people are back reading the blog after the hiatus:

• I got really cool comments telling me things like – I’m “officially middle aged now”. Ummm....I need a BLOG for this??
• Coincidentally, I got three emails about Christmas travel the same day I blogged about going to NYC for t-giving. Tomorrow I should blog about “things you can do to help my move”
• Nicola had my passport in my hand by breakfast today.
• My readers have voluntarily topped up my Starbuck’s card (# 6034-4310-3885-9900). Just sayin’
• My bit in the blog about John McCain’s houses has really taken off in the media.
• All the cash donations.
• Ummm…this is a little awkward…but see…I can literally tell who’s reading my blog by the trace on my site. The trace that tells me not only who is reading the blog, but…kinda cool, here…what site you came from in arriving at savemethecall. Sooooo… “GE Plastics”, thanks for your loyal readership…but at some point…you REALLY should quit shopping for Corvette accessories at work.

Someone fire my travel agent

This week’s itinerary? Nashville to Boston. Boston to Philly. Philly to San Diego. San Diego to [Somewhere], Mexico. Now, it’s hard to complain when your week ends with a vacation in Mexico – but do I really have to make four stops to get there? What am I?…going on a tour of (some) of John McCain’s houses???

The whole thing makes for QUITE a challenge when packing. Here are a few things I’ve noticed:

• I have discovered that I brought a certain number of things (like…twenty-three) to Massachusetts just to Fedex them to California so they can be packed for Mexico. My bathing suit should be ASHAMED of its carbon footprint.
• My cowboy hat is going to look GREAT in Mexico. It does, however, look ridiculous in the Providence airport.
• The Mexico portion of my packing got a LOT more attention than the Massachusetts portion of my packing. Go figure.
• I will do ANYTING to not check a bag…thereby engaging the different-city-same-outfit rule and pushing casual Friday boundaries to the limit with plans of a beach wrap.
• If I work out every single day while I’m gone…I STILL won’t need all 13 of the sports bras I packed. (Really? And not a single hair brush?)
• Know what would have been handy to include in the suitcase…a passport. (ummm….Nicola?…if you’re reading this ….)

Home for the Holidays?

Turns out mother’s computer is shut down with a virus. Or as us bloggers at savemethecall like to call it…”amnesty”.

You know how I was in the dog house with my mom for a while. Well – you know how you get OUT of that dog house? Tell her you’ll take her to NYC for Thanksgiving!! [AFTER clearing it with Rita, of course. Of course.] Now THAT’s a great idea. [all comments re: my mother playing me like a cheap violin have previously been submitted, thank you very much.]

All I have to do is find a hotel room. Do you know how many Euros it costs to rent a hotel room right now in NYC – four. That’s right. If you speak Dutch, you can stay in NYC for the equivalent of an hour’s pay. If you are from Nashville, TN, you can stay in NYC for the equivalent of a small house in your neighborhood. Honestly – after calling to check on hotel rooms for Thanksgiving, I just wanted to scream at the operator…I don’t want to BUY the hotel room, just stay it in for a day. Not even the whole day…just from like 10 p to 10 a?? Holy cow. Maybe John McCain has a condo there I could borrow??

Plan B was Hilton Points. But do you know how many nights you have to stay in a Hampton Inn to earn a stay in Manhattan? 2007 is a decent start. Oh wait. I.Did.That. And I STILL don’t have enough Hilton Points. I have determined that Hilton Points have the inflationary value of some African nation’s currency. You think they’re worth something when you earn them…but when you go to spend them…you find out they’re worthless.

Someone has to explain to mom why we’re staying at a youth hostel.

The bitch is back

Given my disposition the last two weeks…you have no idea how accurate that subject line is. I am on assignment in Massachusetts as temporary manager of a (somewhat troubled) billings & collection team (and yes, they were troubled BEFORE I began my assignment, thank you very much).

It is MUCH more work than I have become accustomed to. So HERE are the Top 10 signs that I’ve been working too hard:

• I’ve quit drinking diet coke…because it interferes with my starbuck’s consumption
• While listening to iTunes, I requested an email account for my new staff member…Matt Nathanson. Now…I don’t know about you…but Matt Nathanson is one of my FAVORITE new singers – but he is NOT on my staff…Matt O’NEILL is on my staff, but not Matt Nathanson. I do, however, know where you can email Mr. Nathanson, if you’d like.
• With only minor provocation, I find myself telling my 8 a.m. staff meeting that “I’M ALREADY FOUR HOURS INTO MY WORKDAY”. So much for never-let-em-see-you-sweat, eh?
• My staff to performance-plan ratio is not even 2-to-1.
• Ummm…the family starts talking about MY “paranoia level” instead of [redacted]’s =)
• I start referring to my daily (hourly?) starbuck’s latte as my “virgin bailey’s & coffee”.
• I can now afford to take my mother to NYC for Thanksgiving…which will be a lovely little segue into tomorrow’s post
  
  And # 1…
• I don’t have time to blog =)

But that’s all in the past….here’s hoping I can properly prioritize my blog posting this entire week.

Even Obama gets a vacation...

...wow they are really making me work up here in Mass. So just like Obama...I am taking a few (more) days off. So focus on your Olympic watching...I hope to be back on-line next week...

All work and no play...

makes Maeve a dull blogger! No use checking back...nothing good is happening here in Florida to blog about =(