The Land of BBQ and Bush

The first leg of my trip has begun...I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to begin boarding.  I always get nervous flying - not sure why, since I've heard it's actually more dangerous to drive a car then to fly, but I'm nervous none the less.  Plus I had to check a suitcase, which I don't normally like to do - an additional worry that I'm not going to have any clothes when I get to Houston.  At least the hotel I'm staying at is in one of the largest malls in the nation, so if necessary I can buy a whole new wardrobe - I'm sure my bank account would like that.  But I did pack all my shoes in a small suitcase I'm bringing as one of my carry-ons, so at least I won't have to buy any new footwear (darn it).

I have to admit, it was quite the task to pack for this trip, since really it's two trips in one.  I had to pack a bunch of work clothes for the conference I'm attending Mon-Wed, then a bunch of fun clothes and some beach clothes for the LA portion of the trip.  I even went so far as to write out a clothes schedule for each day - if I had a polaroid camera I probably would have taken pictures of each outfit, a la Kimora Lee Simmons.  Speaking of which, I think she is so fabulous, having watched her show, Life in the Fab Lane.  She definitely knows what she wants and knows how to get it from people, which I have to say I admire a bit as I am certainly not that way.  

Anyway, I digress.  Not much longer until I board the plane to the land of BBQ and Bush - hmmm, putting it that way doesn't make me so excited to go.  It's like going into hostile territory - hopefully I come back alive. :)

Giddyup

Things have been pretty crazy at work lately, and they're only going to get crazier.  I have quite a few projects that have deadlines in early April with still a ton of work to be done.  Now mix into the pot the fact that I'm going to be out of the office all next week and it's the perfect recipe for stress.  

Despite the stress of leaving for a week, I'm really looking forward to the trip I'm taking.  The first part of the week I will be going to Houston for a conference for work.  While conferences aren't always fun, this one deals with GIS (Geographic Information Systems), which is what I use on a daily basis at work and also what my undergraduate focus was on.  Plus I'm entering some maps I created for work into a map competition at the conference, so I'm really hoping I win.  Maybe I would get a bonus!

The conference lasts only from Monday to Wednesday, at which point the second part of my trip (my actual vacation) begins.  I'm so excited to be going to LA to visit one of my best friends (and her hubbie).  They bought a house not that long ago and I'm excited to see it.  I'm also excited to lie on the beach, hopefully in the warm sun with no clouds or rain.  And I'm going to be a geek and admit I'm excited to try and spot celebrities (even D-list ones).  I need to make sure and charge my camera so I don't go to take a picture of, say, Alyssa Milano, and get the low battery flash.