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Aug. 13th, 2005 09:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aroraborealisWow, okay, life has been a tad busy these past few weeks. It's amazing how taking a day or two per week to travel for work really seems to shorten each week significantly!
This week, I was in Pittsburgh. I arrived late Wednesday night, got room service, had a couple of quick last-minute, "here's what you need for tomorrow," meetings around 11 (yes, 11) and flopped into bed. I was on the 21st floor of the hotel, which I love being up high and really enjoyed the view. Thursday, I was doing stuff all day, other than about half an hour of unexpected down time in the middle of the afternoon. I'd greatly hoped to catch an early flight at 5:30 (rather than 6:45) so as to get home around 9 (rather than 11), but no dice on that -- I didn't even get out of the hotel until almost 5. I was also sorry not to have more time to explore Pittsburgh. What I saw of it seemed surprisingly (to me, who has only ever heard of Pittsburgh from quite afar) interesting and nice. I had the strangest taxi ride ever on my way to the airport: the doorman at the Westin put three fares into the cab because of a shortage of cabs at that moment. The first fare asked to go to a store that closed, so the cabbie took them back to the hotel without charging them (after a 10 minute wander around the city). Then the next fare was going to another hotel, and the cabbie didn't charge THEM because it had taken so long with the first party. And THEN she didn't want to start my meter until we were on the highway. It was the weirdest thing. Of course, the whole way, she was talking about how hard it's been for her to make the lease on her cab, and I was thinking, "Well, no shit!"
I flew Independence Air, which was much nicer than Delta's Song, and had a better color scheme. I've also learned that for future business trips, I'd rather arrive at my destination the day before with enough time to find somewhere nice for dinner. This late, late arrival in advance of meetings the next day, while it sounds nice from the point of view of not wasting the whole day in travel, is a big pain from the point of view of trying to be rested before meetings the next day.
Happily, that's the last of the business travel for a while. I'm still enjoying business travel, don't get me wrong, but one trip a week is a lot!
I've also been housesitting this week, which makes everything a little funny, too. It's been a good week to be taking care of an air-conditioned condo, though! Huzzah!
This weekend is tax-free weekend in MA, which Aileen pointed out would make it a good weekend to make big purchases, which in turn led me back to my contemplation that I want a new mattress. We went to Mattress Giant, mostly on a whim because we were near there anyway to do some other errands, and we spent an hour or two making the clerks assume we were an extremely picky lesbian couple. I did find a bed that I think I'd like, and they offered me what seemed like an excellent deal on it (when I didn't go for the ticketed price, they knocked $200 off it, which makes me suspicious of all those ticketed prices!), but now I'm waffling about whether I really want to spend the money or not. It's not that I'm unhappy with my current bed so much as that I'm a little embarrased to bring people home to it because it's so compressed in the center. And that means it's great for just me, but if I'm sleeping with someone, it's a little less than ideal.
Anyway, I was feeling like I'd have to make a decision quickly, so as to save on the taxes, but then we came home and found a place online that sells it for almost $400 less than the store, and it includes free shipping. So now I'm back to feeling like I have a bit of time to decide, which is a good thing. I hate making decisions under pressure. The real issue, though, is that a bed that feels good to lie on for a few minutes may or may not feel good to sleep on for a full night. And I hate the idea of having to do switcheroos. So from that perspective, maybe I ought to stick with what I know. For now, I think I'll keep doing mattress shopping, knowing that there's no huge pressure one way or the other.
Also, interestingly, I'm finding myself reluctant to go to a mattress from a futon, for no reason that I can put my finger on.
Other than these extraordinarily mundane details, there's nothing much happening in my life. Nothing to see here. Move along...
This week, I was in Pittsburgh. I arrived late Wednesday night, got room service, had a couple of quick last-minute, "here's what you need for tomorrow," meetings around 11 (yes, 11) and flopped into bed. I was on the 21st floor of the hotel, which I love being up high and really enjoyed the view. Thursday, I was doing stuff all day, other than about half an hour of unexpected down time in the middle of the afternoon. I'd greatly hoped to catch an early flight at 5:30 (rather than 6:45) so as to get home around 9 (rather than 11), but no dice on that -- I didn't even get out of the hotel until almost 5. I was also sorry not to have more time to explore Pittsburgh. What I saw of it seemed surprisingly (to me, who has only ever heard of Pittsburgh from quite afar) interesting and nice. I had the strangest taxi ride ever on my way to the airport: the doorman at the Westin put three fares into the cab because of a shortage of cabs at that moment. The first fare asked to go to a store that closed, so the cabbie took them back to the hotel without charging them (after a 10 minute wander around the city). Then the next fare was going to another hotel, and the cabbie didn't charge THEM because it had taken so long with the first party. And THEN she didn't want to start my meter until we were on the highway. It was the weirdest thing. Of course, the whole way, she was talking about how hard it's been for her to make the lease on her cab, and I was thinking, "Well, no shit!"
I flew Independence Air, which was much nicer than Delta's Song, and had a better color scheme. I've also learned that for future business trips, I'd rather arrive at my destination the day before with enough time to find somewhere nice for dinner. This late, late arrival in advance of meetings the next day, while it sounds nice from the point of view of not wasting the whole day in travel, is a big pain from the point of view of trying to be rested before meetings the next day.
Happily, that's the last of the business travel for a while. I'm still enjoying business travel, don't get me wrong, but one trip a week is a lot!
I've also been housesitting this week, which makes everything a little funny, too. It's been a good week to be taking care of an air-conditioned condo, though! Huzzah!
This weekend is tax-free weekend in MA, which Aileen pointed out would make it a good weekend to make big purchases, which in turn led me back to my contemplation that I want a new mattress. We went to Mattress Giant, mostly on a whim because we were near there anyway to do some other errands, and we spent an hour or two making the clerks assume we were an extremely picky lesbian couple. I did find a bed that I think I'd like, and they offered me what seemed like an excellent deal on it (when I didn't go for the ticketed price, they knocked $200 off it, which makes me suspicious of all those ticketed prices!), but now I'm waffling about whether I really want to spend the money or not. It's not that I'm unhappy with my current bed so much as that I'm a little embarrased to bring people home to it because it's so compressed in the center. And that means it's great for just me, but if I'm sleeping with someone, it's a little less than ideal.
Anyway, I was feeling like I'd have to make a decision quickly, so as to save on the taxes, but then we came home and found a place online that sells it for almost $400 less than the store, and it includes free shipping. So now I'm back to feeling like I have a bit of time to decide, which is a good thing. I hate making decisions under pressure. The real issue, though, is that a bed that feels good to lie on for a few minutes may or may not feel good to sleep on for a full night. And I hate the idea of having to do switcheroos. So from that perspective, maybe I ought to stick with what I know. For now, I think I'll keep doing mattress shopping, knowing that there's no huge pressure one way or the other.
Also, interestingly, I'm finding myself reluctant to go to a mattress from a futon, for no reason that I can put my finger on.
Other than these extraordinarily mundane details, there's nothing much happening in my life. Nothing to see here. Move along...
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Catching up...
Date: 2005-08-16 08:48 pm (UTC)Actually, first Pat went to a mattress from a waterbed, for ease of two people. He got a really excellent mattress and soon I was spoiled by sleeping on it! So I went out & got a mattress for my bed too.
I think futons are something youthful, something reflective of the easy & cheap way in which we used to live, during our college years and right after. Moving a futon is infinitely easier than moving a mattress. Same with futon beds vs. regular beds.
I dunno about you, but a new mattress - a regular mattress - was BLISS. Even though I'd previously upgraded my futon to a cotton-covered foam core with this super splufty sueded cotton cover, it had nothing on a real mattress. And, I'm older, so a mattress soothes my aches and pains better.
I think I associate my futons with sleeping on the floor, being young and flexible, meeting new people, fooling around a lot, etc. I associate beds with adults.
This whole admitting and accepting my aging thing is a right pain in the ass.