life as a dog…

No, I haven’t abandoned the website. But most of my new posts are going on the new site. I’ll finish one of these days.

So the trip is finished.  For the most part, all went according to plan.  The post production did not.  Turns out the software had a known bug in it that was causing issues.  I’m actually glad of that – I was afraid I was doing something wrong.  I wasn’t.

This was the first time I had been to Miami.  It would have been nice to actually get out during daylight, though.  The hotel was right on the ocean, but I never saw it.

I believe my next trip is Atlanta, followed by New Orleans and then possibly to Orlando.

Today was pretty much the same as day 1.  But after the event, I had to pack quickly and head to the airport.  Wouldn’t you figure, the way I was told to go by the locals…got back up by an accident.  Thankfully, I got out in enough time to get to the airport without rushing too much.

The flight back was uneventful.  Slept most of the time.  But I think this was the first time I flew over Rosslyn so low – it is kind of weird seeing the building so close…but also pretty cool.

First event date.  Started out well enough.  But after the event ended, it went downhill quick.  A day that should have ended at about 7pm stretched to 1am for me, longer for the home office.

So I really didn’t do much today after the event.  Stopped at McDonald’s on my way back to the hotel and then headed to bed.

My impression of the hotel dropped, too.  I went to the front desk to ask where the business center was so that I could print out my boarding pass for my return flight.  The printer was out of service.  So I asked the front desk if there was another printer.  They pointed at the business center.  I said, “it’s out of order.”  They asked, “the printer?”  um…  And then this stupid 20 year old female comes up and butts in asking for a new key to her room.  Hello?  Get in line.  They then proceeded to start helping her.  Asses.  I walked away.

Oh…and so much for the weather.  When I woke up, it was around 35 degrees.  Warmed up to a balmy 50 during the day.  I was accused of bringing the cold with me.

The Flight.

I flew to Miami via Spirit Airlines.  Thumbs down to Spirit.  Price was super cheap, but I figured the fact that it’s a discount airline would at least get me a Southwest level of service.  I suppose the service itself was that level.  But the jet itself was disgusting.  They brag about all leather seating.  So what?  Do I really care if an airline is using leather seats?  What they don’t tell you is that those leather seats are disgustingly dirty.  I couldn’t wait to get out of that jet.

The Car.

Rented from Enterprise again.  Since they didn’t have an economy sized car available, I was upgraded to a compact car.  Kia.  Kia’s may be inexpensive…they definitely show it.  Just doesn’t feel even close to being a solid car.

The Hotel.

Newport Beachside.  It’s ok.  Right on the ocean.  But it felt a bit like a hotel in Las Vegas.  Kinda loud, kinda tired.  Not Circus Circus level, but definitely not Venetian level.  More along the lines of Harrah’s or the Flamingo.

The Day.

I arrived about 10:00am.  Drove to a vendor to pick up some rental equipment and headed to the location.  Got everything setup and, while I was hoping we’d be done around 4:00, we didnt’ get out until about 6:30.  Not really a big deal, but I was hoping.  Afterwards, met up with an old friend from high school who lives down here now.  We drove down to South Beach to find a place to eat.  The restaurants must be hurting…every one we walked by was urging us to come in to eat.  We chose an Italian restaurant (forget the name).  I chose lasagna.  I gotta say…that was some of the best lasagna I’ve ever had.

From there, we drove through downtown and then headed back to my hotel.  By this time, it was about 9:00pm and I needed to get some sleep.

The weather, by the way…was nice.  Cloudy, but nearly 70 degrees when I landed.  I am ready for spring.  It’s still down in the 20s in DC.