Las Vegas

Maybe I mentioned to some of you when I took this job, if they had offered me domestic travel I would not have taken it.  It was the prospect of international travel that intrigues me.  So when I had my final interview with our team manager, he mentioned that I would probably be assigned first thing to training for 3 weeks in London. That was kind of exciting.

Well a few days before I started, I talked to my boss. I wanted to clarify scheduling around the trip to London.  He said, "Oh yeah, I'm glad you asked. I wanted to clarify London."  He said, "One of the trainers is pregnant, and on bed rest. She lives in Las Vegas. Another of the trainers is one of the guys leaving our group. He's been in China and would like to come to the States. So we are moving the training from London to Las Vegas."

Well, having supported TRIRIGA (headquartered in Vegas) for so many years, I have spent more time then I care to ever spend in Las Vegas. Including 7 years ago when I took the same class, and spent 3 weeks in the same building, that I'm in now. I was not very excited.  (Same hotel, same restaurants... Repeat).

A couple of weeks later I had lunch with my boss, (Who coincidentally lives in Denver) and he told me that we have this class cycle in November and then again in January. And since they're having so much trouble with scheduling trainers, I'm going to teach the class in November. Yikes!!

Actually two classes are going on at the same time; A) the one I am taking, with subject matter for what I hope to be doing; and B) training for the job that I have been doing by the seat of my pants for 7 years, and I'm actually hired to do at IBM today.  I was glad to leave Gilbane because of the challenges that job presented, so honestly I could use the opportunity to sit in that class and learn what they're learning, especially if I'm going to be training that in November. So a little stressful contemplating teaching it.

Anyway, our whole team is here in Vegas, so that is nice since many of us have not met each other before. The first night we all went out for dinner. The subject of London in November came up, and it turns out that London is not going to be ready by November so we are delaying that until January. So? Where is the November training? Since it is so late and difficult to organize they decided right there that table that the November training will be in the Washington DC area.   Hummm, I guess I'm glad that is not Vegas. But refer back to that first statement about domestic travel...  I am chomping at the bit to travel overseas!  However, trying to be patient, because by this time next year I may be begging to stay home.

So, we have finished the first two weeks of training.  And actually the more I'm learning about the job, the more I like it. So that's all good.  I sat in class B one day and am devouring that class material in the evenings, and sitting in class A the rest of the time....  I'm a busy girl.  My two Vegas friends (Dan London, and Mike/Melissa Timmerman) and I have had difficulty getting together at all!  But managed a couple of visits each.  Geez!  Glad I'm here for 3 weeks or I wouldn't see them at all!

Meanwhile, at home, our foreign exchange student (Nai) arrived just before I left for Vegas. He started school that first week and has a very aggressive schedule.  He also had significant difficulty with the altitude, and the exhaustion of living in a foreign language.  I told him since I was going to be gone for 5 days, I wanted to hear about 5 new friends he had made.  Friends will help out a lot.  So he does seem to be making friends and settling in well recovering from the altitude by now.   The coldest it ever gets all year long in Thailand is around 70 degrees. These days (early September) it never even hits 70 degrees in Fairplay. I think he's having a bit of a culture shock.  He and Mike are at the ski swap shopping for winter clothes bargains today.

I went home last weekend for the long labor day weekend, and we were going to go camping, but due to the weather and homework schedule we ended up doing some labor day sale shopping, and spent labor day at my sister Monica's house playing games and bar-be-queing before dropping me at the airport to go back to Vegas.  On our day of shopping we did happen to hit Breckenridge at JUST the right time to see the finish line of the Rubber Ducky Race (with 11,000 ducks) and see an art show.  So we managed to make memories!

When I go home from Vegas (Next Friday), Mike's niece is getting married in Salt Lake. So I will fly straight there, Mike and Nai will drive, and my daughter (Kelsey) will be joining us, flying out from Albuquerque. That should be a fun long weekend for all.
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During my travels I intend to pick up a geocache on every trip, square dance on every trip that I can find square dancing, and blog once per trip.... So I do plan to square dance at a club in Vegas this coming Wednesday evening.  Just went to snag a geocache so i could finish my blog... Then (while looking) I remembered I hate Micro caches.  I'll snag one later and update the post.

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