Who's in Albany?

Good news - I am sitting in the airport now, and my plane is supposed to be on time (fingers crossed)! Albany got between 4 and 6 inches of snow last night, and the roads looked terrible this morning. It was pretty again but less than ideal to travel in. I'm thankful for the opportunity to work remotely on days like this. After much deliberation, I ultimately decided not to risk my safety in the very un-snow proof sudan from Hertz and stay warm, safe, and dry at the hotel. I finished my necessary work for the week (yay weekend!) and departed.

The hotel is a 10 minute drive from the hotel. And it takes 15 (maybe 20 - 30 if packed) minutes total to drop off the rental car, go through security, and get to the gate. However, with the snow we got (even though the roads were completely fine at noon) and the President's visit to nearby Schenectady, I was nervous about missing my flight. Naturally, then, I left the hotel 2.5 hours before my flight. So, I have 2 complete hours before take off.

On an exciting note, though, I saw the President's plane! I am watching some coverage of his visit on a nearby TV monitor, and he is shaking hands. I recognize the scenery. Hello, where I frequent twice a week. Adds an air of excitement to the 'port.

See you in DC!

More snow in Albs

I wonder how many times you are going to see that post. I'm sitting in my studio, hoping beyond all reason that we are not going to get as big of a storm as is currently being predicted. Will I be spending the day in the airport tomorrow? No clue. Will I make it home tomorrow? I can only hope. I have not had to deal with this facet of travel yet. Factoid - it has snowed more days in Albany this week than it has not snowed. I do have to admit though, it was beautiful yesterday. I felt like I was in a snow globe as snow gently danced from the sky to lightly frost the trees.

My stay at the hotel has been pretty good this week. I got to catch up with the staff (Tip - make friends with the staff of establishments you frequent often!), the conceirge lounge had good food, the manager called to thank me for my loyalty (Tip - staying in the same hotel makes all the difference. I don't know how I will ever go back to not having status.), and the gym was not too packed. So far this week I have gotten three runs in, totaling 10 miles for the week. I've also started doing some ab work again, and my abs are sore as I type.

Last night we had a project dinner with the partner in charge of the project at The Brown Derby, a fantastic old Hollywood themed restaurant. The lighting was low, a large mahagony bar decorated the left side of the room, and old movie star silhouettes hung on the walls. We started with appetizers - crab cakes, mini burgers, shrimp brushetta. My project manager, a sommelier (wine taster) ordered wine for the table - a nice cabernet sauvignon and a pinot noir. Both were excellent choices. After salads came main courses. The restaurant is known for their award winning seafood chowder, but I did not sample it on this visit. Instead, I ordered pan seared sea scallops with asparagus and shrimp risotto (I just ate the leftovers). Fantastic food although the service was a little too slow. I very much enjoyed the dinner, sitting next to the partner and another senior manager, some of the only women on the project.

I'm at a crossroads in my project and uncertain how to proceed. I want to make the best choice for both my personal happiness and for my career progression.

I'm hoping to be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow and see friends this weekend. Pictures to come!

Back in Albany & Travel Tips

I'm back in Albany, my second home, staying in now what I refer to as my studio apartment (aka my hotel). As strange (and maybe sad) as it is, I've probably spent equal time in DC and Albany, arguably more time in Albany. And for my time in Albany, I've spent most of it working. But, I have seen some neat things, like Empire Plaza, a plaza in Albany surrounded by the capital building, the tallest sky scraper outside NYC, a mini reflection pond, and 4 other state buildings. Additionally, Lark Street is actually a fun street with unique restaurants, shops, and bars. The surrounding area, such as Schenectady, is rather charming also with its historic roots dating back to Paul Revere and the industrialization of electricity by GE (and Thomas Edison). I hear there's great skiing nearby also in Killington, a 2 hour drive in Vermont albeit I have not been (nor skiied in six years...).

Today at work I spent a fair amount of time in both excel (developping Job Aids for my project) as well as in User Productivity Kit (a computer simulation program). Fascinating. (Tip for new hires - ask questions when you are unfamiliar with a software!)

Winter has arrived in full force in Albany. After getting a little over a foot of snow in less than twelve hours last week and working from the hotel, six more inches of white presents graced the scenery and road along with an inch of freezing rain/ice. One pro - we get to leave the office early and finish the day from home on such inclement days.

As such, I was able to get a good run (4 miles!) in early this evening. I am planning on training for another half marathon with two friends from DC. I'll update the training status for that as well.

Tips for travel:

• If you can, fit everything into a carry-on. Your luggage never gets lost. If you need more than a carry on for a week, you're bringing too much. :) Re-use sweaters, bottoms, and shoes. To save space, you can pack socks and underwear inside shoes. Additionally, I have become rather adept at rolling my clothes.
• Pack the same things every week. haha IE the number of workout clothes, pajamas, outfits. I can usually pack for a work week in under an hour now.
• Wear shoes and a jacket you can easily slip off for security. You don't want to waste time taking clothing on and off.
• Have your liquids in a bag outside of your bag before you approach the metal detectors. It saves time, and the people behind you will love you.
• Invest in a quality carry-on. I have a Swiss Army carry-on, and I love it. It's held up through months of weekly travel, contains a sleeve for hanging clothes, and can fit enough of my belongings.
• Register for all the rewards programs you can - for airlines (I'm finally a United Premier member!), rental cars (Gold Member!), hotels (Gold status!). Even if you don't make status, sometimes you are able to get better seats on planes, and the companies will have your preferences on file.

Cut out cookies and Birthday Dinners

With the new year (well 2 weeks into it) and some gentle nudging (ahem encouragement) from a dear friend/my roommate, my blog is born. A few months ago I was posed with the difficult question of "my dream job," and after careful consideration I decided that it would be traveling, exploring, baking and blogging about my experiences. This dream came about as it combines so many things I love as well as my regular visits to (though not quite stalking of) a certain food blog that has revolutionized my fall - EatLiveRun. Until the blessed day comes forth on which I win the lottery and can actually have my dream job, I decided to turn my dream into a hobby.

My weekend is fast approaching its close. I can tell because my laundry is done, and my red carry-on suitcase is packed for the week. (Why do the 40 hours a week we spend working always seem to pass so much more slowly than the precious days we call weekend?)

I was fortunate to arrive home on Thursday night albeit my flight was delayed an hour from Albany to wake up in my own bed on Friday morning. After working in the morning, I went for a 3 mile run outdoors. I hadn't been running outside since last winter, but the sun was shining, and there is a trail I like near my apartment. So, I dusted off my UnderArmor running gear and headed into the 30 degree slight snow on the ground path. After my run, I ran errands. Errands to you probably seem rather dull. To me, though, errands make me feel like a regular citizen of the area, proof that I do, in fact, live in metro DC. With errands complete, I was content to "be good to myself" as my mom likes to say after a rough start to the new year. "Good to myself" translated to a mani/pedi. The mani/pedi was followed by making Jenna's Baked 4 Cheese Macaroni. It was seriously like heaven in my mouth. Four wonderful cheeses combined into one comforting bite. YUM

Saturday I found myself without a to-do list for the first time in weeks. I stayed in bed for awhile, thinking, praying, and pondering life's big questions. I'm thinking about going through the book, A Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. It's my dad's recommendation, and I think it will help me get through the insanity that is my life right now. After some DVR-ed television watching, I decided it was time to make some old fashioned cut out sugar cookies. I followed the Real Simple's recipe. It's easy to do and not very time consuming. After all, I wanted to use some of my 101 cookie cutters. I chose my favorite/most random shapes - the contiguous United States, an umbrella, a heart, a star, a cat, and dollar signs. Once cool, I whipped up some Butter Cream frosting with powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla and topped the cookies with sprinkles.

I think I decided I like baking so much because it is so relaxing and helps me feel a little bit in control :). I put on my favorite tunes (right now loving "Purple Sky" by Kid Rock - actually the whole "Born Free" album - and some classic John Melloncamp like "Small Town"), tie on my adorable apron from Anthropologie, and follow a recipe. Nothing exists outside the kitchen. It's a really nice feeling.

After the cookies were done, my roommate, her boyfriend, and I headed into the District to meet up with some other work friends and celebrate a birthday. We went to Founding Farmers for dinner. The food is American Farm inspired, all organic and as local as possible. Fantastic.

Today was church, ordering some pictures (I haven't printed any since August 2009!), and eating leftover macaroni.