Archives for August 2011

After getting some paperwork done in the morning, we took the pups to the vet today, to get them tested for heartworm so that we can put them on a medication regime now that the mosquitos are out. Also wanted to get something to get rid of the fleas we’ve been fighting for so long. Finally decided on a once a month pill that is supposed to do both. Stopped at a nearby Friendly’s for our lunch of ice cream before heading back.

After sleeping till the ungodly hour of 11:15, I spent most of the day on the computer trying to solve a bunch of problems, then finished off the day trying to get rid of fles which have managed in five short days, to completely reinfest the dogs. Bath for Billy, vacuum for Marina and the carpet, spray for both dogs, and an appointment with the vet tomorrow to get flea pills, as I’ve had enough of this struggle. These Florida fleas just seem to be unstoppable! Relaxed for the evening, though there’s a lot of work still staring me in the face!

Car arrived right on time (ten minutes early), and we headed straight out to the airport in light traffic. Had breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Co. in the Atrium, then headed down to our gate for our final (forever!) Delta flight. Not surprisingly, we encountered yet another challenge on the plane. As we were seated, we started to buckle up, and discovered that there was some kind of black, sticky stuff all over the blade of the seat belt insert. Hubby noticed it first on his, though at first he thought is was grease of some kind, then I found the same thing on mine. Perfect! I was wearing a white dress! We pointed it out to the flight attendant, who handed me a couple of wetnaps so that I could clean them up before putting them on. Turns out it was gum, that had obviously been there quite a long time to get that dirty. Yuck! Doesn’t matter what Delta does, our relationship is cursed, and we’re never flying Delta again! In fact, when we were walking through the Atlanta airport, some young man tried to flag me down to apply for a Delta credit card, and I pointedly said, “After this, I’m never flying Delta again!” Even if it’s the only non-stop flight, I’ve had it with them! Anyway, we arrived safely, which is the most important thing, drove home with one stop for groceries, glad to be back to the critters! Going to bed fairly early, as these travel days always wear us out!

Since our classes don’t start until noon, we had breakfast in the hotel (another disappointing meal, but the Corner Bakery across the street was closed on Sunday) before doing or two two-hour workshops back to back. Afterward we went to dinner at a seafood restaurant across the street, Rays in the City. That was much better food, again with Hubby and I sharing a salad and each having a small bowl of soup, both of which were delicious. Glad to finally have a good meal! Wound down from the day before getting a good night sleep. The car service will be here at 9:00, we’re planning on breakfast at the airport.

Slept fairly late as we always do after a Traning Camp, packed up most of our stuff, then took a walk to find a place for breakfast. A cafe across the street was closed on Saturday, but the clerk in the hotel suggested we go down to Peachtree Center a few blocks up the road. Before we arrived there, we found a place called the Corner Bakery that looked just right, so we headed in there, and did have a very good breakfast at a very reasonable price. If it hadn’t been so hot we would have sat at one of the umbrella-ed tables outside, but this being August and Atlanta, that was just not going to happen. Turns out the Hyatt where we were moving to was just across the street from there. After breakfast we walked over there to see when we could check in, and they went ahead and did it right then. Nice room, but only on the 7th floor. I prefer something higher to get away from the street sounds, but nothing was clean that early. Then we walked back to the W, finished packing, then caught the hotel shuttle to the Hyatt to get settled in. I took one last attempt at changing rooms to a higher floor, and was rewarded with getting the exact room, the exact number, on the 16th floor. Perfect! The rooms seemed so light and airy after the darkness of the W! After we unpacked we wandered around to visit the venue where we would be speaking, introduced ourselves to our host, then relaxed in our room for awhile before walking two blocks in the rain to the nearest Indian restaurant, the Haveli. Reviews on the internet were mixed, mostly on the down side, but it was the only ethnic place within walking distance, so we decided to try it. We were the only ones in the place early on a Saturday night, and the manager did her best to make us feel at home, but the food really was second rate. Everything was a la carte, including rice, so it was pretty pricey as well, but the real disappointment was in the sauces. We ordered an entree to share, and the sauce with thin, runny, an obviously overcooked. Not worth the price, for sure, though the decor was comfortable enough. Okay if you’re desperate for Indian food. Anyway, a short walk back, this time the rain had mostly stopped, and an evening to relax before our big day tomorrow.

Finished off the workshop by about 1:00, so we schedule a massage at the Bliss Spa, which happened to be on the 16th floor of the hotel. My chiropractor had recommended I try a deep tissue massage for my shoulder, and I discovered in their brochure in my room that they offered a sport massage that included deep tissue, so I thought I would give it a try. Hubby’s been suffering some back problems in the mornings, so he opted for a more relaxing massage. It seemed like truly an indulgence at the time, but by the time my therapist Monica was through, I felt that she had accomplished more toward achieving long term relief than any of the chiropractors or physical therapists I had gone to in the last two years combined! A great job! Hubby enjoyed his, too, so it made it a nice treat. We hadn’t gone to a spa since a cruise back in about 2004, so we figured it was time, especially since mine was truly for medical reasons. Anyway, we had a quick dinner at a French restaurant across the street (a lovely seafood bisque), then once again got to bed early, as tomorrow we move hotels and get ready for our second job here in Atlanta.

Woke up early to the alarm, but despite having put a breakfast room service request on the doorknob last night, no breakfast arrived. I finally had to call down, and it seems they had never received it, so then they had to rush the order, and we had to rush to eat it in order get to work on time. Not the way I like to start a day. In any event, we had a good session. After a long day, we had a quiet evening and an early night, once again to be able to get up early. Fortunately, we found our client was providing breakfast, so we didn’t need to worry about that again!



View from Bedroom!

Headed out early, stopping at IHOP near the airport for breakfast before arriving at the airport in plenty of time for our flight. After sitting around for over an hour, we finally got ready for boarding, preprinted passes in hand. As we passed, the gate attendant scanned our passes, then suddenly informed us that our seats had been changed. At first we thought that maybe they have found two seats together (we both had window seats, in rows 13 and 16), but as we looked further, we realized by the time we got down the jetway to the plane that they had, in fact, put us further apart, and had moved us way back in the plane, to rows 30 and 34! Both were aisles seats, both way behind the engines (we always try to get in front of the engines whenever we can, because of the noise), and Hubby’s was right next to the galley. I had a mother and child next to me, whose rest of the family was scattered elsewhere on the plane. I couldn’t believe it, that had never happened before, where I had different seats than the ones I had already printed boarding passes for! I HATE DELTA! The only nice thing I can say is that the flight attendant managed to persuade the person sitting next to Hubby to change seats with me, so at least we could sit together, but the noise was so bad I had to put ear plugs in. Hubby didn’t have any, but he has some tinnitus anyway so he usually doesn’t care. Strange, though, by the time we landed he said he couldn’t hear anything out of his left ear (the side the galley was on). Hope that goes away! I had arranged a town car to meet us, so the rest of the trip was fine. We arrived at the W Hotel downtown, which was quite another interesting adventure. The W is obviously set up for those out for what Hubby calls “a dirty weekend.” The decorating scheme was dark, dark, dark, and the main feature of the room (after the bed) was a shower with partially clear, partially translucent glass walls that formed the separation between the living area and the bathroom. In other words, you could see inside the shower from the bedroom. They had a collection of snacks and booze on a tray for sale, and also offered several packages of condoms and a bottle with a shot of oxygent in it as well. Everything a sex-crazed couple (or more) could ask for. Odd that it’s right next door to a stuffy sort of office building. Couldn’t help but notice the working girls whenever we entered and exited the hotel. Well, to each his own! Ordered Chinese delivery for dinner, then got to bed fairly early (to sleep) as we have an early and long day ahead of us.

Our plan today was to pick up hay at a nearby farm, pack and rest as much as possible, but alas, Hubby discovered that he had no dress shirts that fit him anymore. We had just bought a few new shirts not too long ago, but they were a larger size, but he didn’t realize that until today, so we had to run out to the Mall again to buy him a few shirts, as well as a couple of other items on our downsized list. Made for a longer and less restful day than we had hoped, but at least we have everything we need. Finished packing and at least got a relatively uneventful evening in.