The Glamour of Business Travel

At the start of a short business trip this week, my friend Barb told Paul (my boss) and I how “fun” it was to travel with her. I had no idea…The fun included:

• a 4 ½ hour delay going to Chicago
• a 4 hour delay coming home, including a plane change due to electrical problems
• a Ford Explorer tailgate being closed on my head
• witnessing Gary Sheffield assaulting a homeless child in a wheelchair at Fenway Park (OK, I made that part up. The fan was at fault and Mr. Sheffield showed incredible restraint by not bitch-slapping the clown.)
• getting lost trying to find our office in Schaumburg
• 2 airport bagels
• 2 bloody mary mixes
• 2 bags of carbs

If not for Barb calling our corporate travel office 37 times during the ordeal, we might still be there.

I’ll admit, we did have some fun. We always joke and laugh with the people we work with, and the team in our Chicago office is filled with good ones. We enjoyed a nice meal at Maggiano’s and then chatted over a beer while watching the love-fest at Fenway. Aside from the welding we enjoyed, one moment stood out for me. Lost, and at the top of a highway exit we stopped at a red light while waiting to navigate the overpass so we could reverse directions. At the light, there was a lone Canadian goose standing and looking around, something like this:

I wondered what the goose must be thinking:
“Hey, nice Explorer, pal.”
“Maybe it was a left at the Taco Bell?”
“The wife is gonna be very upset.”
“I always get lost trying to find this exit.”
“I still can’t believe I didn’t score Springsteen tickets.”
“Damn, my arms are tired!”

One final note on the fun. Upon exiting Logan Airport Friday near midnight, I discovered my primary route home, the Massachusetts Turnpike, was closed.