I'm also physically exhausted after working so many days in a row. I'm not sure why because I'm sitting all day, but 10 hour work days plus the commute and going out for dinner every night leaves little down time. Only a glass of wine seems to help in slowing down my brain down after a tense day. I never thought that working on the weekends would lead to not knowing what day it is! Needless to say, it's probably going to be a really good thing that I get back into Chicago on a Friday so that I have the weekend to decompress after these last two weeks.
I can't complain too much though because, of course, I have it way better than Sandy victims. And being back on the East Coast has meant getting to see a few friends and family when I do have time off. After finishing work on New Years Eve I headed up to CT to see friends and celebrate the New Year with them. I loved having a home cooked meal as it has now been a while! Then last night I headed into the city to have dinner at Ed's Lobster Bar (delicious!) with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. I originally thought that I would go do something in NYC since I had the whole day, but a day of doing laundry, watching football, and sleeping in was more of what I needed!!
CP always tells me that traveling for work is not as glamorous as it sounds. After my first two week work trip, I would have to agree with him. Eating out for every meal, not having the comforts of home, and being on a totally different schedule in a new city gets old (especially if you are not even IN a major city*). Not to mention spending time with coworkers that you either have never met or have had limited time with in the past and having to deal with their crazy quirks, backgrounds, annoying habits, and opinions- YIKES. One of my coworkers is perpetually late, asks inane questions, and tries to make himself more important than he is. I'm trying to hold back my snark and b*tchiness when talking to him but it's hard when you are already mentally and physically exhausted.
And don't get me started on missing CP and the puppies. I Facetimed with CP last night and like the crazy dog people were are, I talked to the dogs. It seemed to confuse them more than anything (where is that voice coming from??), but they at least recognized that it was me. :-)
I'm definitely looking forward to early Friday morning when I head back to Chicago. I'll get to have a quick 24 hours with CP before he leaves for his two-week work trip around the world, but at least while he is gone I will be HOME with the puppies. I think that I will have to check back on this post when I'm feeling jealous of some of his work trips to remember that maybe, just maybe, the fact that he is in Asia, Europe, South America, etc is not as cool as one might think.
Do you travel a lot for work? What are your tips on staying sane?
*I'm actually staying on Long Island and I don't have a car- my coworker has to drive me to/from work!
8 comments:
I don't travel at all for work, but I can understand it being a huge bummer. You're doing such good work though that NEEDS to be done. You should be commended.
And I'm a crazy pet person too. I always talk to my babies, and I would if I were away as well :)
You know I'm a crazy dog person too...I even talk to them sometimes when I call home on my lunch hour :)
And since I've been MIA for a few weeks I wanted to (finally) wish you a Happy New Year!
As a travel writer, you can bet I travel for work! But usually I get the benefit of fancy hotels, amazing meals and fun activities because everyone's trying to impress me. :) Still, it's super-exhausting... wine at dinner helps, as does decompressing at night for an hour before bed, whether that involves TV, a book or meditation. Also, I love hearing about your Sandy efforts - for Christmas, my husband made a donation to the Humane Society's team there helping the displaced and injured animals. :)
That is super rough. But the light is there! Just a few more days!
I used to travel alllll the time for work. After awhile, it wasn't fun anymore! Tips - keep a travel toiletry bag stocked so you can just grab it and throw it in your suitcase. Also, one of those travel neck pillows. SO helpful on planes!
My husband travelled a lot for work in the past few years. He tries to make some lunches/dinners to break up the restaurant crap. He also tries to workout, but all of this is tricky when you are working such long, long, hours. I hope that you can rest and relax when you get home in time to rest and relax for the upcoming festivities.
I travel for work a lot - for months at a time. I once went to Hawaii for work and was super excited. Until I got there and realized working in Hawaii is way different than vacationing in Hawaii. Looking at the beach through my office window was like torture. It is exhausting to be away from home so much and I am over it now.
I show Andrew all the critters on FaceTime too and he talks to them a little bit. They don't seem to understand what's going on, but I him getting to see them makes him pretty happy.
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