that’s a wrap…

My work here is done. Time to go home and get back to normal, back to my job, back to what I know. 

Everything is bigger in Texas, really, and if I stayed here much longer I’d probably get bigger too. . .

I’d like to think my first business trip was a success, but only time will tell if everything is going to work out here. I’m leaving here feeling pretty confident in the fact that I trained someone to do their job, do it well, and make me look good in the process. Again, only time will tell. 

Time to hit the road, grab a burger, drop off my giant SUV and head back east.

 

flying solo…olé

I’m a lot better this morning, sleep-wise after being exhausted about halfway through yesterday. I consumed more caffeine than I have in some time. . .and more delicious tex-mex:). Living in Texas would be dangerous for me. I’ve got a huge weakness for all things mexican food related. Something about the flavor combinations, the beans, the cumin, the cilantro, the cheese. Let’s not forget the chips and salsa. Yeah, my waistline would be in a world of trouble, or I’d be spending every last waking minute in the gym trying to burn it off. What can I say, I LOVE food. Good food. Tasty food. 

Today and tomorrow morning I’m flying solo. The training wheels are off, time to shine, or at least glimmer a little bit, in the dropping of knowledge. It’s a little like installing new programs on a computer. You load them, restart the machine, and hope it takes. . .hope there are no glitches or bugs. . .hope you didn’t accidentally infect your machine with a virus. It’s a delicate process that has to be done with the grace of an elephant. . .It’s been interesting thus far. I’ll be diving into some pretty heady stuff today, hoping to not see the same bloodshot, “what have I gotten myself into” look in his eyes as I go over some of the less glamorous, but incredibly essential, parts of the job. I realize that a lot of this isn’t going to sink in until he does it, but he needs to realize that, while we’re a phone call away, he needs to try to wrap his head around it now, ask questions now, take notes now. I remember when I was left at my job by the folks in Atlanta. I felt like a deer in headlights about to be hit by a Mack truck. And I came from within the company. I can’t imagine how this all must look to someone who’s from the outside. 

Patience, sweet patience, and the grace to explain it all and actually make sense. This is what I will focus on today. Grace, patience, clarity. I’m in a leadership role now, it’s time for me to own it.

 

what a difference an hour makes…

I haven’t done much travel for business nor have I spent all that much time in the Central Time Zone. . .just one hour’s difference from my reality makes a huge difference in my day. I woke up at 5am, which isn’t an unreasonable hour to be awake. I tried to lay there, all sprawled out in my comfy king size bed, surrounded by a multitude of pillows, and tell my body that it was getting an extra hour of sleep..  .stay in bed until the alarm goes off at 6:15. But, alas, there’s no fooling my body into anything, especially when there’s things to be done, treadmills to run on, organic breakfast burritos to be eaten. I’m probably just awake because I’m excited about what I’m doing here, how it’s different from my typical daily routine, how I enjoy going to new places, meeting new people, exploring. . .I’m sure this will wear off eventually. But probably not.

Houston is large. The highways remind me quite a bit of those in Los Angeles, sprawling multi-lane ordeals with nonsensical exits and on ramps that lead you through neighborhoods with little signage to get you back to where you want to be. My hotel is across the highway from the campus of Rice University, which I’m hoping to go check out this evening after work. Last night all I wanted to do was eat and watch the Nationals make mistakes against the Mets. . .amazing the technology these days that allows you to be away from home and watch any baseball game or sporting event for that matter that you might desire. All it took was a little googling and I came across a sports bar that was two blocks from my hotel. Food was less than great, but the drink specials were good and the staff was accomodating of my desire to watch my last place team. 

Today is a full, action packed day of training for the new art director. Lots to throw at him, lots for him to wrap his head around, and fortunately, stuff that I’m REALLY well versed in as opposed to yesterday when I was floundering a bit because of some of the gaps in format between what I do and what he does. Things seem to be going well though. He’ll have a lot on his plate but I’m positive he’ll handle it. This job encompasses a lot of things and to try to learn it all in 3 or 4 days is nearly impossible. The best I can do is set him up with a good system, a good foundation of what to do and when to do it, and my direct line for any questions he may have. It’s interesting to step back from all of this and realize that I, me, am training someone. . .not something I ever saw myself doing.