Jet Lag

10 days of travel and only a carry-on bag? Done! I managed by packing everything black, only one additional pair of shoes, and choosing my toiletries with care. Traveling with my boss and my coworker RP, I sure didn't want to pack "like a girl." So, I was surprised when RP showed up at the gate with no carry-on bag. Did he pack so very light? No, he checked his bag. Great, all that work to consolidate my junk and I'm still going to have to wait for baggage claim!

Since there are no direct flight to the Netherlands from Cincinnati, we connected in Atlanta. Our flight was on-time, but we still had to run to make the connection. Of course, we had to go to the complete opposite end of the airport. We literaly didn't have time to use the bathroom. So, do you think RP's luggage made the connection? He at least had 8 hours to stew about it as punishment. But, RP must be very lucky because his bag arrived with no problem.

The flight to NL is 8 hours and typically overnight. The schedule for day was get to work on Monday at 8:00 am, flight leaves Cincinnati at 3:00, fly all night (trying to get as much sleep as you can), and arrive on Tuesdayat about 9:00 am local time. But it still feels like 3:00 in the morning with a bad night's sleep. We had meetings scheduled for 10:30 at the office. So, we had time to go to the hotel and change clothes, but not enough time for a shower.

Most of the business meetings that day were a blur from the jet lag. For dinner, a large group of us went out to a local restuarant. Again, it was a blur until dessert. My dessert came out with a huge sparkler on top for my birthday! No way would they be able to use something that big in the US (probably illegal in most states). It was only moderately embarassing especially since I had not met most of the people at the table! For anyone counting, it's the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday. Can I go to sleep now?