Quiet Day In The Office
Dec 21, 1999 | 8:03 pm
#1
Original Poster
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: The shape-shifting urban sprawl that is El Lay. FT member #71.
Programs: UA Gold & MM; DL & AA credit card dirt status; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Fool's Gold
Posts: 4,839
Quiet Day In The Office
Suppose to be an uneventful day at the office…
5:05am
Get out of bed, and wander over to the computer. Email (one thing of interest, six pieces of spam) and Flyertalk, not much new since last night at 8pm.
6:50am
Arrive at the office. Check internal Email network, personal Email, Flyertalk again, and a couple of miscellaneous financial sites. Go over to the coffee machine to turn it on, darned if no one cleaned up last night. Let’s see who’s turn it was. Oh, the person with kitchen duty this week was ill yesterday. Nice guy I am, I’ll clean the pots (I use the term “clean” quite loosely). Go back to my office and glance at the LA Times.
7:25am
Phone rings, off to the races.
7:40am
My boss passes by my office on his way in, says he needs to talk to me about his trip to Seattle, the previous day.
7:50am
Standing in my boss’ office. Asks me what my schedule looks like between now and year-end. I tell him that I have no overwhelming plans, just pushing paper around. Wants me to go to Seattle next week to intercede in a contract dispute.
8:30am
Send an Email to the Seattle office’s administrative manager, asking her what the involved parties’ schedule looks like next week.
9:10am
Return Email from Seattle, seems the office will be essentially deserted next week. Call her on the phone, and leave a voice mail.
9:55am
Finally link up with the Seattle party on the phone, after two and a half rounds of phone tag. I learn that a full audit of the contract might be necessary, estimated time to complete, about ten to twelve working days. Not a viable option. Hunt my boss down, and he suggests I spend a couple of days in Seattle gathering facts and preparing a preliminary report. I tell him that I might need to leave immediately. He has already tuned me out.
10:10am
Call Seattle back, and tell her I will likely be in first thing in the morning, through Thursday afternoon.
10:15am
Call our corporate travel agent. Book a 3:14pm to LAX-SEA on UA, and a room at the Westin. Last minute prices are pretty good. $355 for air, $135 for the room. Too late however to assign a seat on today’s flight. Closed to airport check-in.
10:25am
Call my wife and tell her I’m heading to Seattle. She reminds me that we have a dinner engagement on Wednesday night, celebrating our anniversary (which was actually yesterday, but due to scheduling would be truly celebrated on Wed.) and a friend’s 40th birthday. She’s very good-natured about it. Luckily we had gone out to dinner on Monday, albeit only to our favorite pizzeria. Promise her another pizza dinner next Monday (she doesn’t find the suggestion as amusing as I did).
11:00am
Ask my boss for his file on the situation. Hands me three inches of unorganized paper. I ask him if it’s OK for me to put a file together. Make mental note to take file folders and hand-held paper punch.
11:10am
Out the door, couldn’t find a handheld punch. Drive to Office Depot and spend $1.07 for one, and then go to the bank. At Office Depot I realized I have a grand total of $23 in my wallet. Head home.
11:45am
Grab some leftovers out of the refridge and waste the next 60 minutes eating, surfing the net, and paying some bills that I would have done that evening. Finally get out the roll-on bag and pack.
1:10pm
Head out to LAX. Traffic on the 405 is a bit slow for this time of the day. Pull up to the valet parking service, driver gets into my car, and drives me to the terminal.
2:15pm
Check in at the Red Carpet Room. Favorite seat (8D) is available on the 757. Sit down at one of the workstations and check work Email and dial-up my personal ISP. Call my wife. No obvious repercussions from this last minute trip.
2:40pm
Head to the gate, which just happens to be directly across from the RCC. Boarding begins at 2:48. Realize that I forgot to update my travel schedule on Flyertalk. Darn, maybe I could have linked up with someone in Seattle on Wednesday?
5:14pm
Finish typing this initial posting. Realize that the whole day was essentially shot. Make a resolution to go jogging when I get into the hotel (probably about 7pm), so at least I can say I accomplished something of value, outside of picking up some superfluous miles.
5:05am
Get out of bed, and wander over to the computer. Email (one thing of interest, six pieces of spam) and Flyertalk, not much new since last night at 8pm.
6:50am
Arrive at the office. Check internal Email network, personal Email, Flyertalk again, and a couple of miscellaneous financial sites. Go over to the coffee machine to turn it on, darned if no one cleaned up last night. Let’s see who’s turn it was. Oh, the person with kitchen duty this week was ill yesterday. Nice guy I am, I’ll clean the pots (I use the term “clean” quite loosely). Go back to my office and glance at the LA Times.
7:25am
Phone rings, off to the races.
7:40am
My boss passes by my office on his way in, says he needs to talk to me about his trip to Seattle, the previous day.
7:50am
Standing in my boss’ office. Asks me what my schedule looks like between now and year-end. I tell him that I have no overwhelming plans, just pushing paper around. Wants me to go to Seattle next week to intercede in a contract dispute.
8:30am
Send an Email to the Seattle office’s administrative manager, asking her what the involved parties’ schedule looks like next week.
9:10am
Return Email from Seattle, seems the office will be essentially deserted next week. Call her on the phone, and leave a voice mail.
9:55am
Finally link up with the Seattle party on the phone, after two and a half rounds of phone tag. I learn that a full audit of the contract might be necessary, estimated time to complete, about ten to twelve working days. Not a viable option. Hunt my boss down, and he suggests I spend a couple of days in Seattle gathering facts and preparing a preliminary report. I tell him that I might need to leave immediately. He has already tuned me out.
10:10am
Call Seattle back, and tell her I will likely be in first thing in the morning, through Thursday afternoon.
10:15am
Call our corporate travel agent. Book a 3:14pm to LAX-SEA on UA, and a room at the Westin. Last minute prices are pretty good. $355 for air, $135 for the room. Too late however to assign a seat on today’s flight. Closed to airport check-in.
10:25am
Call my wife and tell her I’m heading to Seattle. She reminds me that we have a dinner engagement on Wednesday night, celebrating our anniversary (which was actually yesterday, but due to scheduling would be truly celebrated on Wed.) and a friend’s 40th birthday. She’s very good-natured about it. Luckily we had gone out to dinner on Monday, albeit only to our favorite pizzeria. Promise her another pizza dinner next Monday (she doesn’t find the suggestion as amusing as I did).
11:00am
Ask my boss for his file on the situation. Hands me three inches of unorganized paper. I ask him if it’s OK for me to put a file together. Make mental note to take file folders and hand-held paper punch.
11:10am
Out the door, couldn’t find a handheld punch. Drive to Office Depot and spend $1.07 for one, and then go to the bank. At Office Depot I realized I have a grand total of $23 in my wallet. Head home.
11:45am
Grab some leftovers out of the refridge and waste the next 60 minutes eating, surfing the net, and paying some bills that I would have done that evening. Finally get out the roll-on bag and pack.
1:10pm
Head out to LAX. Traffic on the 405 is a bit slow for this time of the day. Pull up to the valet parking service, driver gets into my car, and drives me to the terminal.
2:15pm
Check in at the Red Carpet Room. Favorite seat (8D) is available on the 757. Sit down at one of the workstations and check work Email and dial-up my personal ISP. Call my wife. No obvious repercussions from this last minute trip.
2:40pm
Head to the gate, which just happens to be directly across from the RCC. Boarding begins at 2:48. Realize that I forgot to update my travel schedule on Flyertalk. Darn, maybe I could have linked up with someone in Seattle on Wednesday?
5:14pm
Finish typing this initial posting. Realize that the whole day was essentially shot. Make a resolution to go jogging when I get into the hotel (probably about 7pm), so at least I can say I accomplished something of value, outside of picking up some superfluous miles.
Dec 22, 1999 | 1:12 pm
#4
Original Poster
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: The shape-shifting urban sprawl that is El Lay. FT member #71.
Programs: UA Gold & MM; DL & AA credit card dirt status; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Fool's Gold
Posts: 4,839
QuietLion,
I'd like to take you up on your offer
.
Sent you an email with some phone numbers. I have limited web access today.
Regards,
Craig
I'd like to take you up on your offer
.Sent you an email with some phone numbers. I have limited web access today.
Regards,
Craig