Yes my friends, it is hard to believe that yet another year has whipped by leaving me scratching my head wondering why I chose to submit the classes I chose to submit because OH DEAR in a week I need to be in front of a few hundred people sounding like I know what I am talking about.
I opened my closet this weekend thinking that I would be proactive and start packing. As I picked through my clothes, I realized that just about everything I own is either wrong size (too big, too small), the wrong style (too 2005, too 1994) or the wrong season (Spring in Prague not = Spring in Sydney). If perchance there is something in there I can wear, it needs to go to the dry cleaners.
Just about ever item in my hodge podge scramble of miscellaneous work garments were purchased in a panicked dash through the Christiana Macy’s (conveniently located just off of I-95 minutes from the Philadelphia Airport) while headed on a business trip. I typically leave my house with an empty suitcase and whatever credit card still has available balance and hope that the extra 20 minutes of driving lead time is enough to get me something presentable to wear, a peppermint mocha and a spot in line with the “A” group at the Southwest gate.
This routine has become an unfortunate habit because I work from home in jeans most days and the week or so before I trip I become some sort of nesting kamikaze. Cabinets and closets that have been neglected for months suddenly need resorting, there are meatballs to be made, mail to be answered, children’s school projects to be completed, and all of the other things that will likely explode or cause painful emotionally scarring in my precious angels if left undone during my time away. Or probably more likely that I really rather my mom (or my husband’s mom) not see how we actually live on a daily basis.
So after several days of military style household organization, preparing whatever material I need to bring with me, and loading a portable hard drive with every single piece of data in the known universe, I am left with 30 minutes to pick through my clothes and realize that just about everything I own is either the wrong size, the wrong style, or the wrong season. I find something suitable only to realize that it needs to go to the dry cleaners. I curse my lack of foresight, swear I will look in the yellow pages and actually locate a dry cleaner in my town upon my return, grab the keys, a credit card and the empty suitcase and get in the car in my pajamas.
Autodesk University is always a bit harder due to the timing. In addition to the typical pre-trip panic, there is always someone sick with the flu. There is Thanksgiving with its warm, glowy autumnal cornucopia of happiness and its warm, glowy expectations of showing up somewhere with a smile on your face and homemade pumpkin pie in your hands. As I said to Jason last night, on Thanksgiving Eve I can typically be found with my right hand inside a still-way-too-frozen turkey, my left hand finalizing a dataset, my five year old proofing my powerpoints, and one of my feet keeping the bouncy seat jiggling for a sick little guy.
Once that plane lands at McCarran, all of the stress fades away and the excitement of being with a few thousand of my fellow CAD enthusiasts takes over. While it took three AUs and one OTC for me to finally figure out my way around the Venetian, I am looking forward to exploring Mandalay Bay. In addition to the three classes I am teaching, I’m working the Public Utility event on Monday, the Water and Power Breakfast on Thursday, attending the Beta Launch, every mixer I can fit in and a giant pile of classes.
If you have a mobile device, you can follow me (@civil3diva) on Twitter. I’ve finally gotten myself a decent, small digital camera, so I’m planning on taking lots of photos, blogging and tweeting as much as I can.
If you use twitter, tag any AU related tweets with #AU2009.
If you need some advice about what to pack, check out my AU 2008 preparation guide, my AU 2007 packing list, and the AU 2006 recap.
Now if you will excuse me, I have decided to take on a quick double bathroom painting and tiling project since Autodesk is closed, which shouldn’t take me very long. I should still have enough time to get out to the outlets before Sunday, and if not, the Christiana Macy’s opens at 11AM on Sundays, so I’ll bet I can find an extra 20 minutes in my travel time if I skip breakfast.