Road trip of the week

Good morning from the Hyatt Place in Rancho Cordova, where the rooms were designed by an idiot. The big TV screen is cleverly placed so you can make it face the bed or the couch. No way can you see it from the desk. The bed faces the bathroom mirror, and the bathroom door opens out to the bed, and is also mirrored. Therefore the bed lamp reflects back into the pillows, as does the mirror on the door if you try to block the mirror on the wall with the door. Then the light in the living room reflects off the other door . . . I think it is back to the Courtyard for me, despite the free breakfast here. Although they do have Tazo teas.

These trips are always interesting. Yesterday for the first time in memory I locked myself out of my car. I was in the parking lot right in front of the big windows along the office, I had both doors open while digging in the back seat for literature, posters and catalogs, with my purse on the seat, when my host came out to greet me in the parking lot. We both moved a door out of the way to shake hands, and both doors latched. I always put my purse on the roof - what was I thinking? We have a roadside service (number in the glove box) so I called the company in Little Falls and the operator hooked me right up. These voice recognition programs are amazing, they asked questions all the way to were the keys on the seat, on the dash or in the trunk by automated attendant. When I got to give the address, a real person sent out a tow truck, and the nice tatoo'd man had a big folder of bent up wires, and click! the door popped open. No big deal, but a lot of embarrassment on my behalf for being dumb in front of a client. Well, I probably don't need to go back there. They buy some of our equipment but not much from me, and I will have a hard time being a credible force for change after that!

Lots of homework from yesterday's visits, so I need to get to it. I get to go to a couple of wine labs in the central valley today - always interesting (no, no tasting).