Plane, train or automobile: Matrix. This car seems to be developing hidden capabilities. The running joke with one of my coworkers is that the Matrix can do anything - need to tow a 27 foot travel trailer? Matrix. Need to haul 3 3-drawer lateral file cabinets home? Matrix. This car rocks.
Mission: Our department is expermenting with "Work From Home" days. We want to see if we can maintain productivity and reduce travel costs by 20%. I have a company car, so I don't think the 30 miles that I didn't drive saved us much ($4 for 1 gallon), but I know that several people with longer commutes saved about $10 and still got everything done. I tried this on Wednesday and it worked out well. We can forward our desk phones to a land/cell number - I did this and was able to converse with an out of town colleague without them knowing I wasn't at my desk.
Number of human interactions: 57. The four days I was in the office reminded me of how friendly our Team Members are - you can't walk down the hall without being greeted or chatted with.
State(s) visited: VA
City visited: My kitchen on "Work From Home Day"
Interesting fact about this city: I got all the free coffee I wanted all day long!
Halpert says: Dude, this is two weeks in a row at home! I need to stretch my legs!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080614
Plane, train or automobile: Matrix. This one was easy - it was right here in town. I could sleep in my own bed, eat dinner with my own family and relax in my own recliner!
Mission: Management Training for 18 store managers. If you have been following AAP news (and who doesn't???), you'll see that we have some new Senior Vice Presidents. I had a chance to meet one of them, and I must tell you that I was impressed. He met this group of managers for the first time and spent about 30 minutes telling them who he was and why he was looking forward to the challenge of leading them. He was very humble and very Team focused - might be his Starbucks upbringing!
Number of human interactions: 21, plus my family!
State(s) visited: 1
City visited: Roanoke, VA
Interesting fact about this city: Home to the Texas Tavern. Any restaurant that only seats 10 people has to be interesting, right?
Halpert says: I got to play with the Travel Kids for a few days. Wow, do they have energy!!
Mission: Management Training for 18 store managers. If you have been following AAP news (and who doesn't???), you'll see that we have some new Senior Vice Presidents. I had a chance to meet one of them, and I must tell you that I was impressed. He met this group of managers for the first time and spent about 30 minutes telling them who he was and why he was looking forward to the challenge of leading them. He was very humble and very Team focused - might be his Starbucks upbringing!
Number of human interactions: 21, plus my family!
State(s) visited: 1
City visited: Roanoke, VA
Interesting fact about this city: Home to the Texas Tavern. Any restaurant that only seats 10 people has to be interesting, right?
Halpert says: I got to play with the Travel Kids for a few days. Wow, do they have energy!!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080607
Plane, train or automobile: The Matrix - what other type of transportation is there?
Mission: Management Training
Number of human interactions: 17
State(s) visited: WV, MD and PA
City visited: King of Prussia, PA
Interesting fact about this city: The King of Prussia Mall. This mall is enormous - there are 18 restaurants in / around the mall PLUS 3 different Food Courts!!
The Regional Office where I conducted the training is in Norristown,PA. Lot's of gorgeous old homes - Travel Wife would love to see the architecture.
Halpert says: I never knew that a mall could be that big. It looks like a mall that ate another mall (plus a shopping center)...
Mission: Management Training
Number of human interactions: 17
State(s) visited: WV, MD and PA
City visited: King of Prussia, PA
Interesting fact about this city: The King of Prussia Mall. This mall is enormous - there are 18 restaurants in / around the mall PLUS 3 different Food Courts!!
The Regional Office where I conducted the training is in Norristown,PA. Lot's of gorgeous old homes - Travel Wife would love to see the architecture.
Halpert says: I never knew that a mall could be that big. It looks like a mall that ate another mall (plus a shopping center)...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080531
Plane, train or automobile: Matrix!!! This car is great for traveling - sips gas, rides well, carries stuff and it has an iPod jack - no more changing CDs or seeking good radio stations!
Little Girl had a dance recital today. She is in ballet and tap, so she appeared in two numbers. Her favorite role was in the ballet group - they danced to a song about chocolate chip cookies out of reach on a shelf. She was picked to exit the stage last, which means she got to run back and grab the cookies at the end of the number. She was so excited! She is so beautiful when she dances and you can tell that she truly loves dancing.
Mission: Management Training in Atlanta
Number of human interactions: 16
State(s) visited: NC, SC and GA
City visited: Buford, GA
Interesting fact about this city: It has a huge mall and a Firestone (the Matrix got it's first oil change at the ripe old age of 3 weeks!)
Halpert says: There was a Moe's next to the Firestone - does it get any better than this??
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080524
Plane, train or automobile: None
Mission: Function as a Subject Matter Expert for the eLearning system we are implementing.
Number of human interactions: Many
State(s) visited: None
City visited: Roanoke
Interesting fact about this city: See earlier post
Halpert says: It's nice to have a week at home after that LOOOOOONG Texas trip.
Mission: Function as a Subject Matter Expert for the eLearning system we are implementing.
Number of human interactions: Many
State(s) visited: None
City visited: Roanoke
Interesting fact about this city: See earlier post
Halpert says: It's nice to have a week at home after that LOOOOOONG Texas trip.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Eight states, seven nights, seven beds... one woman.
Plane, train or automobile: The maiden voyage for the Matrix was a doozy. We had a death in the family, and we were off to Texas. Here is the timeline for the trip:
Tuesday 05/13 - Travel Man is teaching a management workshop in Columbus, OH. The BoysenBerry alerts me to a message from Mrs. Travel Man at lunch time that her aunt has passed (we were expecting this after a 10 month battle with cancer). Travel Man arranges for a substitute to conduct the workshop for the next two days. He and I meet in Charleston, WV for dinner and head in opposite directions. Arrive home at 11pm and help Mrs. Travel Man pack and get ready for the trip. Bed = my home. Miles = 300.
Wednesday 05/14 - Travel Family (there are two Travel Kids... more on them later) drives to Jackson, MS. Arrive at the hotel @ 10 p.m. Bed = Sleep Inn, Jackson, MS. Miles = 750.
City visited: See list above!
Interesting fact about this city: Too many to mention!
Halpert says: I spent more time in the Matrix in a week than I did in a month in the Exploder.
Tuesday 05/13 - Travel Man is teaching a management workshop in Columbus, OH. The BoysenBerry alerts me to a message from Mrs. Travel Man at lunch time that her aunt has passed (we were expecting this after a 10 month battle with cancer). Travel Man arranges for a substitute to conduct the workshop for the next two days. He and I meet in Charleston, WV for dinner and head in opposite directions. Arrive home at 11pm and help Mrs. Travel Man pack and get ready for the trip. Bed = my home. Miles = 300.
Wednesday 05/14 - Travel Family (there are two Travel Kids... more on them later) drives to Jackson, MS. Arrive at the hotel @ 10 p.m. Bed = Sleep Inn, Jackson, MS. Miles = 750.
Thursday 05/15 - We roll into Bryan, TX at 5 p.m. We check in, change clothes and get to the viewing just in time for the 6:30 Rosary. Eat dinner with family and back to the hotel @ 10:30 p.m. Bed = Quality Inn, College Station, TX. Miles = 450
Friday 05/16 - Visit family at uncle's house. Bigger Travel Kid is roughed up by the family dog, which means we have to go look for a new outfit for her since her skirt bore the brunt of the attack (and a small wound on her leg... "merely a flesh wound!") Funeral Mass @ 2:00, burial at 3:30, reception at church at 4:30 and then on the road. We arrive in Shreveport, LA about 11:00 p.m. Bed = Comfort Suites, Shreveport, LA. Miles = 250 (with a start time of 6 p.m.)Saturday 05/17 - This is a long day. We have to drop the kids off in Edisto Island, SC for their annual Grandma and PaPa vacation, we head east. We end our day in Madison, GA. at about 11:00 p.m. Bed = Comfort Inn, Madison, GA. Miles = 650.
Sunday 05/18 - Off to Mass in a mission parish by Lake Oconee, and then to Edisto Island, SC. My in-laws are owners with Wyndham Resorts and reserved a gorgeous 4 bedroom unit a few blocks from the beach. We met up with them about 6 p.m. Bed = Edisto Island, SC. Miles = 250.
Monday 05/19 - Back home for Mrs. Travel Man and me. Brief stop in Charlotte, NC for my wife's business and home for dinner. Bed = my own!! Miles = 410.
All told, we put about 2800 miles on the Matrix during the trip (not counting the mileage to get back home on Tuesday) with an average fuel economy of about 34 miles per gallon. I cashed in LOTS of hotel points (one benefit of being Travel Man) and supported my wife and family in a time of mourning (isn't that what being a super hero is all about?) Travel Kids (girls ages 9 and 6) were great - no complaints, no messes. They watched movies, read books, colored, played the alphabet game and even got into a cow counting contest (first one to 1,000 wins!)
State(s) visited: TN, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, SC, NC.City visited: See list above!
Interesting fact about this city: Too many to mention!
Halpert says: I spent more time in the Matrix in a week than I did in a month in the Exploder.
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