Mon 15 Jan 10:00am: I'm to be flying Tuesday to Boston to take in PTC's SMB MAD. (So many acronyms, so much tiredness from explaining them: PTC = Parametric Technology Corp; SMB = small and medium business; MAD = media & analyst's day -- this last one I made up.)
But I'm starting to feel MAD about going, especially after my last business trip to the East Coast was such a disaster -- primarily due to United flight crews needing their sleep, thus leaving their customers sleepless in Seattle, Vancouver, Bethleham PA, and elsewhere. Perhaps this is United Airlines' way of honoring the Kyoto Agreement: "We don't want you to fly [with us] anymore."
I planned to leave my hometown at 7am Tuesday morning to catch the 10:30am flight to Chicago, xfering to Boston. The gig is that my wife drives me to my parents' place, which is about half-way to the airport; my mother makes me sandwiches to take onto the airplane, and then my dad drives me to Vancouver International Airport. The system works well, and is cheaper than the $120 (+ tip) cab fare.
But now a snowfall warning has been issued, snow starting to fall at midnight and into Tuesday. My wife's no snow driver; the emergency plan is in place: she drives me out tonight. Already my three-day trip has been extended by 12 hours, and I haven't left yet.
Snow in Vancouver means the flight's probably going to be delayed in leaving. Maybe I'll miss the connection in Chicago. Even if not, there's snow forecast for Chicago; more delays. Maybe I'll be stuck overnight in Chicago, missing the first day of the PTC SMB MAD. Is it even worthwhile going for just the second day? Especially for a day of speeches that event organizers designed to begin at 4:30am Pacific (my time zone)? Maybe they counting on me being too sleep-deprived to ward off The Message.
I'm too old to care anymore for spending long periods of time sitting in airports, especially those too cheap to provide free WiFi -- like Vancouver and Chicago.
You, my lucky reader, can stay home and take in a partial Webcast of the event on January 17 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, or just sleep in and view the replay until 5pm, January 20.
Sleep is good.
So good.
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