So me and my wife are super cool about most of the things we do – I get home late, she stays up later, I travel for conferences, she travels for work, no matter what’s going on, we get along. But one of the rules we’ve established is to not discuss our travel plans in public until after they happen, unless it’s for a public appearance.
One of the reasons is that she’s an artist, and I’m an author, and sometimes the things that we create can irritate people, and if you publicize your schedule it opens you up to attack. So she’s asked me not to publicize our location or our travel plans. That won’t stop Goldfinger, of course, but it makes it less easy for a determined whacko.
So, I’m … somewhere, to give a company talk, but it’s not a public talk, so consider it an undisclosed location. And I took the red-eye, as is my habit for crossing country, because I hate losing a day. Prior to my talk, I’d lined up a whole day full of meetings with people so I could use this time productively … but as of this morning, all have canceled or failed to respond.
I’ve no worries: if my meetings are all canceled, I’ve got a giant stack of papers to read for a brand new project at work, so I’m covered. But I don’t want to drive away from the meeting site in case my last meetings go through. So I’m nearby, in a coffeehouse, chilling out, waiting to either hear back on my meetings or to get the good news that my hotel has a room ready for me to check in.
And you know what? It’s nice to have a respite, a little time to chill. For someone who juggles a job, writing, a small press, and comic book work, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
A few minutes to chill is a good thing.
-the Centaur
