Lisbeth is faced with decisions

So.
Philadelphia.  The City of Brotherly Love.  No brother has given me any love so far.  I guess that’s actually probably a pretty good thing. 

We had an uneventful flight, although there was a little worry for me at the beginning when the dude in the seat next to me tried to start up some small talk.  Um, mister?  See how I have this big thick book I’m reading?  See how I’m avoiding making eye contact and giving curt, one-word (or one-grunt-ish) answers?  See how you are wearing purple glasses (Seriously.  Purple glasses. Purple!  Who is he trying to be?)?  Geez.  Figure it out already - I don’t really want to talk to you (hmm…maybe that was some brotherly love and a I just defenestrated it! [Go ahead - see what it means.  Isn’t that a great word?]).

- - -

So we go to set up our booths, and I’m missing one box.  It’s a pretty important box, actually - it’s the box with all my product models.  The box with all the stuff that makes my booth so very cool.  Gah!  After tracking down the guy who is in charge of box delivery and getting nowhere, I called the company that shipped the box from the show last week, and guess what?  I got nowhere with them.  So we called back to the office, and (get this - you’ll never believe it) the box had been shipped there!  Amazing, really, considering that it had the address here in Philadelphia on, oh, 4 of the 6 sides of the box.  Two-thirds of the box was clearly labeled with where it was supposed to go.  So, instead of paying 2-day shipping (or maybe in addition to, who knows?), the company is paying to overnight the dang thing here, and it’s supposed to arrive by early morning.  Who knows what that is, though?  The show starts at 10:00am, so I hope it’s before then.  And I hope the box isn’t too heavy, since I’ll have to carry it 6 or so blocks from the hotel to the convention center.  Sheesh - what a mess. 

I guess that’s what they pay me for, though.

- - -

(Hi Esther!  We’re practically neighbors - at least until I leave on Saturday!)

Well. 
That was a bit of a break, wasn’t it?  Couldn’t be helped, really. 
Well, okay, I suppose it could have been helped.  If I’d really wanted to help. But I was traveling, see, and it was for work, and I was just too exhausted to help it.
I’m back now, although I leave again tomorrow at 6:30.  How do you like that?  I was gone for five days, got back last Friday, and I’m leaving again a short five days later.  I’ll get home on Saturday night, probably pretty late.  Then I’ll leave again on the next Wednesday, finally returning that Friday. 
Meh. Three trips in three weeks.  Last week was Denver, this week is Philadelphia, and next week is Greensboro, NC.  The joy, people.  The JOY! I can hardly contain my excitment to get on the plane, headed for a 4 day convention wherein I will represent my company at the exhibition hall of a national conference, on my feet for over 8 hours a day. 

In happier news, Seth and I are signing the final papers for our new house today.  We are closing. CLOSING!  I wasn’t sure this day would actually come.  Of course, now that it’s here, I’m worrying about how we’re going to pay the mortgage while continuing to pay the remainder of my lease, and his, and oh yeah, maybe we should eat at least once a day.  And I have to work at my second job tonight, so we have to delay the celebratory drinking-wine-in-the-middle-of-an-empty-house we had planned for this evening.  We’re only delaying it a few hours, but still.  Here’s hoping I don’t have a hangover on the way to the airport!

- - -

This past weekend was fun.  I went home to hear Lindsay in her Senior Recital.  Although I may not have entirely approved of her outfit (this would be a reference to an inside joke.  Lindsay, do you care if I explain it?), she did a great job.  Maybe she’ll have a recording to share soon. 
Grandaddy came up from texas to hear her, and while he was there Mom was discussing giving me Grandmommy’s [really, really] old Singer sewing machine ("It only does straight lines, but it does better straight lines than any sewing machine I’ve ever seen," she said).  Hearing this, he instead offered to give me Grandmommy’s last sewing machine - the powerhouse she bought for quilting, along with the sewing desk and everything else.  I am so honored and excitied - we’ll probably bring it home at Thanksgiving.  I’ll have to learn how to use it, though, so I’ll have to give Lexy (a very good college friend who teaches FACS) a call.