Business travel

I am currently sitting on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to New Orleans, where I will spend six days. I left my house in Surrey at 0740 this morning for T3.

I have never been a fan of British Airways, preferring Virgin Atlantic for transatlantic flights, but today’s travel with American changed my opinion. my colleague RP and I had opted for the cheap ticket option – American – and about 20 mins into the flight regretted the decision.

Maybe it is just us, spoiled by years of flying BA or Virgin, but with a ticket costing over £700 I don’t expect to have to pay for my G & T. Or wine with ‘dinner’. But American flights are different.

I won’t do this in a hurry again. Why would you?

Advertisement

Film Review: The Reader

I have ‘read’ the book. I have seen the film.

Do either, do both, but, get involved.

I saw the movie on my flight back from Seattle. It’s possibly not as great as the book, but still a very good film. Kate Winslet is compelling as Hannah. The book had more of an impact on me, but the film left me realing.

4/5 – well worth it.

Asthma worsens

I’ve had asthma for years. I spent many years believing I was just fat and unfit, and that was the reason I couldn’t keep up. Every year after we graduated from uni, at least twice a year, a group of my friends and I would go  away to the lakes – to talk, to walk, to party, to catch up. I was always the butt of the jokes because I huffed and puffed my way to the top of the hills we walked. I couldn’t keep up. I laughed at myself, but secretly, got more and more annoyed that I was so unfit. At home in London, I worked out 3-5 times a week and still I couldn’t improve my ‘fitness’.

In 1995 at a wedding with a friend, his father, a GP, explained my ‘unfit’ condition was actually asthma. Peak flow, something I’d never heard of, was 275 which was apparently quite bad.

For many years I battled with inhalers, telling myself I could control it. In recent years, I haven’t been able to. And more recently, it’s gotten really bad – again. Last week, I got a new inhaler – that’s three in total. This new one gives me palpitations for about 4-5 hours after I take it. I start shaking on the inside and then it reaches my extremities and continues. It’s pretty freaky. The good news is that my peak flow is 400 – for the first time in 13 years. Does that mean I’ve been on the wrong inhalers for all this time?

I can’t believe

It’s been almost a month since my last blog…hmmm, why does that feel like it should be a confession?

It’s been an interesting month, to say the least.

My sister got a new job and now lives in Bermuda. Yes. Bermuda. She’s working and partying hard. It’s great news. I really miss her…really.

My job is going well. I’m enjoying it, but it’s not without issues.

I was at a lunch with the CEO recently who commented on “there are no politics in my company. anyone playing the politics game, I will find out and they will be out”. Less than two weeks later and I’m stuck in the biggest political game I’ve ever known. I’m dealing with several seriously negative people, who squeal to the people above them that will listen and then bleat they are not being heard at all. Oh, and did I mention negative? It’s all been very enlightening.

I’m not a political player, I’m just me. I want to do my job and I want to do it well. I don’t want to massage anyone’s ego. I don’t have time to carry anyone. I don’t have energy to waste on people who think they deserve my time, my trust, or my loyalty. You have to earn all of those things.