Business Meeting Musings

Top ten things I learned from this week's business trip to Chicago that have nothing to do with my business...

1. The terms "low hanging fruit" and "put some skin in the game" are not innuendos, nor do they allude to any actual body parts, but are acceptable terms in the realm of business. And I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard them.

2. Sharing stories of drunken escapades and anything involving taking off your underwear makes for fantastic ice breakers.

3. A camera phone and interesting bathroom wallpaper can provide 45 minutes of solid entertainment.

4. "Pig Face" is an acceptable menu item.

5. A $1300 Eames executive desk chair is no more comfortable than my broken jury-rigged-with-two-bed-pillows-so-that-it's-tall-enough-for-my-desk desk chair. Though it is slightly more safe.

6. There are light switches that an intelligent, fairly well-traveled woman of 34 cannot figure out how to use that cause lights to turn on by themselves seemingly in defiance of just being turned off.

7. Dressing for a business meeting is akin to dressing for a funeral.

8. In the absence of a fan for white noise and the addition of screaming from the street below, you may think the History Channel a good choice to fall asleep to, however, be aware that you will dream of ancient volcanic eruptions and evidence of extraterrestrial encounters.

9. Anyone excited about anything, even if it interests you less than the dirt on the bottom of your shoe, has the power to excite you, if only momentarily.

10. No two cabbies are alike. Even if they are all named Ali.