Rant, rave

It's snowing in Halifax!! Mind you, this is wet snow and it will be gone by tomorrow, but I'm happy I brought my boots this week. Warm feet = happy feet.

OK, this is my sixth week traveling for work (wow, time flies) and I have to dedicate this post to the good and the bad of being being on the road (and in the air) so much. Let's start by the things that bug me.

So far, flying has been reasonably tolerable. I've only had delays on two flights, one because of a mechanical failure on the plane and one because the bridge at the airport was stuck. I count myself lucky. However, it would be nice if the staff at this particular airline-I-won't-name-but-you-can-guess-which-one-I'm-referring-to was friendly to passengers. I've flown another airline-I-also-won't-name-but-you-know-which-one at a few occasions and check-in staff and flight attendants were always lovely. No so with the airline-I-have-to-book-my-flights-with-because-it's-office-policy. I had a flight attendant once point at my laptop in the overhead compartment, ask to find out whose computer it was, then look annoyed as I said it was mine and told me to move it to another compartment because she could not close the door. Never mind "please", "thank you" or "would you mind if I moved it"... At Halloween, one airline decorated its check-in counters, the other, didn't. At a random time in the middle of the afternoon, my airline insists on having only two employees check in everyone (doesn't matter if you checked in ahead of time online), no matter how long the lineup.

Fortunately, MOST staff is friendly, but being friendly is not really how you'll get a promotion at this particular airline.

Second rant: taxis. I take a taxi to and from the airport in Montreal, about two every week. Most of the time the service is fast, but I would like to request that taxi drivers not shower themselves in strong cologne before their shift. There's nothing painful like being stuck in a car with an overwhelming smell of eau-de-too-much.

Now on to the raves. First, being recognized at the car rental counter, getting a smile and a cheerful hello after an hour spent on the plane. Then, checking in to the hotel and being upgraded to the executive floor. I think they noticed I was visiting them every week. The executive rooms are not that different from the regular rooms, but they are on a quiet floor, have better bed sheets, nicer products in the bathroom, and every morning, the local newspaper is delivered to your door. These little touches make my stay a tad more enjoyable.

Finally, being called "dear" with a Nova Scotian accent by hotel staff. Atlantic Canadians are really friendly and I think it's cute. "What can I get you dear?" How can you not smile to that?

Living out of a suitcase

I am back in Montreal but I only live here part time. That's because I spend my weeks in the Maritimes, Halifax to be more specific, working at a client site. The job is interesting, lots of project management, some business intelligence, a bit of strategy...

My first week away was very tiring. There's something about living in a hotel that can pretty much guarantee that you don't exactly sleep soundly. You hear noises in the corridor, the pillow is too hard, the air too dry... And for a week, I lived pretty much the opposite of how I've lived in the past six years. I had a car to drive to work every day, and also to drive to the local malls to grab whatever seemed a tad healthy out of a fast-food menu. I didn't have my travel mug so I bought coffee in disposable cups. I had no time to prepare before I left... there had to be a better way.

Week 2 was also spent at the hotel, but this time I asked to have a fridge in my room ($5 extra / day, well worth it) and I went to the Superstore on the first evening (think Loblaws) to buy yogourt, blueberries, granola and orange juice for breakfast, and whole wheet pita, cold cuts, cheese, humus and some lettuce for lunches. OK, my diet was pretty much the same every day, but at least the meals were a lot healthier. I ate out in the evening. I also made my way to the hotel's gym (a tiny room where about two people can exercise at the same time, but it was empty when I went) one evening.

Week 3 (this week) will be shorter, as I am flying back to Montreal Thursday evening. I am trying to spend some time in the Montreal office so my colleagues don't completely forget about me :-) Starting in November, I will probably live in a furnished apartment in Halifax, with a kitchen so I can cook meals, not just eat cold stuff. And I will spend a weekend now and then in Nova Scotia, to visit the area and avoid having to fly every single week. My carbon footprint is going to be terrible this year.

Any suggestions on things to see while in Nova Scotia? I'd like to drive to Cape Breton and do the Cabot Trail, maybe a weekend in early November. The view should be stunning, now that the trees have lost most of their leaves. I will also spend time around Halifax. My current hotel is close to the client site, but not exactly downtown, so I haven't seen the harbour and haven't walked around the city yet. Things to look forward to.

Funny thing isn't it? I'm spending my first few months of rediscovering my home town actually discovering a new city.