This morning I hit the road and headed west - to the HOW conference in Chicago, a mega-gathering of graphic artists, freelancers, in-house managers and packaging designers.(Side bar - next time I visit the Windy City, it will be with a little lady in tow. Weird.)
Though I was eager for the conference, traveling to and from caused a tad bit o' stress. You see, I was supposed to travel via train. Amtrak. Riding the friendly rails. No need to stop for bathroom breaks or to stretch my vericose laden legs. Board in Ann Arbor, arrive at Union Station 4 hours 36 minutes later. That is until Tuesday, when Amtrak emailed and voicemailed me (read in robo-voice)... "Due to speed restrictions between Kalamazoo and Dearborn, you may experience a delayed departure or arrival. For additional information, please call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). Thank you."
Hmmmm. Suspicious. I called the number. Result? I now know the antithesis of a helpful customer service agent. Was it due to construction? Weather? How delayed? I got nuthin'. Thankfully, Brenna was on it and sent me this link about the dealio. Forced to adhere to 25 mph speed limits in West Michigan means mucho delays. Why? Because then the whole schedule is out of whack. Frieght travel goes on as usual, screwing over Amtrak passengers as they sit and wait for the 87 car train lumber across their path. The freight train message? "Sorry 'bout your bad luck, folks."
Because I was on a tight schedule - the train was due to arrive at 12 p.m. and my oh-so-important session (no really, it was a highlight, I'm a geek), Hard Core InDesign Tips, started at 2 p.m. - I needed to reconsider my options. Either leave Thursday night, risk it OR drive.
I didn't want to leave Thursday. I wanted to be home. Will had been in New York City for two days. I was going to be gone until Monday night. And I was staying with Aunt Sue - who has a life and wasn't expecting a house guest for an extra night.
As for risking it, interestingly enough, on Tuesday, a coworker's nephew was on the train from Chicago to Birmingham. And, right as rain, that boy was trapped on the rails for over 8 hours.
No thanks. Decision made. I was driving.
And so today I packed up the X3, pulled on the Depends (modeling my favorite astronaut) and hit the open road. Not really on the Depends. But, I did consider it. Sort of.
I'm sure when I get back I'll be inspired to write about the conference, and how much I love design and how lucky I am to have found a job in which I do what I love. But until then, I have some inspiration to gather, and some Grove Street roomies to dine with. Until tomorrow...
