Continuing THE LIST

So, let's just jump right back in to 2014:

Ajax, Ontario—Ahhhh, my first Canadian trip. It was super snowy and the pharmacy was kind of a disaster. I also remember the food—it was disgusting. (And I wrote this post. It's titled "Fun Times In Canada". Oh, I was so naive.)

Buffalo, NY—I went to Niagara Falls in the middle of winter and froze my fingers off. Also, I never ate real Buffalo wings and I think I went to bed around 8:00pm each night. I was lame.

Strathmore, Alberta—It was FREEZING. I hated traveling to Canada. I mean, I promise, Canadian border patrol, I do NOT want to move here and steal one measly job from your population. You didn't have to interrogate me like I was a criminal every time I went through customs. (The WORST!)

Revelstoke, British Columbia—Probably my most favorite trip I took with this job (even though it was in—GASP—Canada). Check it out here.

Perryton, TX—This one was Red’s Pharmacy, and the owner was a straight up ginger, which I thought was kind of funny and clever. Nice folks.

Bethany, OK—These guys were super fun. The staff was young and joked around a lot. They also tried to get me to drink beer with them at lunch on the first day, because they were all so hungover from the night before. (I did not partake, but I appreciated the gesture.)

Keller, TX/Livingston, TX—These two Texas trips were CVS pharmacies outside of Dallas and Houston, back to back; a solid 12 days of living out of a suitcase in Texas. This was about the time I had breakdowns to a handful of people back home (yes, multiple breakdowns, while I sat in my car with the air conditioner on, because Lord Have Mercy it was like 400 degrees outside) and I almost emailed my boss my resignation letter from the CVS parking lot.

Lethbridge, Alberta—This place had a really long bridge the city was named after. I went and saw it and was underwhelmed. Also, I had a minor case of food poisoning after stopping at McD’s on the long-ass drive out there. That was fun. Thank God there was a scary little gas station along the way, or who knows what would have happened.

Yarmouth, ME/Topsham, ME—These two Maine trips were back to back, and they were for a chain pharmacy called Hannaford's. People were nice and Maine is gorgeous! I wrote about it here.

Brampton, Ontario— This one was literally in the middle of nowhere, Alberta. Like, rolling fields of yellow canola forever and ever. And the people were weird. It was Canada. We know how I feel about this.

Broadview, Saskatoon—The pharmacy manager named the robot Pippin (wtf?), and I had a migraine almost the entire time. There was nowhere to eat, and I had to eat A&W three nights in a row (vom). This may have been the cause of the ongoing migraine.

Damariscotta, ME—Another of the Hannaford's. People were super nice and I ate lots of lobstah.

Sunnyside, WA—I got a freaking huge speeding ticket and I’m fairly sure the state of Washington never cashed the check I sent in the mail to pay it, so it is entirely possible that there is a warrant out for my arrest in Washington state.

Ada, OK—People were nice. The land the pharmacy was on was part of an Indian tribe's property, so technically it had different laws than normal...? (I didn't really get the deets on this. Clearly.)  The pharmacy sold Michael Kors purses and Vera Bradley stuff, which is nice I guess, but I remember thinking it was also kind of odd.

Soldotna, AK—So this trip was when I decided that this job had slightly ruined my will to travel. Alaska was GORGEOUS. I mean, who gets to go to freaking Alaska?? And I took maybe three pictures total, because I was tired, I had rented a Tahoe and I knew I was going to get in trouble for going over the rental car budget, and my cell hardly worked. And I decided that if I got a free trip to Alaska and I was so grumpy that I didn't go do anything or at the very least, take touristy pics of the park I drove through, then it was probs time for me to find a new job.

Pine Falls, Manitoba—This one was a disaster. I had to stay at a casino over an hour away and halfway through the first session of training, the pharmacy manager came in and told me he was (and I quote, because it’s so dramatic) “shutting this down” until some issues had been resolved. It was a cluster, and I had to stay in the area for two more days, “just in case” everything got worked out. It didn't. I came home and they sent someone else out there a week later.

Santee, CA—Another CVS, but a California CVS in October is much more manageable than my previous CVS nightmares in Texas. A couple other trainers were also working at CVS's in Cali, so we met up for sush one night.

Taos, NM—Another of my favs, because I got to travel with my bestie Brad (or BAMER). I wrote about it last fall.

Reno, NV—Never even saw a casino…also an Indian Health Site, so that was interesting. I was so over everything at this point. I was also traveling with another trainer, and we ate at Whole Foods every day for lunch AND dinner at his bequest.

Denver, CO—This was my first VA Hospital, and I really had no business being there. The products I was supposed to “support”, I had not learned yet. It was the week of Christmas. It was super cold and snowy. I was hating life. Good times.

Which rolls us right into 2015 (are you still with me? Almost done!):

Orlando, FL—A VA Hospital site that had bought a ton of our expensive equipment, yet refused to use it in the way it was intended. At the very least, I was in Florida in January, and Ben was with me. However, it wasn't really a productive trip, since they didn't listen to any of our training.

Murfreesboro, TN—A VA Hospital, where half of our equipment didn't work correctly and I got yelled at on several occasions. Had a breakdown in the Detroit airport on my way home, where I declared “I WAS DONE FOREVER” (and then I went to Nashville the next week).

Nashville, TN—Sister site (another VA) of Murfreesboro…same issues, and to add insult to injury, I didn't even make it down Music Row because I was tired, I was mad, and it was cold. (Jeez...early 2015 was pretty bleak for me, professionally.)

Somerset, PA—Super nice pharmacy manager. The staff were…interesting. Let’s just say there was a 31 year old pharmacy tech who had a 16 year old daughter and was SUPER proud of that. Yeeeeah.

Ronceverte, WV—I took Kayla, a new trainer, on this trip, and she was sweet and fun to travel with. Highlights of the trip included us literally sprinting through the airport to make a connection (after I had bragged about never having to run to catch a flight) and then driving down windy roads straight out of “The Hills Have Eyes” territory in backwoods, West Virginia. (I think we bonded over the terror of the experience.)

Bremerton, WA—Okay, so this was my last site I traveled to, and I knew it at the time, so I didn't have such a hellish time as I would have if I knew I wasn't quitting. This was a Naval hospital on Fort Bremerton, and the Commander in charge was pretty intense. Like, wasn’t happy with anything and wouldn’t sign off on anything until it was fixed, intense. Luckily, that was not my issue (this trip required multiple people on site from SP) and I just got to chat with the Navy cadets, who were quite interesting. Lt. Awa was the NICEST guy I've ever met, and he gave me a Commander’s Coin, which is a big deal in the Navy. I guess you give it to someone who you respect, and he told me that the whole pharmacy appreciated the work I had done with them.  In hindsight, I suppose this was not a bad trip to go out on.

And I'm DONE! I gotta admit, it’s kind of cool to have all of these places documented and to look back on where I've gotten to visit. While there were plenty of things I disliked about the job, I did meet a lot of interesting and cool people. But now, on to the next adventure of actually staying in town for more than a week at a time. I think it's going to be a solid summer. And who knows? Maybe I'll start blogging on the regular again. I gotta get my snarky comments out somewhere.

Oh Hey, Blog

Yes, hello, I’ve been gone for quite a while. A lot has happened over the past five (yes, FIVE. Ugh, I’m the worst) months. Aside from the various annually celebrated holidays (Christmas! New Years! V Day…eh. Easter! Various family birthdays!), I’ll add in that mah bestie tied the knot (wedding was fabulous; she was the most beautiful bride), I quit my job (HECK YES!) and I found new gig. I was just so over all that travel. Anyone who tells you traveling for work is fun, glamorous or exciting is just plain lying to you. Traveling for vacay? Yes please. Traveling for work? Not fun. It’s exhausting, and I couldn't ever figure out why exactly, because really, unless you’re literally running cross country to get somewhere, you’re mostly just sitting in a small seat for extended areas of time. Right? So I have no idea why I felt like every trip aged me in such a way that I now feel I am a ripened 65 years of age. And you know those Canada trips added extra stress in my life. (The WORST!)

Anyway. Those days on the road are (mostly) over! Hip, hip, hooray! I’m working as a training specialist now for a healthcare company, and the travel is just enough to keep me interested (because life in a cube is WEIRD!), but not so much as to send me over the edge. And as the imagery above emphasizes, it’s making me happier and I’m feeling a pretty good vibe. However, before I completely closed the ScriptPro chapter of my life, I made a list (because list-making ranks in my top three things I love to do) of all the places I traveled to, along with what I remember of them. Some pharmacies will forever be burned into my brain, whether good or bad. Some, I literally cannot even remember making the trip to.

Oh! Also, since I don’t want to sound totally ungrateful and negative about this past “life experience”, I figure I have to give SP a shoutout for giving me the chance to get away from the educational vortex and the opportunity to explore new places, although the majority of the time, I really only got to see an airport, a rental car, and a lot of highway as I drove into some little town that offered Applebee’s or Chili’s (if I was lucky). The day a Chili’s makes you feel good is not a happy day.  (Okay, so I tried…I mostly just feel relief and a little snarky about leaving.)

So, ya ready? Here’s part one, and I’ll return with part two tomorrow, because it’s a hefty chunk of words, and I’m sure some people (if anyone is still reading? Hello?) are already bored. Here’s 2013 for ya:

Andrews, TX—My very first trip. I didn't pack enough clothes, I definitely did not have the right shoes to stand for 10-12 hours a day, and I had no idea how to pronounce ANY drug name. I also couldn't count pills on a counting tray, to which my “mentor” suggested I “look for shapes” as they pills rolled around. Ummm…what?? Needless to say, it was rough.

Kinsely, KS—This trip was slightly better from a training standpoint, but the real fun was seeing this. Also, I gained a “real friend” (not a work friend), Mr. Ben Emma (BEMMA!).

Sweet Home, OR—This trip was with my boss, Susan. It was the first trip I had to rent the rental car and actually drive the whole way, which was slightly nerve-wracking with my boss seated next to me. We had an hour drive to the pharmacy each morning, and every single time, I missed our turn. (I have always been directionally challenged.) I felt like an idiot.

Richmond, VA—My first solo trip, and they were so nice (even though I’m sure the training was super rough. I don’t remember, because I’m pretty sure I've completely blocked that memory). I had like 4 training sessions, each 3 hours long, which is A LOT of talking. But! They gave me a “RVA” coozie, so that was cool. And as I type this, I have no idea where that is. Hmmm.

Longview, TX—So at this one, the people were super cool (they drank beer after work in the pharmacy!) but there was a crazy snowstorm in the south (anyone remember when every single person in Dallas cried because they didn't know how to drive in snow?), and I had to spend an extra night in Shreveport, LA. But I did find a kick-ass sushi restaurant. I had to learn to find the small things in life with this job. Clearly.

Selma, AL—This was such an awesome trip, because the people and the town were so cool. I did posts on it here and here.

Greenville, NC—This was a huge hospital and I had to go in at 6:00am every morning...east coast time. I am so not a morning person in any timezone, so this was challenging for me. They were nice, but I was exhausted and it was a cluster inside the pharmacy. It was like a week or so before Christmas. Oh, and then I had to fly straight to the next place....

Dalton, GA—This one was super unorganized. I remember thinking that the pharmacy manager was an idiot.  Also, it was right before Christmas. I think I came home on Christmas Eve and boy oh boy, was I missing the teacher’s winter break right about then. But then I got my paycheck with copious amounts of overtime (like crazy stupid overtime pay) and I was all, "oh this job isn't THAT bad..."

Riveting stuff, I tell ya. Just riveting. I’ll post the rest tomorrow!

Manhappiness, Kansas

The weekend after Thanksgiving, my friend Megan and I headed up to Manhattan for the big “Sunflower Showdown” game (I use the term “game” loosely…it was more like a blowout). KSU took on those silly Jayhawks, and I’ll be honest…I only watched maybe a quarter of the game overall. That’s right—we ventured all the way up there and basically just ate and drank our way around town. (So not complaining. That’s totally the way I prefer my Manhattan trips. Hashtag Fatkid.)

We didn't get tickets to the game, since we figured a game in late November would be freezing, and we could just soak up the Aggieville atmosphere while watching the game from the comfort of a Porter’s booth with beer flowing from the tap, brought to our table by some frat-tastic 22 year old bartender. But wouldn't you know it…it was 65 degrees and sunny that Saturday! We still managed to have a fantastic time…even if we did take a nap….during the second half of the game…and order Pizza Shuttle when we woke up. Because, let’s face it…college is not meant for 30 year olds. We learned that lesson the hard way this year.

So. We ate at SoLong. Twice. No shame there. In fact, as we rolled into Manhattan around 8pm on Friday, we didn’t even bother checking into the hotel. Nope; we drove straight to our fav college spot for bloody Marys and grilled cheeses. THE BEST! Dear SoLong, please come to Kansas City! I know you would do well. Maybe in Westport? Or Crossroads? I’d support ya at least once a week, for some raspberry-black bean dip. And/or queso. (Yes, we had both, as you can see by the pics. No judging!)

After our SoLong dinner, we stopped at Porter’s, where Megan worked for 4 years in college. It was pretty much the same…same smell, same cups, same dartboard. We hit O’Malley’s to see if our dollars were still on the wall—indeed, they were. Finally, we stopped in to see our pal Charlie at Taco Luche to end our night.

We hit up CocoBolos for lunch and bloodies on Saturday, before the gameday festivities started. (By gameday festivities, I mean Fireballs. I blame the Fireballs for the nap that ensued directly after the Fireballs.)

We met up with a few of Megan’s friends who were in town for the game, and got a very festive holiday pic by the Christmas tree at Aggie Station.

This guy was NOT one of Megan's friends-we just saw him walking past Tubbys and we HAD to get a pic. I mean, purple Sperrys? That's dedication. I loved it. (He was kind of put off that we asked for a pic, but I was like, dude, if you sport a purple sweater vest with purple slacks and purple shoes, people want your picture.)

Ever had a Nancy? No? Get yo’self to SoLong, ASAP. It’s delish.

Then…came SoLong a deux (mmm....the dip! The DIP!), and naptime for the old ladies. On our way out of town Sunday, we stopped for lunch at Taco Luche before saying so long to our alma mater. Kittycats got the Win,  I got my Manhattan fix for football season, and Megan got a solid 28 hours of sleep . EMAW fo’ life! (Insert KSU Wildcat radio rawr-rawr-rawrrrr here.)

I Just Skipped Right Over September...and October...But Hello, November

Hello, hello! I join you again, fresh from several work trips and plentttty of Netflix. Can we talk about something for a hot minute? Revenge. Oh. Em. Gee. (Get it? “Em”? Emily? Unintentional, I assure you.) As per usual, I’m last to jump aboard the popular non-reality TV train, and so I stumbled upon this gem on my last trip to Taos, New Mexico. SO. GOOD. So forgive me for a second, while I get this out of my system: Victoria Greyson? Wicked Witch of 2012. (Also, she was in my favorite movie of all time, The Last of the Mohicans, so….this kind of weirds me out.) Declan Porter? Eric from Gossip Girl. And did anyone watch Greek? No, just me? (Another perk of this job—I go on Netflix binges and can’t stop.) Anyway. There’s a chick from Greek on this show, too! Argh! Add all this to the craaaaaaazy dramatic plot I can’t even follow (Emily? Amanda?), and you know what I’ll be doing for the next week. (It’s on while I’m typing this. I have a problem. Clearly.)

Okay, that’s out of my system. On to something more exciting—Taos, New Mexico! While on my unintentional blogging hiatus, I have traveled to several places (a la work, of course—no fun vacays or anything), but I was kind of getting sick about venting on the ol’ bloggity blog about Canada and this crazy job. (I’m sure anyone reading was, too.) So, let me tell you how refreshing this last trip was. I started training on a new product (after a year—but no, no, I’m being positive! Positive thoughts!), and with that comes traveling on your inaugural training trips with—wait for it—another person! Hooray! Finally, I had a companion to talk to and vent to and drink wine with (and oh yeah, train with) on a trip. My fellow trainer Brad and I had a successful trip in the pharmacy, and got to sneak in a few fun meals and sightseeing to boot.

Neither of us really knew what to expect of Taos, but were pleasantly surprised with the quaint little town and delish bistros. Here's part of the downtown…including the cutest bookstore, “Moby Dickens.”

The whale in the top hat? I die! Too cute!

Funny story about this pic...we ate at this super yummy wine bar, but it was freeeeezing. The hostess brought us over blankets, and Brad thought it was funny that I immediately wrapped mine around me. Hey, I'd rather be bundled up whilst I drink my vino, okay?

Ready for some food photos? I had the most delicious beet salad and sea bass at Lambert’s (thanks for the tip, Grandma! You did not disappoint!), and Brad chose the duck.

Our pharmacy we were training at was in an Indian Health Clinic on the Taos/Picuris reservation. We took advantage of our lunch break one day to go visit the last standing pueblo of the Taos tribe and the Royal Gorge. I have to say, while it was interesting to see these sites, seeing the reservation (and the packs of stray dogs) was a humbling experience.

Finally, we couldn’t get out of Taos without a few authentic New Mexican dishes, so we hit The Taos Inn for blue corn tortilla enchiladas and chile relleno. Soooooo good!

 

So glad I got to experience Taos and see its history (and try the cuisine!). Coming up this week—lots of celebrations, as Miss Nova turns the big TWO and our family comes together for Turkey Day. Have a great holiday week!

Little Letters

{This seemed appropriate.}

Dear people who are reading my blog,

First of all, thanks for hanging in there. Are you ready for a healthy dose of snark to kick your week off? (I am currently in Canada…so guess what kind of mood I’m in. Cue eye roll.)

Dear ScriptPro,

Why, dear Lord why, do you keep sending me to Canada? It’s become the trainer joke that I am the unofficial Canadian trainer. Oh, and it’s not really funny, so….please please please spread the Canadian love around the schedule. (I'M BEGGING.)

Dear Babe Walker,

I know you’re not really real, but you sure are funny. Thanks for tremendously improving my flight to Denver on Saturday—your newest tome, Psychos is heeeeliarous. (Oh, and dear whomever I lent my copy of White Girl Probs to—may I have it back, pretty please? I’d like a re-read sesh ASAP.) (Also—don’t click her links if you don’t appreciate offensive, yet entertaining, language and a satirical view on "rich kid" society.)

Dear State Troopers,

I GET IT. I am formally giving up trying very hard to give up speeding and you don’t need to bestow any more tickets on me.  Also, can we maybe talk about enforcing a national speed limit for interstates and highways? I vote for 80 mph. That’s manageable. And bee-tee-dubs, Canadian police force: I don’t think it’s fair or just that you can send me a bill for speeding when you don’t actually catch me in the act. I don’t even know where I was caught. Or how fast I was going. I would go so far to argue that it’s unconstitutional, but I suppose that is a moot point since you know...Canada.

 Dear Adrienne,

I will miss you, friend! I wish you tons of luck and success in your new career. If I ever need architectural supplies, you are my go-to girl. And darling, if we ever have another Book Club night that ends at a hookah bar, you better be there!

Dear metric system,

Why are you so hard to convert? (Note: Canada should use miles.) (On a related note, can someone Canadian tell me how many kilometers over the speed limit are acceptable before you get a ticket? Ten? Twenty?)

Dear Celsius degrees,

YOU DON’T MAKE SENSE TO ME. (Canadaaaaaaaaa. Sigh.)

Dear Sarah and Josh,

Happy birthday week to my besties!! Hashtag birthday buddies! Hashtag battle of the birthdays! Hashtag I’ll see you both this weekend! Xs and Os!

Yep, Haven't Posted in a Month...So Here's What I've Been Up To

Summer is flying by. (I feel like I start all of my posts lately with an excuse for not posting. So this time, I’m just jumping in.) Before the 4^th, I wrapped up my June and kicked off my July with a trip to Maine (for work, of course…let’s not get too excited). I had been to Maine when I was 4 or 5, but it was only a day trip up from Connecticut, so…I could call this my inaugural trip to the northern state. My trip was a little longer than usual, as I had two sites back to back. Both were coastal cities though, so I got to do a little exploring and check out several spots on the water. Also, another bonus on this trip was that two other trainers were in the area—our company is installing at a grocery store pharmacy chain up there, so there were five installs within about a week, and the three of us got to meet up and grab dinner and drinks in Portland. I also got to sneak in a beach visit on the day I traveled from Yarmouth to Damariscotta. It was quick lived, but it felt pretty good to let the freezing waves roll over my tired toes.

Hey, ya know what you do on trips by yourself? You take about 50 thousand pics of scenery and then, oh, you take selfies.

During my leisurely few hours off the clock (and when my feet were sufficiently numb), I decided to see what else the coast was all about and visit a “scenic” lighthouse about an hour outside of Damariscotta. Ummm…the lighthouse was two stories tall. Okay, maybe with the tower it was three. But still. Maybe I've been misinformed, but I was always under the impression that these suckers were big and tall—you know, to guide the ships in over the cliffs and crashing waves and such? ("Land ho!" "Thank God we saw the lighthouse!" and all that.) But nope, this guy was much shorter than I had anticipated. (I even took a pic of the house it was connected to for scale.) I mean...I was a little underwhelmed. But still pretty, Maine!! Still pretty. I'm fairly certain Kansas has no lighthouses, tall or short, so you got us there.

 

 

So, yeah…a whole 10 minutes of picture taking and salty air breathing later, I jumped back in my rental and headed back toward where I was staying, only to discover the home of the world’s best lobster roll (as proven by the three—THREE!—separate people who told me to stop here when I headed north). So, I stood in line at Red’s Eats and bought myself a $21 sandwich (cash only, natch).

It was…good.

Forgive my east coast naivety, but I thought a lobster roll was kind of like a chicken salad sandwich, only featuring crustacean.  You know, lobster with a little mayo (or aioli if you’re fancy), some celery for crunch, etc. NOPE. It’s a whole lot of lukewarm lobster, on a piece of buttery white toast. So. While not what I was expecting, it was still worth the trip. And now, I can say I’ve eaten the world’s best lobster roll, so there’s that.

 

It was a lottttta lobstah.

 

And then, after a solid week of northeastern living, I headed back to the midwest. My 4^th of July was low key in the best way—pool with pals, a barbeque complete with a mini-beer pong tourney and then we headed downtown to watch hear the fireworks (who knew that the rooftop of John’s Upper Deck is maybe the worst place to watch the fireworks set off from the River Market?). And July is continuing to roll on by…the month is already half over. Our work sched is finally picking up, and in the next three weeks, I’ll be traveling to Washington state, Saskatchewan (Canada…my FAV. Not.) and back to Maine again.  

 

Annnnd, since I’ve been rambling on about summertime today, I’ll wrap this up with a pic of the cutest (and smartest!) girl in the whole wide world, made a little cuter as she eats a mini-ice cream cone. Xs and Os to my Novy!

 

 

Adventures in British Columbia

Last week, I finally (finally!) got to visit a super fun town in Canada. I mean, as thrilling as the suburbs outside of Toronto and Calgary were, this place gave me a whole new view of our neighbors up north. I flew into Calgary (nothing new, nothing new) and then drove five and a half hours across two national parks, up through two mountain passes. It was pretty spectacular. While most of the pics I took were while driving (safety first, folks….I know, I know), those mountains were still breathtaking. The weather wasn’t too bad—I mean, it went from a chilly (and snowy) 1 degree when I landed to a balmy 12 degrees Celsius throughout the duration of the drive, and it was downright warm(ish) when I finally arrived at my destination of Revelstoke, BC. Since I had shown up to this party in jeans, a long-sleeved tee and flip-flops, I was thankful the snow that was flurrying throughout Calgary had not followed me into the mountains.

 

Are you ready for a TON of magnificent mountain pics? Here…we…go!

{Heading into Banff National Park.}



 

 

{This was the view from the restaurant at the base of the slopes.}

{The view from outside the hotel.}

Revelstoke was darling. It was nestled in between mountains and was a charming ski resort town of about 7,000 people. My pharmacy owner and his staff were so kind and so enthusiastic, and the owner and his wife even took me to dinner on the first night I was there. We went to the resort restaurant at the base of the mountain, and the views over dinner were spectacular. In other food news (you know that’s what I live for), I found a delish French café, aptly named Baguette, to eat lunch at each day and listen to the hipstery-hippies talk about their snow stories (the season had just ended). This little town reminded me a lot of Breckenridge—a super cute downtown area, unique (and appetizing—no fast food or Applebee’s on this trip, thank the LORD) restaurants, and friendly faces. This is one work destination that I would definitely go back to!

{Heading back to Calgary, I saw this fog just hovering over the peaks...it was so pretty....but...}

{The closer I got...}

{I realized it was a SNOWSTORM! Oh Canada...you love to throw your weather curveballs.}