Planes, Plants, and Pillows – The Weekly Update

It finally feels like spring around here – the birds are out, there are ladybugs in the garden, and I can feel my sinuses pressing on the back of my eyeballs.  Ah, spring at the homestead is what this weekly update is all about!

Spring usually also means the wrap up of all the projects I started in January.  Most of us who have been in the same industries and kept up travel patterns for a number of years can predict our busy seasons.  Mine is always late April/early May.  It’s predictable and thus I plan my travel around it.  Normally I would have taken a week off in April as a “working” vacation (go sit on a beach somewhere in SE Asia and work by the water), but with the change to a new firm, I’m waiting to re-accrue vacation.  And as such, I have to be a little more creative with my downtime pursuits until then.

I started by sending off my passport to get my Chinese visa this week.  I always get anxious if my passport is out of my possession, but it will be worth it when I get to enjoy my first class mileage run to Beijing in three weeks.  It’s just a shame that I’ll miss new American 787 Dreamliner on this route by two weeks.

That Dreamliner is beautiful – and I had so much fun at the customer preview event on Wednesday night.  Part of the fun was seeing the new plane, but much of it was getting to hang out with other travel lovers.  Going to that event meant I couldn’t make a quick trip to Atlanta where the Freddie Awards were held on Thursday night (at the Delta museum) so I traded one aviation geek gathering for another one.  I think it’s great that so many people share my passion for travel!

Speaking of passion for travel, I finally got another entry up on my drawn-out Indonesian adventure trip report.  This one features the northern Bali port of Celukan Bawang.

Now that I have my laptop back, I am catching up on a lot (blogging, travel research – which I still hate, and online file cleanup).  I am lucky to have a favorite cozy place for my personal work – it’s not only comfortable but has many of my favorite touches that remind me of my travels..

I’ll share more about this favorite room soon… its one of many nooks at the homestead that I love.

Being home has given me some time to refresh my wardrobe, partially through online shopping.  I’m not normally an internet shopper, but it has made my life so much easier lately!

Also, now that I’m working from home part of the time (in my home office, not on the sofa!) it means I can cook a bit more frequently.  I have been sticking with the classics lately – steak, baked potato, and other simple preparations.  My favorite technique for both potatoes and steaks is Alton Brown’s.  I bake my potato first then turn up the temperature to heat my cast iron skillet for the steak

In other things I’ve done, I had a bit of fun running some of my photos through Microsoft’s How Old software.  Only one of these is correct….

Now it’s time to get back on the road – I know I travel for at least the next five weeks straight so my routine is back to what I like… a mix of jetsetter and homestead that I like.

And for today, it’s homestead – Sunday morning gardening and then head to brunch.  There’s nothing like drinking on patios to officially celebrate spring.  Have a great day… and a successful travel week!

XOXO