Found out the dress for the wedding isn’t going to work. Drat. Arg. Starting over. Any good ideas?

It’s been a long but very productive day. We helped Catherine move the shop to the new location. More still needs to be done to get it all up and running by Monday, but when everyone left, it looked great. I think this is a great step forward for her and the shop. I can’t wait until Derek’s and my usual Thursday night of hanging out at the coffee shop.

Once done there, we bought a few new plants to replace the ones I killed last year, and I just finished planting them.

Hopefully I’ll be able to keep this lot flourishing.

Yesterday I got Sumi some new digs. His old cage was much too small and he was having trouble finding room to stretch out since he’s been getting bigger. This is his new ‘big boy’ cage:

So far, the pooper seems to like the new place, although he doesn’t seem to be understanding the concept of the litter box:

Instead of using it for its intended…um…purpose, he sits in it like it’s a litter-filled chair. Weirdo.

I was so excited to be getting home. I guess that’s what trips are good for: making a person appreciate where they come from. We made sure to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare so we wouldn’t miss this flight…which gave me some time to write down a few things:

• Witnessed a family of assumed New Yorkers, judging by accents, in a huge fight the entire time we were waiting for the plane. We never did figure out what happened.
• Heard an announcement prior to boarding: ‘Pre-boarding for anyone under the age of five or anyone who acts like they’re under the age of five.’ I told Derek, ‘That’s us!’

While the conference was fun, especially getting to know coworkers a bit more away from work, I’m so glad it’s over. It’s been an exhausting few days, and I’m really looking forward to a bit of rest once getting home.

It sounds like the people attending had a great time and learned a lot while at the conference. My boss had heard comments from people that this year was the best one yet.

When I got back to the room, Derek told me a bit about his day. While sitting on the patio outside our room, an overly-confident duck swooped in and grabbed an M&M out of his hand before he could eat it.

The culprit. What a jerk!

Since I was done working, we finally had a chance to have a relaxing evening of a nice dinner, sitting and watching koi swimming in a pond, and going for a walk.

This shot of Derek’s feet was a total misfire, but there’s something I like about it.

Overall, it was a lovely last night in California.

So far the presentations have gone really well. The keynote speaker was fantastic, and the guys from the company who presented did a wonderful job as well. It’s really nice to be covering an event again. It feels a bit like my old newspaper days. Something I’ve really missed.

I’ve been running around like crazy the whole time so far. I actually feel like I’m getting in better shape from lugging around all the equipment. I’ll have to make sure to keep that up once getting home.

The last event of the night was a fancy dinner, complete with entertainment, which were three guys who impersonated a few members of the Rat Pack. Before they started, a woman at our table offered to take a photo of Derek and me.

This is probably the only photo of the two of us where we’re both looking fairly photogenic.

The entertainers: the guy who was Dean Martin was spot on–down to the drink and cigarette in hand, slurring, stumbling around stage, and singing. Wow. The guy playing Frank Sinatra was pretty good, although his voice was just a touch too high. Sammy Davis Jr., however wasn’t that great. The guy had a great voice, but he was no Sammy. After their performance I had to follow the trio around and get photos of them posing with everyone there. Frank was getting frisky and giving everyone kisses…which unfortunately included me.

Since we got to the resort pretty late, we finally got to see the place the next morning. On the way to breakfast we happened upon this little guy:

It’s my first time seeing a road runner in person. He had a funny way of puffing himself up to look bigger.

On my way back to the room between checking people in and the opening reception, I snapped this shot:

Wow. You sure can’t see anything like this in the midwest. I’m really digging the palm trees. I think they oil the sidewalks on the resort to glow like that. Pretty, but it makes them a bit slippery.

The company I work for sent me to Palm Springs to shoot photos and video of a conference they’re holding at a resort. Derek came with me to get a change of scenery. Pretty snazzy.

We were stuck at the Minneapolis airport on the way there for nine stinking hours. We got up late and somehow made it to the wrong terminal so we missed our 7 a.m. flight. Since we were each responsible for one of the screw ups, so we figured we can’t be mad at each other for our stupidity. Luckily we got on to a flight at 5:15 p.m. Since we had so much time to kill, I wrote down a few observations:

• Saw hipsters to the extreme while waiting for coffee at Dunn Bros. They reminded me of the ‘Two A-Holes’ on SNL.
• Saw a guy in a flannel shirt with the arms cut off having a very animated conversation with himself.
• Laughed at an announcement over the intercom concerning a red velvet pillow that was left behind on a plane, stated many many times.
• Discovered the airport charges for wifi access. Lame.
• Saw an iPod vending machine. People were mesmerized by the bright white glow of the machine.
• Marveled at women in tall, uncomfortable-looking shoes and wondered how they carry their luggage while wearing them.
• Saw a row of seats with markings that indicated they were intended for people with disabilities.
  
  The one on the left looks to be intended for people who hover.
• Watched a crew unload and prep a plane for its next flight. We felt badly for the woman driving and operating what we figured was the ‘poo truck.’
• Critiqued logos painted on the sides of planes.
• Saw a guy in handcuffs being transported by two officers.

Tonight Derek and I hung out at Toast a little bit.

Some candles on the coffee table in front of us.

Some signs I was putting on Derek to be annoying, obviously. Simpsons fans may or may not recognize the one on the right. Out of frustration, I once made a sign like that and put it on the printer at my former place of employment. The more you know.

Things I’m into, as of late:

• Virb
• Twitter
• Allergies…since for whatever reason I keep forgetting to go out and buy more Claritin-D.