So! Day 2. The hotel bed (a king, which is a little silly for just me, but I am not complaining) was very comfy, but of course the first night in any strange bed is always going to be a little odd, so I didn't sleep great, but I slept good enough to function. That will do. I decided to keep to my Eastern Daylight Time schedule, and since I normally get up at 5:30, that meant I was up at 4:30. Easy enough to do when you're used to it, and you have a good alarm (I used my phone; works great).
Up at the crack of 4:30. OK, well, it was probably closer to 4:40; had to orient myself and answer that age-old, first-day-of-travel question: "Where the #$%& AM I, anyway?" Staggered into the bathroom, and made sure I got some Ionix Supreme into me ASAP. Very good idea. It tastes like butt (I really miss the old flavor), but it's so worth it. Add some sprays of Isamune, and I'm at least ready to begin my day.
Breakfast was the usual: Mars/Venus cleanse & minerals, and about 20 minutes later, a M/V shake with the Ageless Essentials daily pack and the M/V lithium oratate. Yeah, I will shamelessly admit it, I am such an IsaJunkie. But, at age 42, I still have a baby face and feel like I'm in my mid 20's. And my mind is still that of a 14-year old, but we won't go there.
During all of this time, I was talking with Kelly via a Google Hangout (technology is awesome), so we had our usual morning chat. Good to keep in touch. The cats are a little wigged out at not having their daddy there, but they at least have mommy to cuddle and pester (good for them, not so much for mommy).
Anyway, down to the hotel lobby to register for today's course. UX Basic Training. That took all of 5 minutes. Another 45 until the doors open, so I sat in the lobby and checked work email and such. Technology. It's awesome.
Course began. Great info. Lots of fun. Engaging instructor. Etc. 10 am rolls around, and it's snack time. And the hotel put out a pretty nice spread. A "trail mix bar", with bowls of nuts (pecans and peanuts), seeds (sunflower), dried fruit (banana chips and raisins), granola, yogurt, and, oh yes, sesame sticks. I love sesame sticks. So that was my gluten for the day. Had a nice mixed bowl of everything, along with a cup of organic vanilla rooibos. And grabbed an apple to have with my lunch. There were also some muffins, but I very carefully ignored those.
So, good start, yeah? Back to training. Lunch rolls around. IsaLean bar! Woooo! This one was the Oatmeal and Raisin (dipped in yogurt). Nom. Plus the apple I snagged earlier. Drink was good old eau (as in H-2-eau). So far, I'm doing pretty good. They had a lunch buffet with southern fried chicken (nom) for $13, but I wanted to have some fun after class, so I stuck with my bar. Yay for me!
More training. Really enjoying the subject matter. Had a fun little exercise where a group of us came up with a scenario for using an automated ticket kiosk. They have those in theaters now? I haven't seen a movie in the theater since Fellowship of the Ring (2002), so I am decidedly out of touch. Anyway, back to training.
Afternoon break comes around. More trail mix! Oh, and they put out some salsa & guacamole! With thick cut corn tortilla chips. Ooo. Grabbed some of each (skipped the guac). Drink this time was an herbal apple cinnamon tea. Didn't exactly go with the salsa, but was great with the trail mix. And, yes, I was bad: had more of the sesame sticks. I am not made of stone. :-)
OK, training is winding down. Back to the room. Took my pills because I didn't want to pull those out at some restaurant and look all weird (well, weirder than I normally am, anyway). What to do for dinner? Hmm, that Indian restaurant around the corner is a bit of a walk; maybe I should save that for later in the week. Let's check out the Galleria: a monster mall across the street and down a bit from the hotel. First, I needed to find the entrance. Ah, there's Macy's. In we go!
Hmm, what to eat, what to eat. Let's see, there's a seafood place in the Westin - nah, I'd rather do that with Kelly, and I did tuna last night. Hmm, the Grill on the Alley. Looks promising, but the reviews were kind of meh. And their prices are pretty high. Just because MMG is footing the bill doesn't mean I want to go all Tony Stark on them.
What's this place? The Townhouse Kitchen and Bar. Hmm, looks promising. What's this? Smoked Beer Can Chicken? I think we have a winner. Half a chicken, plus a side of mashed potatoes with truffles and gravy, and grilled asparagus. All for $17. Well, now.
And, hey, now. Checking into Foursquare netted me a 50% off coupon for up to $15. Well, how about that? Let's celebrate with a glass of wine. Nothing too pretentious, maybe the house Pinot Noir. A little leery, as it's only $3, but I can always order something else if it's awful. Well, it was very much not awful. Quite tasty, as a matter of fact. And the guy doing the pouring was new (so my server told me), so I got a rather generous glass. Yay for me.
In short, the dinner was really, really tasty. I must say, however, that I hope there are no indecency laws in Dallas. It is not possible to eat half a roast chicken and look dignified. Sooner or later you just gotta pick the damn thing up with your hands and risk coating your entire upper body in rich, chickeny goodness. Well, fortunately I managed to keep the carnage restricted to my face and hands. And my server took pity on me and brought me a wet nap. Full tip for her. And the service was fast! OMG was it fast. I swear it was not 2 minutes after she took my order that it was on the table in front of me. Of course, it helps that the chicken was smoked, so it was probably ready and waiting to go, just needed to grill the asparagus.
Paid the bill (I think it came to $12 after the coupon; major bargain); tipped my server (always tip your server for the full amount of the bill before the coupon; they do no less work with or without it; they deserve the full tip - Kelly and I always start with 20% and go up or down depending on service - this was definitely an "up" meal), and wandered around the Galleria for a little while. Very swanky mall. Rolex. Louis Vuitton. The Art of Shaving.
Wait, what? Holy...I love their stuff! Kelly got me a starter kit from the Art of Shaving many years ago, and I still have (and love) the brush. Badger hair. Stiff yet soft. Very good for raising the stubble up before mowing it down. It's pricy: a good brush is $50 or more, but I've had mine since 2007 or so. You get what you pay for.
Anyway, I had a really nice chat with the lady working there, told her about my experiences with the product, etc. Asked about a few things, smelled their latest blend (Sea Kelp - very mild), and she gave me a bunch of free samples. Think I will shave every day this week. Oh, and they have a barber that comes in later in the week and does straight-razor shaves for $35 a pop. I am sorely tempted. I've always been curious, but have never wanted to try it myself. I might do it on Thursday or Friday. If I do, I will blog about it.
OK, enough walking. Back's starting to get sore. Back to the room to relax and unwind, and of course hangout with my sweet patootie. Early bed; I was under the covers by 8:30 local time (9:30 EDT), and dead to the world not long after that.
So: There was probably hidden gluten in a few places, but to the best of my knowledge, I managed to limit it to just the sesame sticks at snack times. Oh, and probably the gravy on the mashed taters. I think I am well under my 20%. I may not have made the best choices, but I think I ate fairly healthfully over all.
Next up: Day Three! As I write this, I have finished my breakfast (same old, same old) and will most likely hop in the shower and shave (free samples!). Got an hour before registration and another 45 minutes after than before the doors open, so plenty of time to get ready. Bring it on, world!
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