Bridgey Speaks

Yesterday was all sessions all the time until 4:30 or so. The sessions were excellent in fact, and I really enjoyed them.

After the work of the day was done, we went back to Old San Juan to explore the streets we hadn’t seen and eat of the much-recommended Parrot Club where we dined on nachos made from fried plantains, empanadas, and salad. We also had yummy fruit drinks with passion fruit.

Today there was one last session I attended that paled in comparison to the others. If it weren’t for the sort of crazy windy weather and the good audience contributions, I would have been annoyed that I hadn’t skipped it for some final time on the beach. But I did not, in fact, duck out of any sessions for beach time. That was done pre-conference.

Anyway, see the final pix from Old San Juan. Home tonight. Will be nice to see Davey and the pets. I miss them all for sure!

Last night was the Taste of Puerto Rico reception. Other than the sweet fried plantains, the food was disappointing, and the rum drinks had little rum. But the ambiance was nice, and we had some good conversations with colleagues and peers. We also got some fancy swag from the Rums of Puerto Rico group that included 4 mini bottles of rum. I will have to figure out what is getting booted from my quart-sized zip lock bag to bring these home! (See the swag.)

Today, I enjoyed some time on a hammock beneath palm trees and protecting my back from further sunburn received from snorkeling. I read junk food magazines since my iPod went on the fritz. I wanted to be listening to The Omnivore’s Dilemma for book club. I also took a dip in the super-nice pool.

The conference started full swing at 1:30 with a keynote from the group Choose Responsibility. It was very interesting and informative and thought provoking. I’ll be curious to follow the debate that hopefully ensues from their efforts.

Then I went to a session on e-marketing. It was interesting, but they ran out of time for questions. I find conferences to be an emotional experience. They seem to create extremes of emotion in me from “I’m way ahead of the game” to “I’m an old fart who should have been a zoo keeper after all.” In the end it seems to balance out and I learn some useful tips and tricks and all is well.

Tomorrow will be a very full day with lots of sessions, but it will wrap at 4:15. So after that, we’ll be heading to see the rest of Old San Juan and probably El Morro.

See pix of the view from the pool area of the hotel.

Today was a day of snorkeling. After another fabulous breakfast, we boarded a shuttle and headed east for about an hour and a half. We picked up some folks from “the Carrier group” — that’s right, like the air conditioning company — who were a bit rowdy, but turned out okay. We got on a catamaran with about 20 other people and went another 45 minutes. The boat ride was complete with rum drinks and plantain chips.

We arrived at an uninhabited island where we did some “practice snorkeling” and hanging out on the beach. Then we were treated to quite the spread for lunch. After lunch we headed out more into the open water and snorkeled. It was beautiful. Tons of fish and beautiful coral and such. Then there was some general hanging around, more snacking, and the boat and shuttle ride back.

The driver of the shuttle was very informative and helpful. He told us a lot about the history and present state of Puerto Rico and seemed knowledgeable beyond his 30 years. He has spent a fair amount of time in New York and so seems to be both bi-cultural as well as bilingual.

In addition to missing Dave just for not having him here, I miss his usual role as photographer and his skill and fancy camera. There are more pix, but they don’t compare with what Dave would have taken. My orientation on boat was a challenge, as are my skills and equipment! You’ll just have to believe me that it was both beautiful and fun.

Now I’m off to a “Taste of Puerto Rico” reception. I feel like I’m still rocking a little after being on that boat all day, so I think being on the computer any longer is a bad idea. More to come…

Most of yesterday was spent getting to San Juan. Changing planes in Atlanta rather than Philly was genius, as expected. Reason #312 why changing in Atlanta is better than Philly: Edwina at the Chik-fil-A. She was super-nice in a very genuine way. In fact every employee at the airport was nice, friendly, AND helpful. You DON’T get that at the Philly airport. Reason #313: There’s a Chik-fil-A. Reason #314: “Recharging stations” where you can plug in and work on your laptop, or plug in whatever other electronic device needs more juice.

After we got to the hotel, we enjoyed a couple of fabulous drinks and just hung out until crashing at like 12:30. My bladder was suddenly feeling the 2 margaritas, the chai latte (from another super-friendly Atlanta airport employee) and lots of water.

Today was great. It started with a great buffet breakfast that included perfectly cooked bacon, prociutto, cheese, coffee cake, mimosas, and other assorted yummies. This was fuel for a slew of spa treatments: a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure. SOOOO relaxing.

Then it was off to Old San Juan for authentic Puerto Rican food: pork in a plantain sauce with sweet fried plantains and mashed plantains with garlic and butter. I like plantains. Then we walked around and poked into the little shops and eventually went to see the Fort San Cristobal. It was cool. See pix.

After checking email, we went by the beach/pool area and sat in hammocks until it got too cold. Time to get cleaned up and then a fabulous meal. Now it’s bed time to be well-rested for a day of snorkeling tomorrow. Woot!

Thanks to everyone for your travel tips. It’s almost time to leave for San Juan. I’m am totally excited, but surprisingly a little nervous and even a little sad. I think it’s because Dave is not going with me, so now I will miss him in addition to my usual missing of Leela, Maia, and Mojo.

Someone asked me what Dave will be doing while I’m away. Other than band practice, eating random food, and snuggling with Leela, I’m not sure. I do suspect he and Maia will have a go-around at some point some chilly night when Maia wants to be all snuggled up to him but then he flings her off the bed somehow. I’d say I’ll miss the electric mattress pad, but when it’s 70 degrees at night, it seems a bit unwarranted.

While I’m away I’ll try to post updates of what’s going on, along with a long-overdue post about the fabulous surprise 30th birthday party Dave and friends threw for me. It was so very nice! I felt totally spoiled by all of the attention, and I am STILL enjoying the fabulous desserts. (The freezer is your friend, and so is the cream cheese frosting that Gretchen makes!)