Cheers from London and Howdy from Dallas

Well hello there my dear blog followers!  It has been a while and when I read my last entry I realized that again I had fallen into the black hole of work never to be seen or heard from again.  Oh ok, yes a little melodramatic, I admit but I am happy to say, I AM BACK!  Not so much with a vengeance but rather a renewed energy to blog again. 

Over the past two weeks, I have been traveling - my new homes - airports, taxis, tubes and trains. Oh and not to mention the hotel room that I only see when I pass out from exhaustion.  I have had a few firsts though - London was a first for me last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Whoever said Londoners were a bit of cold fishes never met the people I came across.  Everyone - from the taxi drivers to the hotel concierge to the people I bumped into on the Heathrow Express or Tube (their word for the Subway - to Brits "subway" is a walk way underground to avoid the traffic or rain up above) - was extremely friendly, welcoming and more over NICE!  Plus I got to meet my colleagues from Europe who do the same thing I do - and they showed me a good time beyond compare!  I laughed until I almost pissed my pants!

Oh, and let's not forget the food.  I ate until my stomach hurt and drank til I had permanent red wine stains on my lips.  I had it all - from fish & chips, to Spanish tapas to Indian food - YUM! 

On the only day I didn't work - Saturday - I walked for 5 to 6 hours all around London.  I went to the Tower of London first.  For those of you who don't know - I am a Tudors fanatic.  I have watched every episode of the Showtime series "The Tudors" and have read every Phillipa Gregory novel about the women of that time: Mary and Anne Boleyn, Mary Queen of Scots, etc. 

So the very fact that I was taking a tour and sitting in the Chapel where the Anne Boleyn's body was found completely made the tour worth it for me.  Yes, I can be morbid but I love all the history surrounding King Henry the VIII and his many wives and penchant for beheadings. 

After the Tower of London, I went to visit the Kensington and Buckinham Palaces which were both closed to the public unfortunately but at least I was able to see them from the outside,  walk through Kensington Gardens, the Diana Memorial and enjoy fresh air. 

I then went to Herrod's  - can we say overwhelming????

Herrod's is as tall as it is wide and....they actually have an opera singer singing Ave Maria as customers ride up and down the elevators.  I mean, really??? Opera as you are shoppping???? And since I am all about food, my favorite part of Herrod's was the food court/gourmet grocery shopping/anything foodwise that you need.  They had a sushi bar and a dim sum bar plus meat factory.  Yes, I was in heaven but was too overwhelmed to be able to pick a thing.

So that was my day in London after my event and I loved every minute of it.  I was sad to leave as I knew I was going to miss London, the Brits and my colleagues.  But then I was heading to another adventure in Dallas and yes, another event.

I am now in Dallas for Day 1 of the Forum.  I haven't been to Southfork (yes, I was an avid "Dallas" fan from the 1970s and remember "Who Shot JR"). 

But I have managed to have fun, not get sick and yes, believe it or not, exercise.   Tomorrow I fly home on the redeye - oh, so can't wait!   Before then, I may, just may go country line dancing - oh, my college roommate would be so proud if I did.

Work Life Balance - Does it exist?

As I logged in tonight to update my blog, I looked at the date of my last entry and it has been almost a full week since my last post.  What happened?  Where has all the blogging gone?  In one word - work.  I started 2010 with a renewed focus on maintaining some kind of work life balance, reality quickly set in. 

Is work overrated?  You bet it is, especially when it comes to the impact it can have on a person's health - whether it is lack of sleep or lack of exercise.  Whether it is Ben or Jerry or my good friend. Mr. Chicken Fingers that have come for visits more frequently than I can count.  Even my dog Bella snuggled up to me last night and looked up at me, put her head on my arm that was attached to my typing hand to say:

Can't you just pay attention to me and stop working????

It reminded me of the time I was working at my last job when my then four year old sister would come home, see me at my computer and close it on me - mid type.  She would say to me, "No, you said you wouldn't be working when I came home."  Even at a young age, my sister knew the importance of work-life balance - or rather knew that I was supposed to focus on her when she was home :).  From here on out, that is what I am going to focus on. 

Will there be times I have to work late?  Yes.  But not every night.  Will I still fit exercise in at least 4 to 5 times a week - the work stress requires it, no?  Will I indudge in fried foods - ok, seriously, that's a big HELL YES.  I will just try not to overindulge and allot for it in my flex points on the weight watchers plan.  What about fun?  Plans are in the works for sure this weekend and eHarmony is becoming more and more fun by the day - woot! woot!