SO,... no update of the last 4 months here, just fun fun fun.I recently started a new job as a Project Manager for the business equiptment company I previously discussed in my blog. It takes me all over St. Louis, and has really challenged me so far. I love it!! I'm getting to know alot of new people, new areas of STL, new cuisine, etc. I have been gifted a work nextel and a *temporary* work car: a 1994 Blue Ford Taurus I've dubbed "Blue Thunder." Recently though, the thunder recently died along with the battery while I was cruisin on a highway ramp. Eek! I should be getting a new car soon.
This job has also allowed me to take my first business road trip. Ok, it was not a bad drive: 2.5 hours. The roadways are broken up into 60 miles or less, so not too boring. BUT OH MY GOSH! The town I'm in is the "Big town" around here... with a total of 9600 people. I actually drove through "towns" of 500 people or less. You know what southern Illinois,... In St. Louis we call that a neighborhood. Fo real.
So here I am, in the BIGGG CITY. I packed like a true St. Louisian... One large suitcase, one medium, and a cosmetics bag. I'm here for three nights. I've worn like 4 things so far, and packed like 30. But what if the weather was crazy!? What if there was a cool club that the client wanted to take me to?? Nah, that's not the case.
Monday: No dinner, and 6 hours of TBS.
Tuesday: Taco Bell for dinner. Thought about swimming but afraid that my buoys would stick out in the 4 x 8 foot swimming pool right by my hotel enterance. So 5 hours of TBS later, I called the front desk to ask what in this town was still open at 11:30 pm. Pizza? Clubs? Parking lot soirées?? She said "NOTHING. Well, except the McDonalds."
OMG.
So, I go driving at 11:45 wearing yoga pants and a "tatas" shirt while blasting "Summer Love" by J. Tim. Good times. I get a #11 at McD's and converse with the midnight window clerk for like 15 minutes -- we were obviously both sharing the same boredom. I went back the the hotel and got fat while watching "Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift" -- Two stars with a side of NO.
So yeah. I show up to my clients restaurant today to complete this process of installing a Point of Sales system, and one of the servers said, "Oh girl! We could have gone out! Call me tonight, we'll go to Poor Boy's. They are open til 2." One bar, named Poor Boys. Cute name maybe, but I wonder...
Overall though, after my stay in the Big, Little Town I have learned how different locations make different personalities. It's hard for a "city folk" to judge someone that came from an extremely small town. I have felt their pangs--the pangs of not having 24 services, or not having shopping other than a Wal-Mart for 30+ miles. Icky poo.
Another thing I've noticed is that people are "ig-narnt" of minorities because THERE ARE NONE HERE! It's insane!! I cannot believe people actually go off to college or move to a large city in their early twenties and don't just DIE at the sight of a minority!
You really have to be here for more than a day to understand. Stop lights and culture are missing; one main road and whisky bottles are present.
Holla back,
Denise
