Friday, September 7, 2012

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I'm back from my business trip in one piece!  Ufda, this was a tough trip for me.  I did what I set out to do and successfully presented at 2 different bank conferences, but oy vey.  This trip was hard.  Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of it...

The Good
- We got really good feedback from the participants at both sessions.  I am new at presenting so positive feedback really helps build my confidence!
- I traveled with my boss on this trip and we really bonded and got to know each other.  I think it was a blessing that we had to do this trip together because it forced us to get to know each other better. I feel much much better about reporting to him now and feel as though we are on the same page regarding my career path, strengths, and opportunities.

The Bad
- I got to the first hotel we stayed at, unpacked, and realized I had forgotten to pack my suit jacket.  I do NOT know how I did this.  That is a pretty crucial thing.  A suit wasn't required, but I like to over-dress instead of just meeting the bare minimum. 
- I almost got into a car accident on the first night.  My boss yelled to stop me from turning into a car.  I was turning left and thought they were turning left but they were going straight...  I blame the cold meds as I had that floating head/out-of-body feeling.  But it was pretty scary.  I felt awful but my boss was super nice about it and said to not feel bad.

The Ugly
- I got SICK on this trip.  Like SO SICK.  If I hadn't been traveling for work, I most certainly would have been staying home sick because I was miserable.  It started with a head cold which then settled into a chest cold.  By the 2nd day of presenting, I didn't have much of a voice.  Getting up in front of a crowd of people feeling like crap with a fading voice is HARD.

So there you have it.  All in all, I feel good about how the trip went, but I am not going to sugar coat it.  I was miserably sick on this trip (and still am miserably sick).  I'm working a half day today and then am taking the afternoon off and am going to the doctor (I want to rule out bronchitis).  I need to rest up as much as I can as I leave again on Sunday afternoon for another one of these presentations, this time in the Philadelphia area.

What was the good, the bad, and the ugly of your week?

22 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Ugh it totally sucks that the cold you were starting to feel on Monday got worse! So sucky. I'm glad you did get to know your boss though. I cannot ever imagine traveling with my boss haha

Becky said...

Well hooray for rocking the presentations but I'm so sorry you're sick! Presenting, much less flying with a head cold is horrible! Hope you can rest before leaving Sunday afternoon!!!

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

Yuck, that sucks you got sick on a trip! Flying while sick is the worst.

This week was rough for me too. Zeke was sick all week and it was pretty awful (he's fine now) and my sister and I got in a huge fight. It wasn't fun. I am so glad the weekend is here. I have pretty much no plans the entire weekend and I am going to try and really savor it (try... I'm terrible at having "nothing" to do).

missris said...

Oh honey that sucks that you're sick! I'm so proud that you totally rocked the presentations though. Good for you!!

Stephany said...

Oh man, I hate being sick but I can't imagine having a head/chest cold and having to travel and present! That had to be really hard. Hopefully you can take the weekend to recharge and rest!!

(But props for kicking butt on presenting! Woo!)

Leigh said...

Minus the bad parts (ie: being sick, forgetting your jacket) it sounds like it was a successful business trip. Though I do have to ask, what does ufda mean? Is that another Lisa saying like woo hip? Haha. Have a great weekend

Caroline said...

ugh man! I cannot imagine having to present while sick like that. I always felt horrible for my teachers that didn't have a voice and stuff in class. The "Good"s look like great positives though! I hope things look up after this week!

My week just felt bad/ugly, but since we are finding positives.. the good of this week was visiting my brother last night and seeing his adorable puppy again.

Nora said...

The Good: I was still on a friend high from having all of you here last weekend.

The Bad: My head is a mess at work. I've messed up a few things this weekand it's making me crazy and causing some issues, too. Nothing that can't be fixed but it's not my usual performance level so I'm totally annoyed with myself.

The Ugly: It's been a really tight month/week for me in terms of finances and it's really starting to wear on me. Thankfully pay day is this coming Monday...

Raquelita said...

Ugh! I'm sorry to hear that you're sick! I hope it's not bronchitis and that you get to feeling better very soon!

The good: making a new potential friend.

The bad: not having class on Wednesday so having to rearrange my syllabus.

The ugly: having a tree on my roof from the windstorm.

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

Being sick on a work trip is not fun. Nor is it fun to be sick for a vacation. The only thing I want to do when I'm sick is lay in my pjs on the couch under a blanket.

My week's been pretty good so I'm just going with that and hoping it carries over into the weekend and my race! Get better! Hope this weekend you can rest up.

Cherry Blossoms said...

Let me know what the Dr says and I hope you're feeling better soon.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

If you can kick ass on your presentations while fighting a nasty cold, you'll blow them out of the room on a healthy day - talk about a confidence booster! Also, glad to hear you bonded with your boss - must give you some relief about your current situation. Speaking of, we need to chat about related items... I never followed up with you.

Amber said...

So glad the presentations went so well despite your sickness. Hope this sickness passes ASAP as I know you have a crazy month ahead!!

I had a pretty good week all around so no real bad or ugly to report other than feeling frantically busy at work ALL WEEK long but in a good way, if that makes sense. haha

Gracie said...

I, too, have left my suit jacket home - I hate that. In this case I packed a shell to wear under the jacket, so it wasn't even like I had a nice button-down blouse to wear :( Get well soon!

Oh said...

There are several things I like to read in blogs: about books, about weddings and about work! So i was interested to hear what you're doing and what you think of it.
I do the presentation thing, too. A lot. It gets easier BUT so much always depends on the crowd, the type of crowd. I love dynamic crowds. Iam not crazy about presenting to people after lunch. They'd rather be napping. (remember the class you had right after lunch in high school...and trying to stay awake? ugh.)

Anyway, bravo to you not only for presenting but for traveling with your boss. It takes an enormous amount of energy.
ANd I know you were a hit.
Just as you always are here when you visit.
Love your striped dress, you looked fab (many said so, of course) and it meant so much you would be here.
Good luck on Philly trip - you'll rock the house!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

It sucks that you were sick, but I am very, very glad that you got a chance to get to know your boss better. I think this was much needed! Hope you feel better soon!

Lisa-Marie said...

I'm so sorry you are sick sweetpea. Being sick whilst away for work is the WORST. Lots of hugs!

Good work on the getting good feedback though! :)

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

boooo. sorry you are sick but i am glad your presentations are going well!

Elizabeth said...

Oh No--Feel better! But I'm glad you felt it was a good trip overall and that you were able to bond with the boss.

Melissa said...

Still can't believe you got sick on your work trip, of all times! Ugh. Hope you're feeling better though, and happy to hear you were able to bond with your new boss. Totally meant to be that you guys had to travel together!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Sorry to hear that you got super sick girl :-( That sucks!

The good from my week - a friend's surprise 30th birthday party.

The bad - terrible sleep Friday night :-(

The ugly - Saw a HUGE spider in the basement. Grabbed a shoe to smack it and it got away on me up high in the rafters of my laundry room. Now it's loose in the house!!!! Eeeep!

San said...

It makes me happy to hear that you established a rapport with your new boss! That's fabulous.

Not so happy about you being sick... I really hope you'll recover pronto :)