Pre-show frenzy
Macworld Expo is, as we've established, in Boston this year. Even though it's a "local" show for me, I'm honestly surprised at just how much crap I have to do before I can focus on it. My boss and I will meet in Boston sometime on Sunday afternoon, so we'll be good to go on Monday. The show opens on Monday, but the exhibit hall -- normally our bread and butter in terms of news -- doesn't open til Tuesday. Still, Monday's a work day, so to have us both traveling (as was the original plan) is not a great idea.
Given that, I've basically got two days to prepare for my departure, which means, among other things, making sure all the bills are paid, stocking up the pantry with plenty of food to keep Bonnie's trips to the grocery store to a bare minimum, backing up my computer, transferring all my data onto a new laptop I'll be using this trip, getting the van serviced, mowing the lawn and other various and sundry tasks.
In the middle of all this I've had a couple of vendors get in touch with me about pre-briefings for announcements that they plan to make next week (not Expo-related, but still important to cover) that absolutely must have my attention, so my time tomorrow is going to be divided between work and domestic responsibilities, to say the least. And that further compresses my schedule into basically a day and a half.
This pre-show frenzy is one of the reasons that I've grown, over the years, to really dislike trade shows. They're too disruptive to both my personal and professional life to ever truly enjoy. But, in the midst of it, I always find time to have a good time with the people that I'm with, so that I'm looking forward to.