Return

I’m hungover, tired. Taking the train to Luton Airport, 40 minutes north of the city by First Capital Connect train service. Seated next to others hopping an EasyJet flight to somewhere warmer, sunnier. Listening to Barbara singing “I don’t want to live without you” while watching the lush green countryside pass by. Many others waiting to catch the train the other direction, to their jobs in the city. Listening to the iPod provides both a connection and disconnection to the world around me.

Yesterday, we met some other vendors. Became fast friends while pitching our services to attendees of the conference. Drinks and snacks at the sponsored cocktail hour. More drinks in Notting Hill. Dinner in Kensington at Brittania, me pushing for the 10 minute taxi ride to eat there. Another drink at the hotel, sponsoring a young Microsoft couple so they could stay in the bar, the staff trying to kick them out for not being guests. Learning that we had a common acquaintance at Microsoft. A name I’d not heard in years. It really is a small world.

And now here, waiting for the flight to board. Eating a banana and grapes, sipping a coffee. Hoping to fall asleep as soon as we get on the plane. Work to do later. I’m sitting in the one place in London where wifi is included, Silverjet. Nowhere else is wifi free, that I know of. Even in the ridiculously priced hotel, you’re still shelling out 16 pounds 50 for 24 hours of access. See also: ridiculous. I’ve felt disconnected all week. No phone. No easily accessible connection. It doesn’t matter. no email comes during the day, everyone else in the company asleep. Email is eerily silent. How was business travel ten years ago? Was it easier or harder?

I’m looking forward to being home. London is nice. I caught a 30 minute culture break between meetings one day, checking out the nearby British Museum to see mummies and paintings by Jackson Pollack. But this isn’t really travel, fun. It’s just working, the clients speaking slightly more formal English, actually saying things like crikey, wicked, brilliant, cheers.