Ah, the joys of travel.

I am by no means an airline “million miler” (not to be confused with the mile high club) but I have seen my share of Admirals Clubs, been upgraded to first class and shown preference in various hotels all because of the sheer volume of points or miles. I had no idea the kinds of perks granted to a traveler simply because they flash a Loyal Member Gold card. I love my perks and count my blessings. But even that, can not eliminate the frustration of being on an Amtrak Acela express that breaks down outside of Baltimore when your actual destination is DC. This happened yesterday afternoon shortly after 12:00 noon when I had a presentation to do in Annapolis at 4:00 PM. The original plan was to go all the way to DC, where I would pick up my rental car, drive the 40 minutes or so to Annapolis, then drive back to DC the following day (today) for a meeting this evening.

I was traveling in Business Class, the QUIET car. It did not remain quiet for long. It seemed everyone had someplace very important to be and they needed everyone else on the car to know about it. Cell phones were flying, voices rising. The poor conductor had to make a pass through and barely escaped with his life. What did these people think he could do? Get out the jumper cables?

I marveled at the bus that soon pulled up along side us. Men in shiny orange jumpsuits jumped out with big tool belts who quickly set about getting the train in motion. An hour later (with no air conditioning) I realized I really might not make it. I had to quickly decide whether to risk going into DC, hit afternoon traffic and make my virgin drive to Annapolis, or run an equal risk of getting off in Baltimore, finding a rental car and driving 20 (?) minutes to Annapolis. Either plan had its risks, but Baltimore is at least in the same state and judging by my Blackberry map, closer. As we approached an hour and a half, I emailed my clients with a report, but urged them not to give up yet. Eventually we started moving… very slowly. Apparently we did not have full power, Captain Kirk and I hoped we would soon pick up warp speed. It was now 2:15.

My main concern was my presentation: my theme for this new client was “Making a Positive First Impression” You do not get a second chance to make that first impression, you know! I am to spend the next 4 months with this team of 14 designers and consultants who literally go around the world making presentations and many of them have done it for years. I have been hired to add a fresh respective. I could imagine the first impression I would be making- barging through the door, huffing and puffing, completely flummoxed and unkempt, with seconds to spare. I hate being late. I also hate wrinkles. So of course, my suit was in my luggage. I had a couple of props to buy because I was going to have plenty of time. I was dressed in jeans- nice jeans, but jeans none the less, and a fabulous Carrie Bradshaw sweater with feathers. Ooh, great first impression.

Stay tuned tomorrow for what happened next.