Greetings Friends!
If you are like millions of people around the world who have been wondering just what in the h-e double hockey sticks Kelsey has been up to this week, then boy do I have some good news for you! The long anticipated wait is over starting right....now!
Ok nothing all that exciting has happened, however, here are a few of the highlights.
Several months ago I signed up for the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon. When I signed up for the race, I forgot that I would need to train for said race. In the summer. In Dubai. I am an idiot.
At the risk of sounding like a small child I would just like to formally state the following.
IT'S SOOOOOOOOOO HOT!
Just to give you a little bit of an idea what kind of hot we're working with here, this past week the average high was about 105 Fahrenheit. AKA the warm setting on your crock pot. So that's fun.
In order to semi combat these insane temperatures, I've been heading out for 4:30 A.M. runs around the Dubai Marina. The jogging path leads right around the water, and has some pretty awesome architectural views, like the Infinity Building, the world's tallest twisted tower. Bet you didn't even know that record existed!
Another difficulty of running in the desert is that there's not a whole lot of shade. But who needs giant weeping willows when you have concrete overpasses like these, eh? Ahhh reminds me of my own childhood, except not at all.
So besides running, hanging out with friends...
and attempting to catch up on sleep, my reserve month days are filled with obsessively checking my online work schedule and waiting by the phone to see if today will be the day I get scheduled for a flight. Last Tuesday night, just as I was heading to bed, I received a call from our crew scheduling department that basically went like this.
"Hey Kelsey, you know how you thought visions of sugar plums were going to be dancing in your head for the next eight hours? Well, how bout packing your bag for a five day trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Melbourne, Australia instead!? See ya in an hour, habibi!"
With that, I pulled on the knee highs, Aqua Netted myself silly, and headed to the airport.
I'm fairly certain that over the past two and a half years I've developed a slight disorder. I've become a travel snob. I've already been to KL and Melbourne several times, so when I found out my trip involved two repeat offenders, I was a bit disappointed. Ugh, Malaysia and Australia again?!
For the record, I'm well aware that words like these even crossing my mind is indicative that I may very well be a little thing called out of touch with reality!
And now, I will get out the world's smallest violin for the world's saddest story... One of the hardest parts of my job is the lack of a normal sleeping pattern. It's always a constant battle of knowing when to drink coffee, when to stop drinking coffee, when to take a short nap in order to wake up for a few hours and get a full night's rest, when to push myself past the 24 hour mark of being awake, and when to just crash!
Because I started this trip out sleeplessin Seattle, and proceeded to bounce between six different time zones over the next five days, I was really exhausted during the majority of the trip. However, due to another disorder I struggle with, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) I forced myself to leave my hotel room at least once everyday and embark in some form of activity. Taking the elevator to the first floor hotel spa and receiving an oil massage totally counts as an activity! Day one, done!
The next day I worked a seven hour flight to Melbourne, where it is currently fall. I LOVE Australia for a plethora of reasons, one of the main ones being it's where some of my very favorite people in this world live or are from. My friend Jess, whom I met while working at Disney, made my week by meeting up with me for brunch. It's always so much fun to catch up with dear friends I've collected from life!
If you are like millions of people around the world who have been wondering just what in the h-e double hockey sticks Kelsey has been up to this week, then boy do I have some good news for you! The long anticipated wait is over starting right....now!
Ok nothing all that exciting has happened, however, here are a few of the highlights.
Several months ago I signed up for the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon. When I signed up for the race, I forgot that I would need to train for said race. In the summer. In Dubai. I am an idiot.
At the risk of sounding like a small child I would just like to formally state the following.
IT'S SOOOOOOOOOO HOT!
Just to give you a little bit of an idea what kind of hot we're working with here, this past week the average high was about 105 Fahrenheit. AKA the warm setting on your crock pot. So that's fun.
In order to semi combat these insane temperatures, I've been heading out for 4:30 A.M. runs around the Dubai Marina. The jogging path leads right around the water, and has some pretty awesome architectural views, like the Infinity Building, the world's tallest twisted tower. Bet you didn't even know that record existed!
Another difficulty of running in the desert is that there's not a whole lot of shade. But who needs giant weeping willows when you have concrete overpasses like these, eh? Ahhh reminds me of my own childhood, except not at all.
So besides running, hanging out with friends...
and attempting to catch up on sleep, my reserve month days are filled with obsessively checking my online work schedule and waiting by the phone to see if today will be the day I get scheduled for a flight. Last Tuesday night, just as I was heading to bed, I received a call from our crew scheduling department that basically went like this.
"Hey Kelsey, you know how you thought visions of sugar plums were going to be dancing in your head for the next eight hours? Well, how bout packing your bag for a five day trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Melbourne, Australia instead!? See ya in an hour, habibi!"
With that, I pulled on the knee highs, Aqua Netted myself silly, and headed to the airport.
I'm fairly certain that over the past two and a half years I've developed a slight disorder. I've become a travel snob. I've already been to KL and Melbourne several times, so when I found out my trip involved two repeat offenders, I was a bit disappointed. Ugh, Malaysia and Australia again?!
For the record, I'm well aware that words like these even crossing my mind is indicative that I may very well be a little thing called out of touch with reality!
And now, I will get out the world's smallest violin for the world's saddest story... One of the hardest parts of my job is the lack of a normal sleeping pattern. It's always a constant battle of knowing when to drink coffee, when to stop drinking coffee, when to take a short nap in order to wake up for a few hours and get a full night's rest, when to push myself past the 24 hour mark of being awake, and when to just crash!
Because I started this trip out sleepless
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| View Of Kuala Lumpur From My Hotel Room |
I seriously HATE when I'm walking down the street, my knees buckle, and I'm unable to move anywhere except inside the nearest bakery. And then a superhuman force takes over my body, shoves my arm into my purse, hands money over to the cashier, and before I even know what's happening, I've got a poppy seed and lemon cupcake in my hand with butter cream frosting that could have only been made my Jesus himself. So weird!
So after Food Fest 2013 commenced, Jess and I parted ways and I grabbed a quick snooze back in my hotel room before taking advantage of the cooler temps and completing my long run for the week. Some would say I wasn't exactly using my head when I decided to go for a nine mile run beginning at 10 P.M., but I was wearing my head warmer, so I think that kind of evens things out, no? I will say this, never underestimate the power of a homeless man whistling at you in an unlit park to make you run faster!
After a seven hour flight back to KL, a 24 hour uneventful layover that involved Sushi, shopping, and sleeping, another seven hour flight back to Dubai, and an afternoon nap I'm pleased to announce that I am now feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day! It's midnight.
Have a great week everyone!
"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." - G.K. Chesterton
What a great post; I felt like I was with you! I love your writing style and sense of humor. I too suffer from, FOMO, but I never new what it was called. :-)
ReplyDeleteHey! Thanks! I'm glad to know there are other FOMO sufferers out there!
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