A Bad Day in Maui

I'm in Maui on business.

For everyone who, upon hearing that I was going here, asked, "Are you taking your family?" - PLEASE think about these things before you say them. If you did, you would have realized that that would mean taking my kids out of school for a week, dropping about $4,000 in airfare plus meals, all so that they can run around and have fun while I'm working. Still want to ask that question Brainiac?

Anyway, I guess the gods conspired to make sure that I wouldn't enjoy my stay here. Within 2 hours of being on the ground, here's what happened:

1. Got halfway from the airport in Kahului to Wailea (southwest coast where I'm staying) before getting stopped at a roadblock and turned around because of a major accident on the road. Had to drive halfway around the island to take the only other road.

2. Was about 1/4 mile from my hotel when a woman decided that she needed to pull out of the driveway of the hotel next door BEFORE I had finished passing it. She hit me in the right rear end, spun me around, and caused enough damage to the car that it was just barely able to limp along to the hotel.

3. When we got out to exchange information, it started pouring.

4. Checked into my hotel whereupon hearing what had happened, they upgraded me to an oceanview room. That was very nice, except that to get to my room, you either had to be a rat looking for the cheese in a maze or you could walk outside a bit to go directly there. I chose the outside route as it had stopped raining. Halfway to my room, the sprinklers came on and soaked me and my bags.

5. Having been awake for 24 hours at this point, I took a shower and crashed, only to get up 3 1/2 hours later to be on a call.

6. Now, as I sit here waiting for the car rental company to come with a new car and a tow truck for the old one, I'm looking out at my ocean view, watching the clouds gather as the usually sunny forecast has turned to "Showers" for the next 3 days - my entire trip.

Maui-Shmaui.

I guess it could be worse. I might have to do some work in Bimidji, Minnesota which is 4 1/2 hours north of Minneapolis. For fans of the movie "Fargo", Brainerd is the "big town" halfway to Bimidji.

Ah, the glamour of business travel . . .