Too tired to care!

We had a fabulous day yesterday!!! I took no pictures as it was a hectic day. I had all my stuff sorted in the classroom, so it was super easy to get set up. All I had to do was connect the computer. I forgot to bring another piece of cable equipment to hook up my camera. It's been a while, so I must make a list and put it in the cable box for the next time I travel. But no worries—it all worked out. 

There was an excellent restaurant/market beside the store, and we had yummy sandwiches for lunch. The moment you walked in, you got a whiff of fresh apples. This is apple country, and I wanted to buy lots, but there was no way to transport them home. 

I did not even get a chance to shop at this store, and we had a huge crowd of people—well, it's easy to feed off the energy in the room! We had a grand time, and I couldn't feed them information fast enough!

Then I packed up my suitcases and put them in the car. I confess that I did not repack the suitcases well, so I will unpack them this morning and sort them as I'm doing the same two presentations today at another store. I won't have much time when I arrive at the store, so they have to be in piles, more or less, to get them in order. 

One suitcase is in my room, and the other is still in the car. 

But I have to share this hotel story with you. I am not a complainer, as a rule—I can eat almost anything and sleep anywhere, and nothing really bothers me. But this is a bizarre place—not really in a bad or creepy way, but it's just so different. 

Thanks to Sharon for mentioning the Holiday Inn website ihg.com. I always forget that and search, which always takes me to a redirect. I need to go there first!!

Before I tell you this story, let me mention those redirects. I think this is true for almost anything you search—you need to be very careful when clicking on the sites that come up after you search. So many of them are sponsored, so they get bumped to the front of the line. And they are not what you are looking for. 

The other thing that drives me crazy about searches is that I might be searching for something very specific, and all these sites come up that don't even sell that product. They come before the site that sells that product. It is such a waste of time!!!!

OK—now for the story, and this is going to sound so silly. The picture of the hotel on the website looks like a typical Holiday Inn. I had to deal with traffic as I drove from Chilliwack to Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. I was starting to get hungry on the drive but had no food in the car, as I had eaten everything the day before on the drive from Penticton. 

I really should have delayed my start and gone back to that restaurant/market to get something to eat. I did not. 

Anyway, I arrived at the hotel, which I had called in the morning to book a room, as I'm not sure what else is around here. I got quoted a price, and then the guy on the phone dropped the price by $50. I have no idea what that was all about, but I'll take it. 

The rooms are a bit dated, but I can live with that. This is the first Holiday Inn in a long time where the furniture is not the same as other hotels. It's like going to McDonald's to discover that the Big Mac is not the same! I told you it's bizarre. 

When I got in the room, I was so tired that I went to bed. I had plans to work, but that didn't happen. I was on the second floor, and there was a light shining in my room, and I was too tired to even close the curtain. Thankfully, I can sleep just about anywhere. 

I still think I got the worst room in this place, though, because I can hear the thrum of the air conditioner or whatever it is, and there is a fan in my room, so it's as noisy as ever. 

But the interesting thing was dinner. Again, I'm not a complainer about my food, but last night? Well, that was interesting. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they are renovating the hotel, so two guys were standing in the lobby with armfuls of tiles that they were moving to another floor. Do they not have a cart or something to do that? The tiles looked very heavy. Only one elevator was working, and it was slow. 

OK—so there is a restaurant attached to this hotel, which is unusual for a Holiday Inn. I'll go there—it's easy and close. It took a minute for someone to see me at the desk, and then I got seated and got the menu. 

I was hungry, but yet I was tired. I got a sprite - just because I wanted one. But it was filled with ice, and I swear it was so watered down that it barely had any fizz. Yes -- I should have said something, but I was so tired. I ordered clam chowder, and while it was good and very hearty, it did NOT look appetizing. And it had a - what the heck do you call that on the top. It looked like the dish had been sitting for a while, and all they had to do was heat it up. The temperature was fine, but not great to look at. 

Then I ordered a spinach and artichoke dip with some chips. OK -- the cheese on top of the dip was so hmmm -- what's the word -- I could not break it up with the chips as it was too hard, and I struggled to cut it with my knife. The taste of the dip itself was good, but it wasn't the best I have ever had. 

Oh, and there were some thin bread crisps with the soup, and they were awful! It is so unlike me to complain about food, but this was not a restaurant that I would recommend to anyone!

Let's say that it is completely unlike the Holiday Inn in North Vancouver, where the food at the restaurant was amazing. However, the omelets did not sit well with me, and I couldn't eat anything else the entire day! Hmmm—maybe I need the cafeteria restaurant most often found at the Holiday Inn for breakfast only. I do like the cinnamon bun! 

So, I have a coupon for a complimentary breakfast at that same restaurant this morning. I think I might just find the nearest Tim's. It will be a different chef (hopefully), but I don't want to chance it! 

I don't often get a dud, but this was a dud!!!

And that's it for today. I think I might need another quick nap before I really get organized for the day. The curtain is now shut, and the fan is off. AH—so much better. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!