Tales from the Road: "The Warrior" by Patty Smyth and Scandal

In the past, I've had jobs that were more than 85% travel.  Just think, 85% of my life was spent away from home on business trips.  With all of my gold, silver, and platinum levels on various airlines and at a number of hotel chains, I was pretty much treated like a queen where ever I roamed.  I remember one trip to Orlando, Florida where the hotel clerk and I bonded over the fact that she was also from Ohio.  She upgraded me to their penthouse suite...the room was large enough to comfortably accommodate ten people, plus servants....good times, at no extra charge. 

Needless to say, I was a card carrying member of the 'Road Warrior' ranks for almost ten years. 

TEN YEARS! 

I still look back on those days and wonder how I survived living out of a suitcase.  I eventually quit that job when I realized that I had friends all over the world, but no one to have coffee with while I was actually at home.  {If you haven't seen that movie Up in the Air (aka Mileage, My Life in Japan) starring the ever yummy George Clooney, check it out if you want a feel for what road warrior life is really like.  The scene where he returns to a drab apartment with an empty fridge, after living it up at a posh hotel, was my reality.  My sister even commented once, on the state of the contents of my refrigerator, "You've got gourmet, chocolate covered, dried cherries and no milk!"}

In my current job, I am a Director of Business Development for a technical products manufacturer.  I'm worse than a geek...I'm a geek with an MBA.  And now I am back on the road, but NOT 85% of the time.

When thinking about my business travel, song choices like Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" and Elton John's "Rocket Man" would have made perfect sense, but they are also totally predictable. I chose "The Warrior" by Patty Smyth and Scandal, because I felt fearless this week.

"The Warrior" by Patty Smyth and Scandal

This week, I traveled to Boston for a SunSpec Alliance event and site visits.  I found myself climbing on rooftops looking at solar cell array installations with a group of funny electricians, engineers, and all around techno weenies.  I fought against my vertigo to gain access to an amazing view of downtown Boston.

Looking at all of my stuff laid out in my hotel room brought back memories of my road warrior days.  I hummed "The Warrior" to myself all week....well that and Tina Turner's "We Don't Need Another Hero" - but that's another story for a different post.

I love the video for "The Warrior" in all it's 80's glory!  I'm not sure of why her hair and make up gets wilder and wilder as the video progresses - I guess this is her transformation into the warrior, but she seems pretty darn bad ass from the start.  My favorite dancer is that guy lounging in the ropes...the net dancers are a close second....they coulda skipped the interlude with the iridescent, plastic girl, though.  The whole song and video just oozes with 80's 'girl power' and for this reason, it will always have a cozy place in my heart.  Cheers to all of the road warriors and rocket (wo)men out making money for themselves and their businesses!

"I AM the warrior....Victory is MINE..."

View from my hotel room in Boston.