So, as I mentioned before... eating is a big part of this whole Up in the Air thing. I gained several pounds on the road this past fall when I was travelling every week for fairs from WA to CA, not to mention the 2 weeks in Australia and New Zealand with three meals out at nice restaurants every day. The challenges of eating on the road, are: really bad (and expensive) airplane/airport food, a lack of healthier eating choices in cities where you just don't know what you'll find, eating on the go which means you just grab whatever you can fin, eating way too many starches and carbs at the fairs (because they serve you a big ol’ sandwich at damn near every fair)
- ... and then there are the dinners out with advisers and other providers (where everyone tends to indulge). Meals are often eaten at irregular times due to time changes, airport delays, busy fairs, or all of the above. I try to walk a little here and there, and choose a hotel with a fitness center... but sometimes the demands of the job outweigh exercise and healthy food choices. I’ve ordered a lot of room service over the past six months... because frankly, if I can eat from my room and work at the same time, I get more done. Glamorous life, huh?
It’s not all bad... and I am learning how to find balance and make better choices on the road. I don’t need to be a “road warrior”. The burnout factor in these jobs is high, and the fun, exciting, sexy part of travelling can get old if you don’t allow for some real life fun, or even rest and exercise. I’ll be honest... as much as I would love to hit up the nightlife (or even have a nice dinner) in every city I visit, there have been many nights where I am in bed with my laptop at 7pm.
Albuquerque was one of those places. I flew into El Paso on a Tuesday night and drove into Las Cruces. My hotel was close to the New Mexico State campus, but aside from that, I had no idea where anything was. I figured I was in South New Mexico and I needed some good Mexican food. I really didn’t have time or energy to figure out the “hot spots” in Las Cruces... so as luck would have it, there was a place called Chilitos right next to my hotel. Not pleased with the outside appearance of Chilitos, I decided to get in the car and drive around until I found something that looked better. After driving in circles and finding nothing more than a few AM/PM mini marts and some scary looking spots with bars on the windows... Chilitos it was. And it really wasn’t bad. Chicken Fajita Salad to go, and I was back in my hotel Very sexy, I know. ;)
New Mexico State turned out to be a great fair. In typical Danelle fashion, I had some trouble reading the maps and finding my way around campus, including finding parking, which is often an issue on college campuses (and I would know since I have visited over 40 of them by now). Eventually I just parked in a metered spot and hoped I wouldn’t get a ticket when the timer ran out. I was wrong. $20 ticket (but could have been worse – I got one for $50 at UCSD, and then talked it down to $10). I actually really liked being in New Mexico and hearing all the Spanish being spoken. It reminded me of my study abroad experiences in Spain and travels to Mexico. My ears perk up every time I hear Spanish – I just love it.
Headed up to Albuquerque after the NMSU fair, and hit a bit of hard rain and a few accidents between Las Cruces and ABQ. Fortunately, I have learned (a little) from past mistakes and did not schedule anything for Wednesday night. Previously, I may have tried to get there and speak to classes or student orgs, but I’ve since realized that scheduling too much just stresses me out. See, I’m learning! ;)
I honestly can barely remember Albuquerque. I had the idea that I was going to try to explore downtown if I could and see what ABQ was all about, but when I finally got there, I bought some cheese and crackers and a tiny bottle of wine and called it a night. The UNM fair was the next day, and it went really well. Food options at UNM were quite good. They had this great middle eastern place on campus and the chicken shwarma, hummus and pita really hit the spot. That night I decided to skip the wine and cheese and try to find a healthy meal. All I really wanted was some fruit and vegetables. If I could just find an apple, I would be happy. What I often do is go to Safeway or other supermarket and just buy some healthy food and take it back to my room. Couldn’t find a grocery store, and didn’t want to go to a restaurant chain like Applebees or Fridays. I just wanted a salad and an apple. I drove around and around and still couldn’t find anything more than a 7-11. I figured I’d give it a try, but still... no apples. Finally I broke down and went to Arby’s across the street. I figured even if it was iceberg lettuce, they’d probably have some form of a salad. And I was in luck – they did have an iceberg lettuce and chicken salad. I walk up to the guy at the counter, and he’s got piercings in his eyebrows, lip, ears and maybe his tongue. He has tattoos covering both arms. He smiles and asks if he can help me. I look at him and say “I’ll have the chicken salad (grilled, not fried)”, and he says, “anything else?” I half-smile/half-smirk and say, “you don’t have any fruit, do you?” And he says, I’ve got an apple in the back if you want that”. Why yes, kind, tattooed and pierced all over young Arby’s counter guy, “I would love an apple”, I say. It really is the little things.
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