The Business Trip from Hell

I work with idiots.

Change that, I work FOR idiots.

From that far off frozen north, the powers-that-be that now rule my life, have sent me to Boston. In the winter. Right after a holiday.

My job is to observe and help these poor souls convert from one inventory program (that I have no clue about), to another inventory program (that I will never use.) My travel schedule was set before Christmas, to work here from 9am Tuesday to my departure at 8pm Saturday. My agenda, however, was not determined until yesterday, and was conveniently emailed to my office on my day off. And the plan is for me to work until 3pm Friday, and still fly out at 8pm Saturday. So which one is right? Or do I get to spend an additional 28 hours in this wonderful town?

Speaking of travel arrangements, I have discovered that my room has NOT been prepaid by the company. For every fricking business trip I have taken the past 20 years, the company has prepaid my hotel room. Not this time. I use a Visa check card, and my account has been drained of $700 by the hotel. I can't do a damn thing about it until tomorrow sometime, and until I do, I have $32 available to feed myself with for the next four days.

As for conversion and inventory, I now have nothing to do. They decided not to do a physical count, so there's nothing to reconcile. The old system and the new match item for item, dollar for dollar, but there's no knowing if any of this matches reality.

I have no internet access at the warehouse. I can't help anyone at my own job, I can't check my email, and I can't send scathing emails to the travel department. I can't even try to reschedule my flight out of this hell hole. Of course, I have no money to reschedule with...