Do you feel lucky, Punk?

I should be happy. I'm on the road again next week for another whirlwind supplier audit. In my current position, one of my tasks is to go out to our suppliers and audit them to insure that they are complying with the regulations/standards. It is part of a requirement that FDA has on us to control our suppliers. This usually entails flying out to the various suppliers and conducting an intensive all day inspection of their facilities/operations. A lot of people enjoy these audits about as much as getting a tax audit. While this sounds like fun, to me they are a pain in the ass. You gotta prep/organize the audit weeks in advance. Coordinate the logistics (flights, car, hotels, etc.). Travel to the sight is normally 2 days (one up, one back) with one day for the audit. That means a typical audit eats 3 days out of my week. No time for sight seeing or touring the local areas. I have done a few audits where we fly up early and back the same day and those were absolute killers. The whole process may sound exciting but, in reality, an audit is fairly intense process that will consume 8+ hours on site (at least mine do).

That said, I am leaving Monday for an audit in Reno, Nevada. Now, I have gone to some backwater places and traveled in the dead of night, so this one is a bit of a break for me. I can control my schedule to some degree so if I know the destination in advance, I will try to plan it around my schedule (if possible). This audit has been on the books for months and I have been planning for it, but, with my current slate of projects at the office, I really don't have the time for this. I have a million things to do and only one day left at the office before I leave.

I am going to try and enjoy this road trip. I've never been to Reno and everything I know is from movies/TV. Since I am the trip organizer, I have booked us in one of the hotel/casinos. Supposed to be a nicer one (not as dingy) with lots of restaurants and games. I am not a big gambler. Actually, I am kinda tightfisted when it comes to money. Took me so long to earn it, I hate to blow it on blackjack in 15 minutes. I will probably take some finite amount and hit the nickle slots for a while. To me, those can provide hours of be relatively cheap entertainment. Actually, I think I would prefer to hike the local mountains/paths around Reno instead of hitting the casinos, but do not have the time. There is an automotive museum is right next to the hotel so I hope to have an opportunity for a quick tour while we are in town. On top of that, the area is supposed to be picturesque, so I will take my camera along for some scenery shots.

As I said earlier, I should be happy/grateful for the opportunity to visit other places, but I feel under the gun right now. I guess I'll just have to make do. I'll try to do some testing from the casino floor.