Well, I'm back. Largely in one piece and FUCKING TIRED!

It was a great conference, and I met loads of women from our businesses across the globe. I made a bunch of great networking connections. My one complaint, and it is a big one, is that your only personal time was when you were asleep. Yesterday's agenda started at seven thirty in the morning and ran until six. You had thirty minutes at the hotel before the bus picked you up to take you to the team building dinner thingie and we didn't get back until eleven. Again this morning up on the bus at seven fifteen through until two. Tuesday was the same as yesterday. Tiring. No time to run, or to work, or anything.

Some of the speakers I could have cared less about, but a few were really interesting. We had the Director of Engineering at Google come and speak to us, and some ladies from MasterCard, and a bunch of internal folks.

I did have a major realization - the only person standing in the way of me is....me. This has motivated me to get my ass back in gear, and reminded me that I am actually ambitious. Those of you who know me IRL know that I am pretty well financially screwed as a result of a divorce and my bad habit of remodeling my house constantly. I'm digging my way out, but I had decided to stop going to school for a while until I got out from under some debt. Well, screw that. If I really really load up, I can be done in a little over a year...and I figured the difference between tuition reimbursement and my own pocket with my projected hour rate comes out to be 3900. I think I can take out a school loan for 3900. It won't kill me. And I have to finish school.

I also think I'm going to take a language class or two, because those are things I enjoy. I'm going to go back to the gym and pay for a personal trainer - I'm more inclined to go and use something if NOT using it makes me feel like I'm losing money. Shit, I spent all week with skinny Eastern European women (did I mention beautiful as well?), I need to get my ass back in there.

So the house can stay on hold for a while. I can live with it. I think I can take six classes a semester - it will be tight, but I can do it. I pretty much have to...I've finally figured that I can't make it any higher in the organization without freaking finishing school.

The one great thing? I changed my flight coming home and got upgraded to first class!!!!