Day Thirty-Four

Lets do a recap of the first real sales trip, out in the Midwest, where my food options and health resources are greatly compromised. And a review of how I fared. Eastern IA is truly a mecca of Midwestern cuisine.

Monday I was able to have a Panera salad for lunch as there is a Panera in Quincy IL. And I feasted on a Micky D's Cesar Salad that night with chicken. Of course I managed to purchase two small bags of Smart Food Cheese Popcorn. And as it turned out those were the last two small bags in town as evidence of my desperate attempt to locate another bag on Tuesday night, visiting every gas station/quick mart in town, only to fail in my efforts. I guess it was a sign. Ha Ha.

Tuesday morning, I was desperate and I did fall. I had an Egg McMuffin with sausage and then a sausage biscuit. Here is why I did it. I drove west for the day, into uncharted territory, on HWY 34, where I prospected (this is where I look for new potential customers and make cold calls). I had an elaborate plan to bring my Iowa Manufacturers Guide, but of course my 46 year old damaged brain forgot the book. So I had to drive blind. Now my goal was two small towns that I had highlighted on my IA map. As noted in yesterday's blog this amounted to ten hours of windshield. I did manage to pick up a few prospects.

The key here is that I knew that more than likely I would not get to lunch. Hence, the Micky's run in the morning. I knew that it would hold me over until dinner. I know excuses, excuses but in my mind eating this would be better than walking into a small town joint where everything is fried, in fact they fry so much at these joints that there is an oily residue on the tables and chairs.
When I returned to my home base, I hit Martini's, the best local restaurant, and I ordered Sushi and a small Cesar Salad. After dinner I began my feeble attempt to find my popcorn, which gladly ended in disappointment.

Now to yesterday. So I hit the fitness room; treadmill for 30 min. I tried, once again, the free Holiday Inn breakfast. They had omelets. I cant describe what it tasted like. I was so bad that after one bite it went bye, bye in the trash. So I had no breakfast Wednesday morning. Then I had a Cesar Chicken Salad for my customer lunch. It was very good. However about an hour out of town, heading back south, I had an "attack". Needles, gas bubbles and I am in the car not sure exactly what is going on. I ended up in a FastStop Gas Station in a horrendous restroom for 40 minutes. Nothing else need be said. That FastStop will now be etched in my memory forever, and I will never return to it again. Ha Ha. I think if it would not have been so cold--nature would have been a far better restroom. Ha Ha.

So I had Sushi again for dinner when I finally made it home. Suz picked up two little boxes of sushi at our local Schnuck's, which is the local family owned grocer (they aren't little $1Billion in annual revenue...it sucks when you realize you were born into the wrong family). And I had a half shake for dessert.