Day 1 of a 5 day work trip to California. A trip that I don't really want to do, and which I didn't need to do. The only reason I booked the trip is that I thought my job role was changing, and that I might be getting a new manager. But nope, as soon as they put the kibosh on that then there is absolutely no reason for me to be here. Certainly not for the symposium, which is on one of my least favorite topics - AI. And I've not got a single face-to-face meeting lined up with any of my colleagues here who I work with. So there's no need for me to be here - if I was interested in any of the talks (which I'm not), then I could attend them virtually. We do have a couple of group activities lined up, but that's it. What I find most frustrating is that work won't cover the cost of a rental car. So I'm stuck in the vicinity of the hotel and work campus, in this crappy part of the Bay Area where there is nothing to do. So I'm going to be bored senseless. And what's the point of staying at a residential hotel when I don't have a car to load up with any groceries. Just so stupid. I'm just counting the days until I'm back home.
