A Roadstar Shows How Business Casual Is Done

It's really official now.  We have a Roadstar in the family.

Last month, at an awards banquet in Orlando, Florida, Ed was handed his Roadstar award, on stage, in a room full of his peers.  He was smiling from ear-to-ear.   

At the 3-day event, there were past inductees in addition to the new inductees who were there to be recognized at the Saturday night awards ceremony banquet. 

On the first day of the event, at check-in, Ed received his name tag with ribbons indicating his past status as a one million miler, and the new inductee ribbon for the Roadstar award he'd be receiving.

Landstar flew us from Tucson to Orlando and put us up in the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort for the three days of the event.  They fed us (a LOT), entertained us with a special appearance by Jamie Clarke, acclaimed adventurer, explorer, author, and entrepreneur, and tried to kill us by giving us free passes to ICON Park, an "entertainment destination".

I joke about them trying to kill us.  I only say that because it was nine-billion degrees with 152% humidity - not the most ideal conditions for a day at an outside entertainment destination. 

We went on The Wheel (their giant 400-foot Ferris wheel), visited Madame Tussaud's wax museum, and then popped into the Sea Life Aquarium. 

Ed with Johnny Depp at the wax museum

What I found to be a VERY pleasant surprise was that the Ferris wheel's gondola car was not only air-conditioned, but it had a digital jukebox of sorts where you could choose your own music to serenade you during the 20-minute ride.  Nice, but I was still happy to get into an air-conditioned Uber to take me back to the air-conditioned resort.

The resort was TREMENDOUS. A 255-acre property with 1,501 guestrooms.  The walk from our room to the conference rooms was at least one-half of a mile.  Between meals and meetings, we made that hike several times a day.  The resort actually rents scooters for people to get around.  I wish I had gotten one of those.  I was envious every time someone zipped past me.

This photo is from the resort website showing two of the four swimming pools on the property.  We spent one of our days lounging by the pool with fruity drinks.  I haven't been in a pool in ages - it was so relaxing.  I think the piña colada might have had something to do with that.

They did an eighties-themed dinner for the first night we were there and many of the attendees - including our CEO and his wife - dressed up in their best eighties garb.  He was sporting parachute pants and high-top sneakers and she looked like a typical Jersey girl in her Madonna-esque outfit complete with fishnet stockings.  The music was great - so many songs I hadn't heard in years.  Everyone had a lot of fun.

Before the event, they asked all the Roadstars to wear the jacket they were given and a shirt of their choice to take their headshots.  I put Ed in his white shirt and figured we'd put the tie and jacket on, then he'd just switch out of that and just wear the shirt and shorts to the meeting.  But we didn't have time to go back to the room to change so Ed wound up wearing his shirt and tie, along with his shorts and flip-flops to the Roadstar Welcome meeting.

He was a hit!  Gregg Nelson, the Vice President of Operations at Landstar, called Ed out at the meeting and made a big fuss about how he was dressed.  "Now that's how you dress for a meeting!" 

He asked Ed to stand up and then said, "That's Resort Casual."  That was the first of many comments Ed got as he walked the halls.  One guy said, "Business on top, party on bottom, huh?"  and Ed replied, "It's called a Business Mullet."

Whatever it was called, I thought he looked very handsome.  

Overall, we had a really nice weekend.  We added a day on either side of the three days the company paid for and we upgraded our flight to First Class so we could comfortably travel from Arizona to Florida.  It was a nice little perk. 

Now we're home trying to stay out of the blazing hot summer heat of Tucson.  It hasn't been easy since we're doing a lot of caretaking for our parents lately.  Which, of course, requires us to leave the house.

Now that "award season" is over, I think another pool day is in order.

Time to go buy some fruity drink mix!

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2021: Jesus Is Keeping An Eye On All The Yummy Goodness
2020: Boundless American Optimism
2019: The Movies Have Always Been An Escape
2018: Nowhere Near As Cute As A Kitten
2017: Celebrating Seven And A Half Decades
2016: Makes Complete Sense
2015: I'm Always Hoping It's The Last Time
2014: Apes At The Hitching Post
2013: History On Water Street
2012: Do It Like The Settlers Did. With Whiskey.
2011: No Vacancy
2010: Imperial Sand
2009: How Many Twenty-Year-Olds Have A Seventy Pound Head?
2008: My First Time
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: Text Me
2005: Eddie Dines Out Friday