The One With My Event

Well, it's finally over, the event that has been ruining my life for the last month. I actually think it went really well. I received a lot of compliments and everything ran smoothly. Friday was when everything went crazy. Everything that could have gone wrong did and my boss was sick and unavailable. So a month after being told that I wasn't going to get a promotion or merit raise, I was forced to make decisions that my high-paid manager should have been making. I was upset, but all went well, so I guess I'm a little proud.

The best thing about an event like that is that you get to see the way people support you. I had engineers working extra hours stuffing bags just a couple of weeks after being told they weren't going to get overtime anymore. I had about 80 percent staff participation, despite the new overtime edict. It was pretty incredible. I also had a boyfriend who showed up with me at 7 a.m. and worked the entire day, setting up the event, doing whatever I asked, walking around talking to people to collect data, despite being as shy as he is. It was really great. I'm so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life, especially him.

Glad it's all over. Now I can start my job search. :)

The One with the Cowboys

The building I work in is in the West Bottoms ... "the West what?!?" you say? That's right, it's the West Bottoms. It's west of downtown in what used to be the feedyards and livestock exchange of Kansas City. And I swear to God, sometimes it still smells like cow manure.

Usually, it's really quiet in the Bottoms. We have the occasional concert at Kemper Arena, but that's about it. The one big event we have is the American Royal, which kicks off with a BBQ competition (YUM!) and then leads to two weeks of rodeos. The point of this is that it's American Royal time and instead of whipping through the back roads to get to work, I'm maneuvering around horse crap and dooley's. Today the open field behind my building is filled with horse trailers and there's a big sign pointing to it that says "COWBOY PARKING" ...

So there's your taste of the Midwest for the day. I know you were missin' it. ;)

The One With My Job

Today I had to drive around the South Bay looking for mosques, temples, etc. and dropping off fliers. Why? Because the consultant we hired to advertise the big event that is slowly killing me is a gay, ultra-religious Republican who believes that Mormons are in a cult and Jews don't love their families. Yes, he actually said, "It's my experience that Christian churches are really more focused on their families." Does he know that those same people think he's going to hell because he doesn't want to sleep with women? I'm sorry, but I grew up in a Christian home ('nuff said), and I live with a Jewish guy who has the perfect Beaver Cleaver, black-and-white TV family. I don't think these things are ever defined by religion.

I'm in a perpetual bad mood, can't you tell? Sorry for the lack of blogging, but ask Ross, you're much happier not hearing my thoughts these days.

The One With My Dogs

I have two great dog stories, which won't mean anything to anyone, but I want to share.

The first is about Chubbs, the fly killer. Earlier this week, Ross and I had been trying to kill a fly that was scaring Muggsy and neither of us were able to find him. A couple of hours later, I noticed Chubbs pawing at the floor and chewing on something. He had caught the fly!! Ross and I gave him so much praise that he did a little circular dance in the middle of the floor. I've never seen him that happy. It was so cute.

The second is about Muggsy's bravery. Muggsy is terrified of many things, among them my hair dryer. He flees from the room terrified every time I pick it up. He knows my morning routine so well that he flees the room before I even pick it up. Today, when I was blow drying my hair, he came to the bedroom door and stood there watching. I started praising him and held out my hand, and he actually came up to me and sat for petting!! Then, he jumped on the bed and lie there while I finished. I was so proud!! None of you can imagine what a big step that is for him, with no training on my part. He just did it on his own.

What a proud dog mom I am.

The One Where I Was Tired

My Sunday appointment called me during the first quarter of the Kansas-Nebraska game to ask if she could postpone to next weekend. Since I had scheduled the session during Chubbs' agility class, I was happy that she canceled. She's this very nice woman with a hilarious husband and two daschund puppies that bark at everything. She asked me, "So do you work every day? You don't really get a day off, do you?" I said no, I don't, to which she replied, "Don't you get tired?"

Well, yes. Yes, I do. That's why I decided to take a nap at halftime of the game. Kansas had had three interceptions and a fumble in the first half and trailed 24-7. I couldn't imagine that the second half would be any better. I jokingly said to Ross, "Wake me up when Kansas is winning."

I was so tired that I fell into a very deep sleep. Needless to say, I was shocked when Ross came into the room after an hour or so to wake me up. "Baby," he said, "Kansas just took the lead with 6 minutes left in the game." I didn't believe him. I thought he was just being mean. My friend Mindy didn't believe me when I called her either. I had already gotten a couple of texts from Mon. Crazy.

OK, so Kansas lost. But if you would have told me that Kansas would come back in Nebraska with all their injuries and Barmann at quarterback, I would have bet you thousands of dollars. Go into overtime? I would have laughed in your face. I'm not disappointed at all. I think that should go a long way toward Kansas' confidence. If they can play that well through the rest of the season, I think they should come out near the top of the North.

And we still have the fattest coach in all of college football. Seriously. He's fat.