Insanity is a dish best served microwaved

I want a dog… I think.  No, I want someone to bring a dog over to play with and take him/her home.  My sister’s friend has a new golden lab puppy and he is absolutely adorable.  Even him chopping on my fingers, I miss having a pet.   However, I want a golden lab and only a golden lab.  They are big dogs and my home is not so big.  So when the dog got older, I would have a conflict.  Which makes me want to buy a house so I can have the dog.  Golden Labs are the most loyal dogs I know.  I had one as a kid and until I was 20.  Honeycomb was the best dog ever.  I could always find my little sister for dinner… because Honeycomb was sitting right outside the house where she was.

But that was a small little thought… on to the main course.  Not really because today was pretty much average.  I got to rest up from my adventures at CADA.  I will say my roommate is going to be trying.  Not because he’s a bad person, I’m just not used to his style.  He needs to make friends–fast.  I was washing my car this morning and he decided he wanted to wash his too–at the same time.   I don’t know if you’ve done this, but washing two cars at once with limited resources is quite difficult.  I enjoy washing my car.  I go outside, put my ipod on, and enjoy the time by myself with my car.  When I’m done, I have a sense of satisfaction of a job well done.  I was hoping to enjoy this time as usually because honestly, I am burned out being around people like I have the last five days straight.  An average person would recognize that another person with headphones on can’t hear what you are saying… but not roommate.  He keeps on talking.  So out of respect, I pull out my buds to hear what he saying, make a comment on it, and put my buds back in to continue what I am doing.  But the whole time he’s yapping away.  I got to the point where I didn’t take out the buds hoping that he would get the point.  But no, he just kept jammering on.   Crap. 

Which is my area of concern… one of  my character flaws is that I can’t hide when I don’t like someone.  If someone is irritating or annoying me, I am not bashful about showing it.  I feel that this is going to happen to roommate… which is really sad because he’s a nice guy, just lonely.   What also doesn’t help him is that I fixate on the thing that annoys me.  With him, it’s that he ends every sentence with “you know.”  YES I KNOW!  I get it!  AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!    So, I hope he meets some nice people and branches out to others.

I also have returned to my normal routine.  I went for a nice run today with Susan in the wind.  I wanted to do six miles, but I just wasn’t feeling it.  That’s the nice thing about being in shape, you don’t NEED to run.  You run because you WANT to run.  I love it.  Then I am still a little tired from all the running around this week.  So, I puttered around during the day.

Tonight I went over to Julie’s for dinner and a movie.  I’m so sad for Julie because she has so much conflict in her life and it’s just a matter of time to work it all out… it’s not things that can be resolved overnight.  It also looks like it’s starting to take a toll on her.  But we watched this movie called “History Boys.”  It was nothing what it was advertised or I thought it to be.  It was about this teacher that fondles his students balls on a motorcycle ride home.  It was more than that, but that’s the point of conflict for the story.  Some parts were funny, but a rather odd movie in general.

Tomorrow brings promise of productivity and profitability.  We’ll see where it goes…

I just returned from the California Association of Directors of Activities (CADA) conference in Reno today.  Why can’t they call themselves California Activities Directors Association?  I guess they must be in love with prepositions…

I had a fair time.  I went to this conference as a teacher/student for five years before I joined Herff Jones.  It used to be the highlight of my year.  I got tons of free booze from all the vendors (my current company being one) and got great ideas to take back.  I also have made some wonderful friends and great connections through this conference.  Being on the other side of the fence and being a vendor, this conference is much different.  First of all, I don’t go to the workshops anymore because there’s really no point.  I don’t plan on returning back to the classroom anytime soon.  Second, the exhibit hall SUCKS.  I spent wayyyyyyyyyyy too much time in there just standing there looking dumb. 

Megan and I traveled up on Wednesday with my car CRAMMED full of stuff to take because no one would bring stuff.  Then when we got there, they used very little that I brought.  To add to the insult, it’s a bitch to get that crap to the hall.  I got chastised by a bell hop because I used a luggage cart.  Apparently, it was a union hotel and the union has control of ALL luggage carts in the hotel.  Jimmy Hoffa would be proud.

When we arrived, I was getting pulled in all directions with people who wanted something from me or to hang out and have a drink.  I felt so stressed and the conference hadn’t started.  By the time we got the booth set up (I didn’t do much) and got all of our gift baskets out to people, I was ready for that drink.  But NO, I had to go get the helium tank and pick up my friend from the airport.  Finally, when I got back, I got to relax a bit and hang out with my friends and customers.  We did the suite hopping as usual and I got way drunk–as usual.

On Thursday, I woke up slightly hung over and met my customers and managers for breakfast.  I ordered a bowl of grease (not really, but if I could have, I would).  It was a nice breakfast and thankfully I did have it.  I’m usually not a breakfast person, but I wouldn’t eat again until almost 3 that afternoon.  Why?  That stupid exhibit hall.  It was open for like six hours… just for us to sit there and watch people walk by.  Which in some ways, it was fun.  But then again, I would rather get a nap, which I did.  Then at the end of the exhibit hall, Herff hosted our annual bowling night.  Which is always fun… but we do two sessions, so we have to do two congo lines and two New York, New York bits.  I felt like I worked at Chuck E. Cheese and it was someones birthday.  I wasn’t drinking at all because I was still feeling Wednesday night and I had to present the following morning early.  So when all was said and done, I worked from 8a to 12:30 a with a two hour break. 

By Friday, I was so congested from not seeing fresh air or daylight in two days.  I got up and went to my car to get somethings for my workshop.  While I was out there, I was sucking up as much fresh air as my nastrals could take in—not knowing when the next chance was going to be.  I completed my workshops.  I rocked them.  People seemed to really enjoy it.  Then I dragged myself back into that damn booth for another three hours.  Finally, I got to hang out and visit with people.  We came down to have dinner and go to the final dance sponsored by our competitor.  It’s weird.  I felt like I was treading on their turf.  But I was just there to have a good time.  One of the competitors schools, really like me, but have a secretary that is the road block to getting it done.  It was weird watching her cling on him… but that’s another story. 

Here’s where my trip got interesting….

So towards the end of the dance, I was dancing up on the screen stage with Michelle when this girl comes up to me.  She asks me if I’m single and I told her that I was.  She said, “Well my friend and I think you are cute.”  Well a good boost to the ego.  So I haul her up onto the stage and we dance until the end.  After the dance was over, she finds me again and asks me to come up to her room.  She is having a little party.  I ask if I can bring some of my friends too and she agrees.   So after a pit stop to my room to restock on booze, we head up.  When we get there, there are some people already there and we start mingling.  Well on the way up, I notice that I have a text message from a number that I don’t recognize.  Since I just gave this girl my number, I figure that it was her.  It was like “party in 2501 and you’re hot.”  So  I ignore it because we were on our way.  Well after we were socializing,  I get another text asking me if I like girls.  This doesn’t bother me because I get it all the time… because my personality always beckons the question.  So I reply back that I do.  Well, she had left to take a really drunk guy back to his room.  When she gets back, I was like, why are you texting me?  I’m right here. She tells me that she’s not and sends me a text from her phone to prove it.  I was like who the hell is texting me then?  The text messages get really graphic about gay sex. No one who I don’t already know at this conference has my cell number.  So after a while of going back and forth and calling, I give up.  Well then the mystery texter says he is the room.  I kind of freak out, but I don’t let it ruin it my time.  I am with my friends and I can make an easy exit if needed. So I reply back that I’m not interested… but then a group of the guys leave.  I figure its one of them… so I brush it off.   Which leaves me my friends, the girl who brought me there, and her friend/roommate.  We hang out some more and we’re having a good time.  By then, I figure that I’ll make out with this girl and see where it goes. That was until my friend slips that she mentioned that she has a bf…. a deal killer for me.  It was 3 by then, so I decide I’m tired and I’m heading to bed.

I got up this morning and I figured I had enough fun for now and headed home.  Only in Reno….