Life is Just a Tire Swing That Done Blowed Up

Parts of my day yesterday were interesting so I thought I’d share my good times.  On my way to my doctor’s appointment I was driving out of the parking garage at work.  I tend to take corners fairly close because other drivers love to speed through the garage taking wide turns.  However, this time I take a corner a little to close and scrape the pathfinder’s back passenger-side door.  It also left a nice bulge in the sidewall of my back left tire. Not good but wasn’t flat yet so I kept my eye on it through the day.

Doctor’s visit went well.  I think my beer baby is growing and is on track to take over The Elder Extroverted Holy One’s baby gut any day now.  I guess my doctor doesn’t think I’m morbidly obese or he would’ve said something. Right?

I get back to my car and the bulge is still there but the tire is still not flat so I head back to work.  After which I pick up the Young Extroverted One and head towards home.

The bulge finally gave up on Ellington Parkway.  So, I pull over.  I’ve changed a number of tires in my day but I have never had to change a tire in the pathfinder.  Sweet.  I, finally, remembered where the jack, wrench and other stuff were kept, but, I had no clue as to how to get the spare tire down from under the car.  At least I used it as a good learning opportunity for the YEO for I believe changing tires is one of many important skills females should know (unless they don’t want to).  So, here we are on the side of extremely busy Ellington, me looking through the car’s instruction book trying to figure out how to get the damn spare tire down from under the car and YEO asking me billions of questions. I tried not to play the men-don’t-read-instructions (truthfully, I usually don’t until I break something) card because, as parents, the EEHO and I are not into the specific gender roles game that society plays on kids.  I find the information I need and we move to the back of the car and lower the tire.  I then realize that I have the jack in the wrong place and can’t put on the spare tire because the car is not high enough.  So, I have to lower the jack and move it.  In the lowering process the open passenger door gets lowered into the guardrail and removes a decorative side thingy (and that is the technical term I saw it in the instruction book).  WOOHOO!  I am way jovial at this point.  Hey, at least I’m consistent with damaging only one side of the car!

I think we’ll have to change more tires for the YEO to really get it and for me to show how to do right.  She did get to raise the chain that holds the spare tire back up into the holding position.  She loved that doing that skill.

Travelling Tales of the Introverted One: Part One

To start things off I was invited to participate in the SERVE to Sell training workshop up at the PSAV corporate headquarters in Schaumburg, IL. This workshop is a sales skill-building program which is good because I have no sales skills whatsoever.

    I got my e-ticket (wasn’t there a ride at Disney that was an e-ticket ride back in the day?) and was dropped off at the Nashville airport at the appropriate time to go through security and all. Boarded the plane at approximately 6:30PM and started to taxi on the runway. And then stopped. The captain came on the intercom and said there was a “ground stop” at O’Hare because of a big thunderstorm and that he was going to stay on the runway and wait because it could be minutes or hours before he was okay-ed to go. This guy did not want to lose his place in line.

    TWO HOURS later we return to the gate. I kept hoping for a cancellation because I could just go home. Unfortunately for me (fortunate for the Chicago residents on the flight) there was no cancellation and TWO HOURS later got back on the plane. Needless, to say I arrived at O’Hare very late and the hotel in Schaumburg even later. I think I got into my room around 2:00AM. Good for me the hotel bar wasn’t open because I could have used a brew to unwind but I had to be at the training at 7:30AM.

    The training was good and meeting other directors of Event Technology was pretty cool. These guys (and gal) were go-getters. I was wondering if I made the right decision to leave the exciting life of a rigger to move up (not as literally as a rigger ‘up’) to be a director. I’m enjoying being here and learning the ropes and all of the business related aspects of the job but I don’t seem as focused as these young turks were on being a director. But I also haven’t gone through the official DET training. Maybe I’m just lacking some of the DET jargon that I heard. So, I guess I feel somewhat unprepared for some parts of this job.

    We had such a small group at this training that we were released into the wild that is Schaumburg. At least what surrounded PSAV HQ. Which was The Ram Restaurant and Brewery that was behind the hotel. They had a 6 ounce sampler tray but I was going for the 16 ounce (do the math) sampler. I only made it through 4 before we planned to walk over to the Woodfield Mall. I’m not sure why we ended up there but I thought I could at least get some Chicago related paraphenalia there but we quickly regrouped and walked to another bar called Houlihan’s located in the parking lot of this wonderful mall. Houlihan’s is just like a Bennigan’s. A cookie-cutter bar and grill sort of place. Ho-hum.

    I then returned to the hotel for a final beer before turning in. My planned escape from Schaumburg on the next day will be for another post. I really need to look like I am working!

    Traveling Mercies

    I am back! I have tons of stuff to write but no time at the moment.

    Things like:

    • How it took me four hours to get out of Nashville to O’Hare.
    • How it took me two days to get out of O’Hare back to Nashville.
    • The lovely Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL.
    • My thoughts as I looked around the training room at these young Directors of Event Technology.

    I think I’ll have some blogging fodder for a couple of days as I organize my thoughts.