The yearly frenzy leading up to RWA National has begun. Part 2, I mean. Frenzy: Part 1 was clothes shopping, which I thankfully finished before I broke my foot. Except for finding new shoes, which I don't really need now since I have the fashionable cam boot attracting attention. Who's going to be looking at the shoe on my other foot? The positive point is that if I only have to pack one shoe, that gives me more room in the suitcase.
Frenzy: Part 2 is when I realize I have all these things I have to do before I leave. Like go to Target and replenish the toiletries I take with. This also includes getting promo stuff together, preparing to pack, finding and washing any clothes that need to be found and/or laundered. Then there are the tough decisions--do I bring my digital camera? If I do, I'll worry about it. How many pairs--um, half pairs--of shoes am I going to need? At least this time the decision has already been made on the laptop. It stays home.
Frenzy: Part 3 will be packing. I loathe packing. I can't even tell you how much I hate it. It's a little better coming home because I don't have to be as careful with stuff. At that point, most of it just gets tossed in, but going... Going I have to make sure everything is going to still look as nice as possible when I unpack on arrival. This particular frenzy happens the day before I leave, probably late at night, and includes a lot of moaning and groaning.
Anyway, starting now, there's nothing but stress involved in thinking about the conference. It won't subside until I'm in my hotel room and unpacked.
Speaking of stress, the mechanics at my airline have started their 30 day cooling off period before they're allowed to strike. If you don't count the pilot's strike we had a few years back, I've never been at the airline when there's been labor unrest. (And I don't count the pilot's strike. They nicely picketed in full uniform, looking snazzy and not frightening me at all.) I'm already hearing stories of managers having their cars keyed or car windows broken. I don't know if it's true or not since I haven't seen anything firsthand.
I've also heard stories of labor unrest that happened years before my tenure with the airline. They're pretty ugly and maybe being out for 4 weeks after surgery won't be a bad thing. Maybe by the time I have to come back to work, things will be settled and I won't have to cross a picket line full of angry men. (And yes, I am required to cross. It's in my union's contract that we can not honor another union's picket line. Once, a long time ago, the mechanics were in the IAM too, and the situation wouldn't have arisen, but now they're in AMFA.)
Enough of that. I usually don't talk about the day job because it's not something I like to focus a lot of energy on.
MN Weather Report: 76 degrees.
