Oof.
Earlier in the year I volunteered to go to Charleston, SC to help out with a conference. Rookie mistake.
I like the city of Charleston a lot, and to have an excuse to go was exciting! I work closely with my company’s marketing department, and I knew that this conference was going to be a big deal and that the marketing director could probably use my help. Plus, Steve would be going, and he’d be attending the Christmas party we were having for the Charleston branch of our company, and since I’d been planning that party, I figured that it would be nice if I could attend, too. I figured I’d go to this awesome city on the company dime, do a bit of work, schlub around the place like a tourist the rest of the time, and then go to a party. It sounded like the perfect plan!
Things didn’t go like that. They didn’t go like that at all!
My first indication that this trip wouldn't be what I expected came via email from the Sr. VP of our company giving me a list of all the things I needed to do for our remote office in Charleston. So, I wouldn't be attending the conference like I thought, but I'd be running support for the people wo were there, as well as doing office admin work for the office in that town. Unexpected, but fine with me! I just had to trim my sails a bit.
I left on a Tuesday (Steve had a concert that night and couldn’t leave until the next day) so I was on my own. I caught an early morning flight from Huntsville, made it to Atlanta (I still hate the Atlanta airport, but my connection was fairly simple) and the only snag up to that point was that I had to ask a person to get out of my seat (the seat I chose and therefor one I wanted) on the second leg. For someone who has only flown alone once before - with disastrous results - I managed to do pretty good this time. I even remembered to buy snacks from the airport to have for emergencies later on!
Snag number two happened when got to The Charleston airport. When I went to pick up my rental car, I discovered that I hadn’t rented my car from the airport Enterprise like I thought, but one that was downtown. Damnit, damnit, damnit. However, not to be discouraged, and I wa determined not to be discouraged, I caught an Uber to the rental place and then drove back across the city to the hotel. Thank God for GPS.
I was exhausted by this point, but I hadn’t even gotten started on my day. The marketing director called me before I had even picked up my car to tell me I needed to be at the office to get ready for the first event, an after party for the first day of the conference, like…immediately. I told her I had to check in to the hotel, change out of my leggings and into grown up people clothes and I’d get there as fast as I could. I practically had to pull off my clothes in the elevator up to my room, dress again as fast as possible once I got inside and run out of the room and drive across town (again) so I could get there. It was across the street from the event venue, so that was convenient, at least! I was given a key, shown around a bit, and then sent across the street to the restaurant where the party was being held to act as a greeter and drink ticket passer-outer.
It wasn't a hard job, obviously, but it was a bit confusing. I'd been stationed at the hostess stand of a restaurant - a restaurant that wasn't closed to the public - and so I was not only greeting people who came to our party, but I ended up handing out menus to regular customers and directing them to tables. I wasn't asked to do this by the venue, and to be fair, I might have been doing it all wrong, but no one came out to stop me! Should I ask for a W2?
The event was eventful! I was charming, and I smiled and passed out tickets and got harassed by a creepy old dude, and had a young dude run his hand down my back down to my hip without an invitation to do so. A man went into cardiac arrest at the bar and the bartender had to do CPR to bring him back and emergency services were called (our party never even paused at this, believe it or not) but it was a bar patron and not one of our guests, so I guess that we weren't supposed to be worried! I don't even know how long I was there, I just know it was a long, loud night and someone almost died!
Thankfully I was able to get back to the hotel before an obscenely late hour, eat some airport trail mix, and take a shower. It was weird sleeping alone in a hotel, but I didn't have much time to contemplate that because I was asleep before I could think of much of anything.
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