Sometimes as the wife of a man who works in corporate America, you are called upon to go to certain events like cocktail parties/holiday parties/dinners. This is where you meet a gabazillion people and forget their names about 5 minutes later. It is also a time when I–knowing very little about the whole corporate structure of who’s who- talks to everyone as openly as if they were Clint’s best bud. Meaning, I’ll give you crap without knowing who you are.
Turns out last night I am messing with someone Clint works with and laughing and being, well…me. He walks away and I asked, “Now tell me his name again.” Clint of course tells me and then adds on the additional information of “My boss’s boss.” This is where my brain quickly scans the conversation over in my head to make sure I wasn’t “that wife” that people end up feeling badly for Clint that he is has “that wife” for a ball and chain. Pretty sure I didn’t say much more than, “You totally remind me of someone on a soap opera, but I can’t figure out who.” That is SO not an insult. Total compliment. (Right?)
And then of course there were the threats to this really awesome guy that we kept bumping into and talking to. By threats I mean, “Clint better win me that Zune in the raffle, you know. I’m just saying.”
Clint leans over and says, “He reads your blog, you know.” (Like that has ever stopped me before. I see it as a way out of having to break the ice. Hell, if you read this, you pretty much know what you are getting into with me.) But I did make smart ass references to entries to test him. And then shared them with his beautiful wife. I was, well…me. I knew this about this guy because Clint had talked about him before. I have met him at the Halloween thing they had for the kids at the office. He rocked. It was then that Clint reminded me that, “Uhh, yeah, honey that IS my boss you know.”
Of course I knew.
Shit, I totally forgot because he didn’t act all boss-ish like other bosses Clint has had. I mean, he knows all about my plasma TV love.
I am fairly confident my big mouth didn’t get Clint fired or anything. Hey, I almost even got myself a job as a bartender. When in doubt and you know few people and your husband in talking “business”, go make friends with the bartenders who aren’t busy. I am serious. They have great stories, are very personable and they are fun to talk to. I tried setting up the woman bartender with a co-worker of Clint’s but I am not sure how that worked out because she got off work and I had to leave. (KIDS!) But, I was invited back on Friday to hang with the bartenders and chill with them on a slower night. How cool is that?
See? I may not know how to business schmooze, but I know how to make good friends with the bartenders. (Which could explain A LOT.)
This morning, off to the “winter” parties for the elementary kids. And it is raining. Pouring. Good “go back to bed” weather. Maybe after the parties. I mean, after I clean the house from top to bottom and then maybe I will. HA!
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