The long awaited update.
Or maybe not so awaited.
What do I know?

So of course I offer to give a long and detailed post since I took today off and, of course, I also have a free-lance proffreading project I have to finish today and, of course of course, I’m a bit slow from last night's revelries so – I guess what I’m saying is – please bear with me.

First, the trade show. It was a rousing success. I actually felt useful this year as opposed to last year’s near dementia. The vibe was so different. Things seemed to be better paced and it certainly didn’t hurt that the product line my boss and I and my co-workers have been working on was incredibly well received. I also think that since I’d gone through this whole thing before I better knew what to expect so I also knew not to stay out until 4 AM night after night after night. The only two downsides in regards to the trade show were its timing – it was the same weekend as SXSW – and the timing; it was the same weekend Photogal was out of town so the usual late night debauchery that would occur when her watch is lifted was not to be.

__________
Why do they keep pronouncing her name Shi-vo when there’s an “A” in there?

Is anyone else sick of this debate? I’m just asking.

__________
The return of Staurt Smalley?

Ashley Smith did a good thing by keeping a game face and talking a murderer out of killing any more people. I applaud her for that. Bravo. But please, God if you’re listening, let the media barrage stop! She’s quit her job because, “She said her attorney advised that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea [to keep working at Barnacles Seafood.] there’d be too many people coming around thinking she was a celebrity.” Which she is not. That hasn’t stopped her from collecting $70,000 in reward money – which is fine – or appearing on CNN non-stop – which is less fine – and I am sure that the Lifetime movie is already in the works and that just makes me want to gag.

I can’t get mad at her though. Like I said, she did a good thing and should be rewarded. What I can’t stand is the fact that apparently most of American’s lives are so boring or uninspired that they feel this constant need to find “heroes” to worship, fawn over and report upon. Get a life America.

__________
And now we enter a less vitriolic phase.

Yeah, I’m spent. I didn’t expect that rant. I was actually just looking at the front page of the Trib to make sure that “Schiavo” was spelled the way I thought it was so that my mean-spirited joke wouldn't fall flat on its face when I remembered reading the little article about Ashley Smith. I am easily distracted when tired. The funny thing is I didn’t even stay out that late last night! After the Kaiser Chiefs show, which ended earlier than I thought it would and which is written about in detail here, I headed over to Ten56 with Skid and Betsy in tow. The bar was filled with Eighties tunes and while I’m usually annoyed by such a restrictive playlist I let it slide under a deluge of shots and dancing boys and girls bopping all over the joint. I might have stayed even longer but Skid got wrapped up in a pool game and since I’m usually pretty lousy when drunk I didn’t want to jinx his game so I slunk into the night, into a cab and onto my couch. I had been banned from the bedroom due to the snoring that usually follows an evening of drinking and smoking. I keep trying to blame it on the dogs (because they do indeed snore rather loudly) but in this instance I lost the battle. Before it even began since I agreed to be exiled before I had even left for the show five hours earlier. Ah compromise…it what makes a relationship work! When you’re not ducking flying frying pans an whatnot.¹

¹I would like to state for the record that the use of “whatnot” in today’s post mark the first time I have ever used the word in any written work. I have always avoided it for some strange reason but today…today it just felt so right. A nice way to end things before the weekend, don’t you think?