::ATL, pt. 2: the convention::
i got into charlotte 3 hours later, and took a cab over to the merchandise mart where our meeting with the reps was already in progress. i felt like such a jackass. my first time meeting these reps, and i was late. more than just late, i was the idiot who missed her flight. i felt like such a fucking flake. luckily, everyone was super cool about it, and i just eased right into going over the spring line with them.
our reps were awesome, and i got to see both of their showrooms. the whole thing was really exciting, and i wasn't nervous at all. everything was so laid back.
i think i really dig business meetings.
i also think someone needs to pinch me because i must be dreaming - i'm doing exactly what i've wanted to do since i was six. it's pretty fucking rad.
after our meeting, we flew to atlanta, and checked into our sweet ass hotel, where suz and i jumped on our beds and took pictures from our balcony. then we all went out to dinner at the hard rock. so fucking touristy it almost gave me the hives. by this point i hadn't eaten anything all day, and i felt like i was going to pass out. i also felt this overwhelming need for pop. i never drink pop, but that nite i drank it like a fish. i think i had 4 cokes in an hour. i was sick afterwards.
we were in atlanta for this convention... this is where i take a deep breath.
each one of us was taking a different class because we want to learn new techniques to use in our designs. it's really awesome that work will pay for us to fly to a different city, just to take a class. what isn't so awesome is the fact that i absolutely loathe sewing tiny little things by hand. i don't have the patience or attention span. i get bored. also: i was the youngest person at this convention. besides me & suz, everyone was at least 40. they were all gramdmas or 40 year old cat ladies who sit around embroidering & smocking. it was kind of surreal.
in my class i didn't make any friends, and i sat next to a particularly bitter woman. she was of the cat lady variety, and was unbelievably mean. i wished i was sitting next to a cute little old lady with white hair and a pink sewing basket. i liked the really old ladies, but the 40 somethings were a bit disturbing.
they had all these weird ass inside sewing jokes, and would say something (that was totally greek to me), and the whole class would erupt in laughter. one of the ladies who annoyed me most of all was talking about how she IRONS her sewing threads. can we say ocd? it's funny how even when people grow up, you put them in a classroom environment, and people just take on certain roles. teacher's pet, class clown, know it all, pee girl, and an awful lot of dorks.
after the class we had lunch, and then there was a huge sale on sewing stuff where my clausterphobia kicked in.
i only get clausterphobic in crowds of people. i could be trapped in a cave and be totally fine, but put me in a mall at christmastime, and watch me freak out.
these women were insane. pushing you out of their way, grabbing for magazines, screaming, "do you see issue 32!? i need issue #32!!" they were ruthless, and they were surrounding me, and i almost lost my shit. one particularly grabby, overweight woman actually knocked me over. she didn't even acknowledge it. i know everyone has their things that they're passionate about, and i think that's awesome, but i'm really alarmed by the number of women who reject all reality outside of their "sewing circles". it's scary.
at least when i get old and creepy i'm going to do it right. i'm going to sit in a room full of dolls, wearing a pink prom dress and tiara, brushing my dolls' hair all day, and smiling at nothing. i will be openly psychotic, and i will not hide it under sweatshirts with puff painted kitties.
that nite our boss went to her hotel room, and suz and i decided to go exploring downtown atlanta. i should mention that even in daylight, if you have tits and you're walking down the street in atlanta, you are going to be harassed. people actually walked beside us, trying to talk to us EVERY time we left the hotel. i forgot how fucking skeezy atlanta is. it's just a ghetto ass city.
so we turn this corner onto a street with absolutely no one in sight, and there's this guy standing there. he starts walking behind me so close that he was actually touching me, and he said, "give me some money."
now, at the time i thought he was just asking for change in a very rude manner, but now the more i think about it, i wonder if we were about to be mugged. i'm not sure. either way, i had a bad feeling. suz was a little in front of me, and at first we just kept ignoring him and walking, but as he walked behind me, still up against me, i stopped and turned around right into him. he was saying shit like, "didn't you hear me? i said give me some money. what the hell are you thinking?"
suz turned around, and told me later that the look on my face totally freaked her out. i told her to come on so we could start going back the direction we came from (where there were actually HUMANS), and the guy got in my face, and once again, was up against me, but this time he was in front of me. it was scary. so i did the thing i was trying so hard not to do.
i punched him in his face, and we ran up the street like hell, back to our hotel room, and we did no more exploring on foot.
the next day we went shopping in buckhead and some other places around atlanta. it's really kick ass to see yr company's clothes in stores. i love that. everytime i'm in depatment stores, or wherever, i go check if they carry our stuff. they usually do, and it's the most kick ass feeling.
we had this gps thing in our rental car, and i think i was the only one who hated it. i mean, i guess it's okay for people who have no sense of direction, and no desire to really bother with it, but i think those things are a little bit scary. plus, what happens when it stops working, and you haven't bothered to learn anything for yrself? then you're totally lost. it's just another gadget for us to start depending on. pretty soon they'll be like cell phones, and everyone will have one. she did have a very soothing voice though. we named her deborah.
so what i learned this weekend is that you can put me on the street with muggers and rapists, and i'm totally fine, but get me in a room full of smockers, and watch me cower in fear.
i'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonite. i got home last nite, but i had to go out with some friends, and i ended up too drunk, so i couldn't drive home. i woke up this morning in a strange living room with a velvet cowboy staring down at me.
it's good to be home.
