Asserting my Authoritay

So I went to Sacramento for my third CCSA event and it went very well. I'm pleased that I get better at my job every year. I even picked up some work this year that apparently my boss used to do. So I think I went into it with more in place than ever before and the parts that I was charged with went pretty smoothly. I traveled a day early so I could spend some time with my friends Daylyn and Anthony who I met in Eugene and now live in Sac. They are awesome. They are trying to convince me to move to Sac. They did show me a side of the city I didn't see when just driving on I-5 and Sac is actually very lovely in areas. They live in this adorable 1912-built true craftsman style house with a porch and a great yard. And their neighbor has lemon trees from which we picked lemons for fresh lemon drops! And there are so many trees! We went wine tasting at an old sugar mill that's been converted into tasting rooms for several different wineries. Very cool. I guess if I did relocate south, that might not be so bad, esp if I was near my cool friends (seriously, I miss Daylyn, she rocks).





AND at my event, I had some pretty kicking-ass moments that may surprise you... not the same demure Gretchen apparently:

Event 1: the key debacle-- on one of the first early mornings, we leave the hotel, me wearing the worst possible heels (hey, they looked comfortable) and went to get some coffee. I noticed that the cute valet guy from our hotel was also getting coffee and tried to make some joke like "oh hey, they let you out," which he doesn't really respond to, but I wish him a good day as we leave to walk the 5 blocks or so to the convention center. We usually stay in a hotel across the street but our reservations got put off so we got stuck walking each morning, which really sucks when it's cold and raining (which it was later in the week) and you have to be there at 6:15am.
So once at the convention center I realize that I've forgotten a fanny-pack with the keys to our storage closet where are computers are. It's back in my hotel room. And my coworker Sarah's forgotten to grab the raffle tickets I'll need later and her cell phone charger. We decide only one of us needs to go back because it's already a pain in the ass because we have setup to do. And since I'm not 100% where this fanny-pack is, despite the awful shoes, I take my room key, Sarah's room key, and my cell phone and hoof it back to the hotel. Well... neither of the room keys work. And I think, shit, this is not good because I don't even have my ID with me.
Down at the front desk, the girl is apparently deciding to act like a little bitchy. I'm going to have to go get my ID and come back here because she can't just give me a key to my own damn hotel room and also my coworker will have to come herself because she shouldn't even give me her key without letting them know first. WHAT?! That's ridiculous. I don't have time for this nonsense.
And for some reason, I tell her my ID is actually in my hotel room. So she tries to get me to verify my address in the computer. Well my client booked the room so they don't have my address. And then somehow she keeps telling me that my company isn't listed as I'm saying it. But then she figures it out and decides okay, someone will open my room and I will then have to show my ID.
As for my coworker's room, there is no way she can give me access. I even try to convince her, okay, someone can open that room too and I'm telling you in advance I will remove two and only two items and they are: a white box of raffle tickets and a cell phone charger. Pretty specific. Obviously I know this person and what's in the room. So first off, I had the room number off by a number so the girl was all snippy and snaps at me "that person isn't even IN that room!" So I get Sarah on the phone, get the correct room number, try to put Sarah on the phone with front desk girl as if that could prove anything, and front desk girl is by now so frazzled she just gives me Sarah's room key but I still have to be escorted to my room.
And who is my escort? None other than cute valet boy! So we chit-chat up to my room, and once inside "OH my! My ID isn't in here. Oh man... it must be at the convention center. Oh, what shall I do?" To which he replies with a wink, "it's okay, we'll just say I checked it. I doubt you're a spy or anything." Tee-hee!
But then, Sarah's room key doesn't work. Crap. So I go back down to the front desk and before I say anything, the gal says "it didn't work, did it? Yeh we think all the keys are not working right now. So-and-so-other-dude will have to take you up there." So then a second guy escorts me up to Sarah's room, unlocks her door, and promptly leaves. Wow, that's security. But... mission accomplished that's to my unwavering persistence.

Event 2: the snappy, tappy exhibitor-- ugh. I hate working registration onsite. People can be so rude. I was working with Sarah at exhibitor registration and had just finished helping the last person in line and step back from the counter a little to listen in on a radio conversation to see if I need to go down 30ft to attendee registration to help them. When I hear "EXCUSE me! Can I get a little HELP here?!" And there's a woman with a pissed look standing in front of where Sarah is on the computer, tapping her umbrella. First of all, it's been less than a minute that I've been listening. Secondly, I thought Sarah was helping her or that she was with the woman next to her (who apparently was actually the one Sarah was helping). So I say, "oh, I'm sorry. I thought she was helping you already." "Umm NO, no one is helping me." "Ahhh... okay, let me just get your company name then and I'll look it up." So exhibiting companies get so many free badges and then they have to pay, so I have to look up the company to see that they've already used all their free badges. I do notice that this woman is irritably tapping the counter. I don't really pay attention to the fact that she's doing it with her credit card. I say "okay, so each company gets some complimentary badges and it looks like your company has used those. So each additionally badge is charg--" "I KNOW! That's why I have my credit card out. I'm ready to PAY!" And for some reason, her tone just rubs me completely the wrong way and out of my normal character, and definitely out of my usual customer-service-onsite-behavior, I say pretty sharp, sarcastic and bratty tone "oh OKAY! Well THEN, let me just get that set up for you!" To which the lady responds by being polite for the rest of the interaction. Don't tap your f'ing card in my face and throw me shit. It's not my fault you showed up just as the exhibit hall is opening. I'm not taking your shit. I don't care who you are.

Event #3: the power cord-- my main responsibility at this event is speaker support. Meaning that I coordinated with the AV company for the equipment, the facility for the room sets, gave my cell out in each room in case there were issues, sent all the emails to speakers about logistics, walked around onsite all the time making sure evaluation forms were picked up, rooms were in place, etc. So one afternoon a speaker comes up to registration and tells a long story and is eventually directed to me because he's a speaker and he'd accidentally left something in the room during his presentation and now the speaker in the room currently is using it. And he wants it back and she wouldn't give it to him so he thinks maybe she thought it was part of the standard AV set even though the laptop she was using isn't hers either and maybe she didn't realize it was his personal item and he wants someone "official" to come down there with him. Okay. I can't for some reason even figure out what it is he wants but eventually figure out it's the power cord/supply for his laptop. And he seems to not be able to wait 45mins til her presentation is over. So we're going to have to go in during her presentation and take this thing. Ugh. But I recognize his name and he's giving several presentations and I think he's a regular, kind of an important guy...
So the room is a large room with an aisle down the middle. This speaker has her 10 or so attendees in one corner of the room, her back to the aisle, and the laptop is projecting a slide show in the other corner. She completely ignores us, or might not have seen us, walk in. I feel a little bad about taking the power cord since that laptop is running her slide, but there is also another laptop with a power supply not in use in the room. I'd tried to think of another option, like asking the AV company if they could bring another power supply but it just didn't seem feasible. Plus I rationalized that her laptop probably had enough battery to make it another 45mins. So this guy and I are as quiet and inobtrusive as can be and I crawl under the table and unplug the power supply and hand it to him and we turn to leave...
"EXCUSE me!" says the speaker, "but I don't appreciate being interrupted. And you need to put that back, RIGHT NOW!"
So I say "so sorry to interrupt you but this is actually his power cord so..."
"Well what's going to happen to my slide?" (by the way, this lady is huge, with super short spiky blonde hair, and PISSED and a bit intimidating, and all the attendees are just silent)
"Well... hopefully your laptop will have enough battery..."
"NO! You put that back right now!"
What am I, fucking 6 years old?
"No, actually this is his personal item and he needs to leave."
to which she snaps "I'll SHIP it to you."
What?! That doesn't even make sense. And now I'm pissed: "NO. This is HIS item. If YOU want to talk to me after your presentation, that's fine but we're taking this now. Sorry for interrupting." And we march out.
And he apologizes (for being a pussy?) for putting me into that situation. And she does not come to talk to me. And my client's response when told the story is "hey, nobody messes with Gretchen." Damn right.

So when did I get so sassy? I don't know. Maybe it's feeling like I've put up with a lot of other people's shit and I'm not going to it. I don't even care if I'm working. In fact, I had a conversation with my boss over lunch after the event about how my working remotely is frustrating for her mainly because I'm not able to jump in when projects hit crisis to help her. Which, frankly, is not my fault. Or necessarily my job. Because it's not MY projects that hit crisis. It's my not-as-apt coworkers. So, ya know, not my fault that there are kinda crappy coordinators in the office who can't take care of their shit and that I'm not physically there to drop everything and save the day. Frankly I also should be getting paid more. In fact in August she told me that that would be an appropriate time for a raise considering the last time I got one was in 07 (though I did quit for about 6mos) and that I've taken on more responsibility including a huge, new project (The Gallery of Writing) that no one else even worked on. Except that people are getting laid off so basically a pay increase is not feasible.

Anyhow, I usually worry about work. I think, what if? What if I got laid off? What if we ran out of work? What if they insisted I move back to Eugene? Or tried to cut my FTE? What if I couldn't pay for my house? And this week, I just thought well, then, it would happen. It would be. And something else would come along. And eventually everything would be worked out and it'd be different but where I am now is different than I could've anticipated or imagined. And I felt a little indifferent about it. Which is a nice change.