Does Debbie

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Work Dinner

I bet I can make you all jealous: I travel to Minneapolis about every other week for work. I know, nothing can possibly top the accumulating minutes of my life spent taking my laptop out of my backpack, placing it in the gray bin, and then putting it back into my backpack. Or getting to spend 8 hours a day with my clients. I can see you turning green with envy from here.

But in all seriousness, my trips are not that bad. I stay in swank hotels, eat amazing sushi (in the Midwest, who would think!) and keep fit by swimming laps at the YMCA.

Last night, in Minneapolis, one of the senior clients (he is an officer of the company) decided to take a few other clients, myself and a co-worker out for drinks. Fun. The place we went has the best Sauvignon Blanc I have ever had. After one glass, I was ready to hit my hotel for some room service and TV. But before I knew it, one of the clients ordered another round. Uh-oh, two glasses of wine within an hour. Yes, I said a few dumb things: Astonia is a country, NOT in Queens, NY. But I was doing my best to appear the smart, polished Marketing exec that I am. But then things took a turn for the interesting.

Within a blink of my eye, two of the clients rushed home to their families and my co-worker left to have dinner with a family member. I was left at the table, me and the VP. Yes, I have spoken with him before, but he is the boss of my day-to-day clients and a good 15 years older than me. And not only a VP, he is a VIP at the company. And I was tipsy from the wine.

Before I knew it, VIP and I decided to grab a bite at the restaurant, and another glass of wine. I was now drinking my 3rd glass of wine within an hour or so. And my ability to maintain composure was fading by the moment.


But this was my big chance to solidify my relationship with this client. I needed to sound smart. I needed to have strategic points of view on every topic initiated. I needed to act older than my 31 years. I needed to stay sober!

Dinner turned out to be fun- we chatted about travel and work and anything else I could think of that I could answer without slurring my words. Even CornNuts entered the conversation. But the entire time I was dying inside- I was drunk.

Today turned out to be proof to the success of my dinner- VIP and I chatted about the status of work issues, and he even bought me a bag of CornNuts. I survived my big work dinner with flying colors, and my atrocious hangover this morning.

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