Monday, November 10, 2008

Conversations with strangers

At the conference I just attended they had 1 day for vendors to show off their "stuff". Our "booth" which was really just a table was overflowing with way too much information for passersby to really focus and overflowing with way too many reps. There were 6 of us.

We looked like vultures ready to attack any fresh meat that passed by.

And we did!

Next to us was another vendor who had a very simple display, about 6 - 8 pamphlets out and she was all by herself.

Quite the extreme to us.

I told her that if she needed a break to let me know and I would watch over her booth for her. She thanked me and we introduced ourselves. She was Priscilla - Queen of the Desert.

No...really. Her name really was Priscilla and she came from Albuquerque, NM. That's kind of deserty isn't it?

We had runs were we were flooded with librarians asking questions and then there would be a bit of a lull. Since there were 6 of us at our table we engaged the Queen in some of our conversations. Just so she wouldn't get lonely. Plus I was eyeing up one of her giveaways so I thought I would be nice and perhaps we could do a swap!

One of the topics was about the temperature in the room. They must have cranked the AC up to compensate for the people coming in and out and "stuffing" up the place. My menopausal self having hot flashes every 30 minutes or so was glad for the chilled temperature. The Queen who weighed about 100lbs soaking wet and has NO insulation what so ever was freezing. Beads of sweat formed across my forehead and she was losing sensation in her toes because they were so cold!

We were trying to think of creative ways to get her warmed up and me cooled down. Cups of hot tea and a lot of jumping up and down for her, cold water and the removal of the suit jacket for me.

Somehow we also got into the conversation about getting sick. Traveling on a plane to anywhere is an invitation to getting someones cold since the air is just re-circulated and you always here someone coughing up a lung.

I told her I used my Neti Pot before I left and used a bit of zinc in the water as a preventative.

She uses a Neti Pot too! How cool was that?

The Queen and I have the same holistic health remedies!

She didn't know about the zinc though - I was able to pass that along to her.

After the day was over I thought this woman must go home and tell her "significant other" that she met some looney tune who talked about hot flashes and neti pots to her all day and that she couldn't wait to get the hell out of there!

Oh well - she was very nice and we did swap some giveaways. I got one of their pens, she got one of ours, I got a really nice little notebook that I use like crazy and she got a lame purse holder upper thingy and some Walkers Shortbread cookies.

Fair exchange I thought.

4 comments:

Maria said...

I absolutely ADORE shortbread....

Shazza said...

Maria - well send me your address via e-mail and I'll send you a WHOLE bunch!

neetzy said...

I love those Walker shortbread cookies. Don't you dare send me any. My fat cells in mitosis at the moment. They are reproducing themselves without food. I work across the hall from the food lab for God's sake. BTW I've always heard that librarians are sex maniacs. Are there wild orgies at those librarian conventions?

Shazza said...

Neetz - Ha...mine are doing the same thing. Maybe it's genetic. We're meant to look like Grandma Harrison - wide as she was tall. She was just so cute though.

About librarians - I've heard stories. They may look conservative but they are the most open minded people I've ever met!