the last ride

For prosperity.

Just wrapped up my last employee event. Well, I think. There's always the possible random pop-up "hey, let's do a giant employee blitz to celebrate that it's 10am!" push from the executives.

This was the company's holiday celebration. As always, it was a fight to keep my vision intact with our decor vendor who never listens to me. I've finally learned to keep on him, be forceful when he doesn't add my notes to his updated quotes, and be confident that what I want is what is right.

My vision was "festive outdoor winter marketplace". I wanted different open "booths" all connected by decor. I wanted a giant xmas tree in the middle (which the vendor "forgot" and added a smaller one in the back instead). I took a million photos. There were fortune teller tents (my last minute substitute for masseuses...it was a hit!), a diner car, an Asian station, a chocolate fondue station, a super popular deli station, an Italian station, a "dance studio", an arcade. 

I had to make some changes this year because we wanted to accommodate as many employees as possible, so no booze or dates allowed. However, it was in-house so employees could come in as often as they liked, and they got a gift on the way out. After listening to all the grumblings and groans from our monumentally self-entitled employees about how this party wouldn't compare to last year's, I took great pleasure in standing at the entrance, watching many of them walk in with frowns and determination to NOT enjoy themselves, and watching their faces immediately transform into amazement or, at least hope when they took a peek inside. 

1800 employees showed up to the 16-hour event that lasted until 2am. I had the registration table and all the banquets/food service stuff covered, so I was able to mingle without much worry except the random "we're low on cheese" or "I can't find the guy to bring over more boxes of gifts". I purposely hovered around the entrance with my best hostess face, mingled around the room to make small talk, checked in on people sitting alone, and smeared chocolate from the chocolate fountain all over my face. Wrong shoes for a 16-hour event, though. Standing from 8am-3am was murder. Thankfully my boss booked a room in our hotel for me, so I got to soak in the tub forever and get back to work this today.

My head is killing me.  I need a venti 8-pump white mocha, dammit.

I kept unplugging the Star Wars arcade game, but someone kept plugging it back in. I believe it was superskank Lisa, whose greedy ass came through every 20 minutes to tear through the pots of miso soup and the cupcake station. She interrupted my precious alone-in-the-corner time to stand next to me and state that she decorated a Star Wars Christmas tree this year.

I just shook my head and walked away.