Hey, you know what’s great? Not getting enough sleep. Especially if you do it the expert way and just have your brain switch on 90 minutes before your alarm.
To really do it right, be sure you have to be coherent and even on camera that day.
I’m writing this half an hour before the alarm. (I spent about 40 minutes trying to get back to sleep and the next 20 researching the best ways to hide under eye circles.)
Mom is still sleeping despite my accidentally dropping some things in an effort to get my laptop out. Apparently, sound sleeping skips a generation. To be fair, as my aunts have complained, ample chests skipped their generation. So… I guess we’re even?
Sorry I didn’t post anything yesterday. Despite not making it to any sessions so far, I feel like I’ve been at a dead run. (My feet would agree.)
In fact, it hasn’t been that hectic. It’s just that whenever we have time in between — uh, whatever the hell it is we’ve been doing — we’re socializing.
Meanwhile, I’m trying desperately to hand out the scads of sticky note pads my boss sent me down with. Last year, he gave me about 40, so this year I asked for more. He sent 200. Two-friggin-hundred!
I wanted to keep them protected in the box, so I just brought all 200. They take up a bunch of room in my suitcase, so I was hoping to get rid of all of them. Especially because I picked up a yoga mat from the Fidelity booth, and I have no idea how to fit it in my suitcase.
Point being, I may just start throwing these things at people and running away. Sticky note bombing is a thing, right? Maybe I can start a trend.
I think Thursday is what killed me. There was a pro/speaker mixer for an hour. Then the kickoff party for three hours. Which was a friggin mile from the damn hotel, and almost everyone walked.
We Uber-ed it over to the after-party, but I basically just said hi to the host, Shannon from Financially Blonde, and took off.
Yesterday was quieter. Mom came back to the room with Panera bagels.
Now, buying our own breakfast wasn’t frugal given that the conference offered one. But there was no way in hell — even without the parties — we were going to make it to a 7 a.m. breakfast.
Yep, 7 a.m. Apparently, the conference organizers have never met women and don’t realize that most of us take around 45 minutes to shower and fuss with hair/makeup.
In day-to-day life, I rarely bother with the latter two; so it actually takes me around an hour.
Anyway, the panel is in just over two hours, which I’m sure has nothing to do with my waking up early.
Did I mention that I actually hate public speaking? I did drama in high school, thinking it would solve that. Instead, I just learned how to hide the fact that my hands shake out of nervousness.
Tim, being the loving husband he is, found me a video on the DNews (a science-centered YouTube channel run by Discovery) that is supposed to help.
Apparently, the shaking is due to a rush of adrenaline. The trick is to breath in slowly for four counts, hold for four counts and then let it out for four counts. If you do this several times, it’s supposed to tell your body, “Calm the hell down! #srsly.”
There are one or two sessions I hope to catch before the Plutus awards and party. Plus, as a speaker, I have to do a mentor thing. With someone who writes for an investment/wealth management blog. Clearly, a lot of thought went into the pairings.
Otherwise, I’m just going to grab some sticky note pads and start my nefarious, surprise distribution scheme.
Taylor Lee @ Engineer Cents says
You should start a sticky-pad fight. A messy but effective way for distributing paper!
Taylor Lee @ Engineer Cents recently posted…New Goal: Mortgage Free By 30
Taylor Lee @ Engineer Cents says
P.S. Though you really should not start a sticky pad fight, that would hurt.
Taylor Lee @ Engineer Cents recently posted…New Goal: Mortgage Free By 30
Mark@BareBudgetGuy says
Abigail so great to meet you! I am definitely going to try to catch up on my sleep now.
Mark@BareBudgetGuy recently posted…Everyone has their thing
Holly@ClubThrifty says
I only made it to one of those breakfasts! Yes, 7 is way too early unless I can show up in my pajamas with my hair in a bun. I feel ya!
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted…Learning How to Delegate
Hannah says
I have suddenly made the connection as to why I have 5 of the exact same sticky pads- I think your mom gave me 4 of them.
Anyhow, it was great to meet you, and you totally missed out on the breakfast because it was delicious!
Revanche says
I don’t care what I look like when I drag myself in to breakfast and 7 am is still too early for being alive, much less eating 🙂
How’d the mentor thing go? Did the yoga mat making it into your suitcase? I have all kinds of questions.
Revanche recently posted…Some legit reasons you need life insurance
Mrs. Crackin' the Whip says
Omg! I get nervous and shaky too. And you can hear it in my voice. I tell myself to remain calm but it’s a problem! I actually fainted once from being nervous. Thank you for the tip. I just practiced what you said so I won’t forget. Does it work ?!?! I have some job interviewing coming up in my future and that’s the scariest thing ever to me!
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