Report from Madison

Well I didn't get to meet the Harlot, but I did sell a lot of jewelry kits. It was a hectic weekend, and I must say I out-did my self in my ability to get stressed out and panicked over nothing, a skill that I excel at if I do say so myself. This post is simply a detailed saga of my self-induced hysteria.

Thursday: The stage is set for anxiety overkill. Instead of packing for the show on Thursday night, I work on my taxes until 11 p.m., trying to get things in order so the DH could take them to the accountant on Friday. Unable to balance the books, I go to bed without having taxes done or suitcase packed.

Friday: Already in a franctic mode, I am up at 4 a.m. on Friday morning, trying to pack my suitcase and organize the inventory for the Knit In before heading off to work. Fortunately, I am able to sneak out of work 1/2 hour early (hope the boss doesn't read this)and have time to almost finish packing just before Sis arrives. As we pack her car, Sis cuts her finger and bleeds all over the house. Unable to find a bandage, we make an unscheduled stop at the local pharmacy before heading out. We arrive at our niece's house in Madison at least 1/2 hour later than planned (having also taken a wrong turn and driving 10 miles out of the way). Darling niece and her husband and baby treat us to a pizza dinner and give us a gift certificate to stay at the local Holiday Inn Express. (The plan had originally been to crash at their house, but when I hold her we had to get up at 5:00 a.m., she remembered how she had this gift certificate for a local hotel, and wouldn't we like to use it?) I was getting very sleepy by 9 p.m., so we excuse ourselves to make our way to the hotel. We arrive, only to find that there is no electricity in the hotel, nor in the entire city of Verona.
Sis, "Let's go to another hotel."
Me, "Uhm, this is free. NO."
We check-in in the dark, not exactly having a sisterly bonding good-time. Fortunately, the lights come on after about 20 minutes and I am able to sleep while Sis reads.
Saturday: We are up at 4:45 a.m., shower, dress, eat breakfast, and leave the hotel shortly after 6 a.m. without asking the front desk for directions to the conference center where the Knit In will be held. After all, I have Mapquest instructions in my purse (from my house and not from the hotel, duh!). I think I know where the conference center is, and who needs the advice of a human anyway? We promptly get lost and do not arrive at the conference center until 7:10 a.m. I have, in the mean time, started to go into panic attack-bitch mode. Knowing I have just 45 minutes to set up my booth, I freeze like a deer in the headlights when I see my booth space and seem incapable of figuring out how to set it up for 20 minutes. I am nowhere near ready to sell when the first shoppers arrive at 7:45. I'm finally minimally set up and make my first sale around 8:30 a.m., at which time all the customers disappear to attend classes and listen to the Yarn Harlot. I do not have another sale until 11:00 a.m. Customers trickle in until noon, when all hell breaks loose as classes dismiss and 400 crazy knitters all try to spend their money before 1:30 p.m. when they are back in class. It is calm between 1:30 and 3 when business picks up again as the afternoon classes let out, but it is not as busy as I expected because an announcement was made to shoppers that the last shuttle bus to the park and ride departs at 3:30. The market closes at 4 p.m. and Sis and I pack up the car and are on the road back to Milwaukee by 4:45. We make the mistake of discussing politics on the way home. Somehow, through it all, I realize that I have made money and should be happy, and that my sister still loves me.