Say What?

My boss and I went to a hospitality industry mixer after work. Once more we suffer from our agency's insistence on acting like an irreproachable, holier-than-thou goody-goody: the mixer was a wine-tasting. We are not allowed to drink while representing the agency.

We also can't put our business cards in the jar for the door prizes. We did accept, upon leaving, one small jar each of a local seasoning our host is famous for - I hope it doesn't cost us our jobs!

Alcohol really does help, I find, in social settings; without it, I'm too shy to chat up strangers. My boss and I make the obligatory greetings to our hosts, with whom we are at least slightly acquainted. But they have to make the rounds of the room, and can't stand around talking to us all evening. Mostly, she and I talk to one another.

There was someone else there from our agency tonight, who works in a different area. She came and talked to us for a while. She's making a business trip to our hosts' city next month, and talked about how much she's looking forward to it. "I'm so glad," she said to my boss, "you suggested I sleep with the head of the CVB before going out there - he really has helped me out a lot!"

"Oh, good!" says my boss calmly, somewhat to my surprise, as it doesn't seem at all like the sort of thing she'd suggest. "I thought he'd be a lot of help, so I'm really glad that worked out for you."

And at about that point I realized our coworker had said "speak." My boss had suggested she speak with him. Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhh.

Reality has been badly enough out of whack lately as it is.