I’ve been stressing over what to write this column about for more than two days now, but I’ve finally decided that the world just will not go on if I don’t share the insanity of this past weekend.
For most Gannon students, this was Homecoming weekend. But for me it was supposed to be an average couple of days – nothing too special. Oh, how wrong I was.
I started the weekend on Friday, getting up earlier than completely necessary so I could get a few more hours in at work. My boss was going to be gone for most of the day, which meant I certainly had my fair share of work to do.
I grabbed a large coffee from Tim Horton’s and headed for the shop, intent on having a pretty pleasant day.
Everything was going smoothly until about 2:30 p.m., when I received the brand new information that I had messed up a really big order. Actually, the biggest order we’ve ever had.
I inadvertently switched an item number with the number of a color selection for an order of more than 100 pairs of cheerleading briefs. It could have been a minor error, but these briefs are made by hand in the store, and the customer needs them by this weekend.
Still, the situation could have been remedied if we actually had the correct fabric in stock. What’s worse is we ordered 50 yards of the correct fabric – black with lime green polka dots, if you’re wondering – only to discover that it’s no longer being manufactured.
My boss was incredibly understanding about the whole situation – we all make mistakes, she said, and she acknowledged that it was partly her fault too. But that really doesn’t make me feel better about it – I’m usually not that careless, and I can be really hard on myself about this kind of thing.
Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of a very long weekend.
The rest of that day at work, my boss and I worked on getting things all set up and ready for the Girls World Expo, held Sunday at the Bayfront Convention Center. We had to get everything packed and ready so we could unload and set up at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Friday night, I went to the Riverside Inn with a few friends to see the Medieval Feast, which one of our mutual friends was participating in.
We had a grand old time at the feast, eating a huge and delicious meal with no utensils and enjoying a spectacular production.
Then, when it was time to go, one of my friends asked where his keys had gone. At first, we all thought he was joking. After almost two hours of searching the building, though, it became apparent that he wasn’t.
Again, it could have been a minor issue, except for the fact that he had driven all of us there that night.
Our friend who was in the play graciously offered to take us home, since it appeared that the keys had completely vanished. We wouldn’t have felt bad about it, either, if she didn’t live in Edinboro or have to get up at 4 a.m. to be to work on time.
Then, just as we were venturing on to the highway to get home, we saw the blue and red flashing lights. Yes, we got pulled over for going 20 miles over the speed limit.
Thankfully for all involved, our theatrical friend was able to sly her way out of the ticket.
Then, after we finally got home, I got about three hours of sleep before getting up at 6 a.m. to go set up for the expo. As we found out too late, though, the set-up had been scheduled for 7 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6. Too bad that date didn’t exist – at least not this year.
This weekend is one I would largely prefer never to relive. I think next year I’ll just go to the Homecoming dance.
