I've been in Atlanta all week for a tax conference. I'm sure some of you would rather have your toes gnawed off by a rabid possum, but it hasn't been too bad. The Georgia Tech Conference Center and Hotel has been pretty good, and I should know since I've only left the building three times since I got here on Sunday. Once to eat dinner with my brother and his wife on Sunday, once to walk to Publix yesterday and once this afternoon to get my toenails painted 20 feet away at the nail place. We had a casino night, where I won a million dollars and got 10 raffle tickets for my trouble, which netted my exactly NOTHING. There was a vendor fair, but I didn't stick around too long for that since its main attraction was margaritas and Mexican beer, of which I can not partake. I got the Hudsonator a sombrero though. That should be hilarious to get home on the plane.
Tonight is our activity free night and I've signed up to go shopping. I'm wishing I had that million dollars in real money about now. At least I'll be out of my room for a few hours, and hopefully have something decent to eat and show off my toenails to Atlantians.
I sat next to a guy yesterday who kept furtively flipping up his conference notepad and scribbling something. Being the nosy person that I am, I glanced at what he was doing. He had a wedding ring on and his cell phone screen saver was of two little girls. He was writing a letter to his wife, who I think had cheated on him. Or something equally bad, but I think I caught the word "affair" in there. I really wanted to lay my hand on his arm and tell him I hoped it worked out for his family, but then I would have had to admit I was eaves-reading and I couldn't do that either. So, Dude, if you find this, I hope your family gets repaired when you get home. That has to suck. Something happens to you that is so terrible you have to try and pay attention to very important state and local tax issues while your heart is at home, and facing the uncertainty of what you will find when you get there and writing on your Georgia Tech three-hole punched notepad what you want to tell your wife when you get there.
And on that cheery note. It's time to announce the winner of the contest from last week. I went shopping at the Lenox mall this evening with a group of 5 nice ladies. I completed the prize package to include with the main prize, Rockabye by Rebecca Woolf. I used the Random number generator to pick one of the ten comments I received. (Since I wasn't too swift about getting back to you all, I totally ignored the deadline. Sue me.)
It picked comment:
which is Bethany! Who TOTALLY deserves a surprise in the mail right now. Bethany, send me your address and I'll send you a present!
I'll be home tomorrow, so don't be gettin' any ideas about stealing my husband and kid.




















