Please speak into the microphone, sir

No, it's not a congressional hearing.  It's my conference next week.  You guys know how excited I get about these things.  I'm much better in smaller numbers.  But, these are things I have to do.  And, more and more, I've learned to schmooz and talk...okay, what I should have said is more and more, I have confidence to schmooz and talk.  I'm actually pretty good at it.  And, I'm never alone, so for some reason, people must like to be around me.  And, I'm constantly hugging necks or shaking hands. 

Anyway, each of our meetings is planned by a volunteer planning committee.  I've never done that.  I've always sworn I would never do that.  But, in my effort to be more involved, I knew I needed to do that.  I wanted to do a small meeting, but there were none, and when a nationwide meeting was conceived, I said yes.  If you've never done it, it's a LOT more work than you think.  Do you need a riser?  a podium?  and for how long?  how many tables?  arranged seating?  who sits at what table?  and the list goes on and on.  We were really sweating over a series of ice breakers and introductions for the speakers.  I felt like a fish out of water, so when they came up with an idea that I knew about, Match Game, I jumped in and turned it into a solution for both the ice breakers and the speaker introductions.  I watched MG as a kid when Gene Rayburn was the host.  But, MG doesn't really fit with a conference setting, so I came up with some adjusted rules that let most of the attendees play a round.  And then I wrote about 25 industry relevant fill in the blank questions.  And, last week, the very young co-members of the planning committee were still looking at me like I was speaking ancient Greek when I talked about the game, so I volunteered to run the game at the conference.  Speaking into the mic.  And, introducing the speakers, including the CEO of the company. 

Now, normally, I'd be kicking my own butt and trying to become infected with measles...or ebola.  But, I'm not really that worried about it.  I'm anxious.  I'm going to need to be funny, multiple times during the day, for a couple of days.  That's not my strong suit.  But, I've done it before.  I've taught classes.  I did a presentation at a quilt guild.  I introduce myself and talk about my quilts at guild meeting show and tell.  I can do this.  And, if I'm funny, that's great.  And, if I'm not funny, that's gonna be okay, too.  Because the point of it is, I'm trying, not how it goes.  Because no matter how this one goes, the next one will go better.  Just like the speaking at a quilt guild was better after teaching classes.  And, show and tell is easier after both of those. 

I probably won't get a wink of sleep Monday night.  But, I'm sleeping pretty good now, so if I'm being delusional about this and should be terrified, please don't tell me.

Here's something else I can do.  More TEXture. 

This is one of the borders in the green quilt.  It imitates the feathered star, so I wanted to do the same feather shape in it that I had done in the star.

This quilt is going pretty fast.  The corners of the border I'm working on are triangles that are twice the size of the triangles I've been quilting.  Next project is to draw a design to fill that space and then I can knock that border out.  Still haven't decided what to quilt in that stripey dark green border.  But, my creative process comes in spits and spurts, so I've just got to be patient and wait.

Everybody have a great Friday.  I'm looking forward to work being over for the week.  People at work are being difficult.  I work in a competitive environment.  I'm not competitive at that level.  I'm more of the guy that takes the idea that won the competition and turns it into something useful.  I'm the detail guy.  Everybody hates the detail guy because he's the one that constantly says "that won't work".  I don't get much credit for following that with "but this will".  They've stopped listening by then. 

Lane