I just got back from a business trip to New Orleans. First things first, I got interviewed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXNtjtIvLJ8&
Stock is rising. Our company name is out there. 2012 is going to be a breakout year. Which is good because I promised we would be a $300 million company by 2014. We have $200 million to go.
New Orleans is okay. I’m not a big drinker, so any place where people are out of their minds sloppy drunk, that’s dirty and smells bad is usually not high on my list. The food is good, the culture is interesting so it’s definitely worth visiting, but I can’t say that I would make it a voluntary destination of mine. However, I highly recommend the BBQ shrimp at Deannie’s.
We were there for a convention for one of our biggest partners. On one hand, I like the meet and greet type scenarios because it’s where I really shine and can help get our name out there and perpetuate the brand. On the other hand, I hate skeezy men. Brian told me about the phrase, “Wheels Up, Rings Off.” Seriously, the number of men who start out with wedding bands on the first day greatly diminishes by the last day. What’s up with that?
Last month, I’d met up with a company trying to partner with us, and their sales guy was bragging about how he used to have a girlfriend in every city while he was married, until his wife caught him with another woman on TV (at a baseball game). He ended up marrying the woman he was caught with, and he said he’s never cheated on her…until he met me.
Yeah right.
He even said that if he ever did mess around on his wife, he’d hope it’s an “Asian experience.” That really pissed me off. I’m not a fucking ride at Disneyland.
The next day, I told his boss I didn’t want him to be our contact anymore, citing unprofessionalism. However, when I showed up in New Orleans, I was chagrined to find that one of our close partners had invited this guy along.
Meanwhile, I got to meet a lot of people and being in New Orleans, we were obligated to go out every night. One of the nights, one of the guys who’s married with two young kids, got off the elevator with me and propositioned me. I don’t know…he seemed sober but it was the same old story…never met anyone like me, there was something about me…but it’s the same old story. I told him I didn’t want to be a part of bad decision-making and he shouldn’t put me in that position.
I asked him if he’d ever cheated on his wife before and he said once, right after his first kid was born. I asked him how he felt after and he said, “Bad.” I said, “How do you think you’ll feel tomorrow morning?” “Bad,” he said. “I get it, you’re right.”
He still tried to use my bathroom and I told him he could go down to the lobby.
I ended up seeing him the next night, the closing night. He came up to me and hugged me and whispered, “Thanks.”
It’s kind of scary to see these guys behave like this. Probably because I’m scared one day I’ll be married and have no idea what my husband hides from me. But then there are a few good ones, when everyone is drunk and wild around them, and they’re just not getting into it, and I think, there are good guys out there. But how can you tell? How do you know?