Ice Packs and Pooper Scoopers: My Fourth Week On The Road

This week has been a whirlwind of cross-country flights, near concussions, and a dog show in Dallas. I said goodbye to Seattle on Sunday morning and headed to Atlanta, arriving at 8pm and getting to bed after a cheeseburger and some sweet tea. Tuesday morning in Chicago the turnout was expected to exceed 120 people, the largest event I've managed this year. The sun was rising and I was collating handbooks for all the teachers, Gram Parsons cheering me up on my headphones when I smashed my head on a dubious metal chair which caused a golf ball sized bump to appear in seconds on my forehead. Just then, my old friend Rose from one of last year's events appeared from Kelly Temp Services to help me collate handbooks and talk about the politics of traffic in Chicago.

The angel Rose, keeping me sane after a hectic Tuesday morning in Chicago

The rest of the day added insult to injury, with a broken microphone, Chicago teachers disgruntled about a shortage of stalls in the womens' restroom, and a late cab for our early flight to Dallas.

Things picked up the next day in Dallas (or Arlington, TX). The turnout was much smaller and the staff a pair of friendly Mexicans who were assigned exclusively to Meeting Room Six, our modest seminar, which was across the hall from the grand ballroom where the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association hosted the 2008 National Dog Show:

Highlights from the 2008 National Dog Show in Arlington, TX

Into the third round: Spaniels Suzie and Princess await judging and a chance to win "Best Bitch in Show"

One of the bennies of this job is the chance to see different and amazing things I never would've experienced; my very first dog show was a spectacular event to witness in person

Well, that's been my week so far. Today I'm working in El Paso, TX at the Radisson Hotel, where the weather is hot and dry. I think I might lay by the pool during lunch and finally ice my forehead.