Bodacious Boomer

Doug just called again, literally for the 15th time today. It’d better be the last time today. Today at 5:20pm our application to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was finally submitted. It should’ve been there by 5. In all honestly, it should’ve been there months ago; but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Doug has been wanting to participate in the rodeo for years. We know people that make enough during the run of the rodeo that  that’s all they do- for the year. They make that much. Now most of those folks are food vendors. But the other people there make some good coinage as well. Our friend who does sand art there works at only two other events. He just relaxes and travels the rest of the year. Attendance at the Houston rodeo is over two million people . It’s a biggie.

I knew when we were planning to go on our NYC trek that Doug wanted the application finished. I told him I’d have it done. I meant to get it done. It did get done- finally- today. Today was the deadline. If we’re selected we’ll be doing something totally new for us. On the plus side, it won’t kill my shoulder or my hand. No face painting required. On the minus side, a certain amount of engineering had to be figured out before we could even apply.

If we’d wanted to spend the $10K it cost for a whole ready made set-up we wouldn’t have had to figure out anything. However, since we have more time than money it fell to me to get everything figured out; which meant some industrial espionage was involved. I’m really good at that. It took me a few days, but I did get all the information, piecemeal. What someone wanted to sell us for $10K Doug swears he can make for less than $1K. I have no doubt he can do it. He’s just that good.

So after all the engineering was figured out, the whole application had to be gotten together. There were about 10 different forms, drawings and pages of paperwork that had to be done.

I had done a simple sketch for one of the drawings. When I got here ( at Nate and Amanda’s) today it was decided that the sketch needed to be re-done. Amanda learned auto-cad for her horticulture classes. She got busy on that. I called Miss Evelyn. She went to work on doing the layout of the booth. I told her where everything would go. She just needed to prettify it.  I needed to do the coversheet; which I think is the most important piece of the app. No one talks to you before their final decision is made; so the coversheet is it! You’ve got to nail it.

I think I did. hope I did.

Doug was off to the state comptrollers office to take care of a sales tax lien from awhile (1995) back. It was only for $375. (Shades of the expired tags and inspection stickers swirled through my brain.) He calls. He’s all paid up and once again good to good- as far as the state of Texas is concerned anyway.

Now, feeling virtuous,  he headed over towards Reliant Center (still the dome to me). He stops at Office Depot to pick up all the emails that we’ve sent there for the rodeo application. They’re not there! And why is that you ask? Because he gave me the wrong email address for them! Amanda worked wonders with everything she did. Evelyn came though for us as well. We couldn’t have gotten it done without them. We’re sending. Some he gets- some not.

MANY calls went back and forth. The clock ticked.  The train that goes nears Reliant Center was running amok. The crossing arm was going up and down for no apparent reason. According to Doug cars just kept sitting there. He called me-repeatedly. I thought he was going to pull a Michael Douglas like in Falling Down right there in the car. He was yelling. WTF did he think I could do? I was 30 miles away!

It seemed obvious that Doug wasn’t going to make the 5pm deadline.

I threatened violence if he called me again.

I called the rodeo and sweetly asked the man who answered what our options were if Doug ran just a few minutes late. I explained how I knew we should’ve had it in earlier but the fates had conspired against us. He offered to wait til Doug arrived, then personally walk the application over to the correct person. What a guy!

So finally after much duress, cursing that would make as sailor blush, threats of violence, and a molar which may now very well be cracked from clenching my teeth sooo tightly it is done.

I am now awkwardly climbing up to take my rightful  place next to Procrastination King. You may call me Queenie! (Well I’m still not as bad as he is anyway.)

BTW- I did offer to take everybody to dinner tonight as a thank-you for all their hard work. However Amanda had class and Miss Evelyn has now climbed back onto the health wagon and declined my invitation. I will join her there next week. It was so much more fun when we were both being bad though.

I’m going out to have a Long Island Iced Tea in a qt. Mason jar. Good thing I’m not driving.