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I'm no fun whatever at parties. Even church parties are a strain. Oh I can do small talk and appear civil enough and even made the appropriate isn't THAT interestng remarks but I as a rule avoid them.

About a week ago I ignored an e-mail from AAA Human Resources about RVSPing an invite to a meeting to start at 6 pm and last about two hours where the AAA people that bought us --they politely call it a merger wanted to meet the worker bees and give an overview.

I've been there at AAA long enough that my lack of acknowledgement raised no concerns whatever. I blithely went on my merry way hoping to remain under the radar.

Humph!!!

My source of gainful employment (by increments) takes an unwonted interest in my personal desires at the strangest times.

Debbie THE boss of the Call Center and I are chatting about nothing in particular last week when suddently she smiles and asks:

"Are you going to the meeting next Monday?"

"No."

Bland look with a very slight sneer of contempt as a warning. Once in awhile I can actually get away with this ploy. For some reason people think my bark has a bite to it.

"Oh. Why not?" Sunny sweet smile and I know the ice is thin and tread carefully.

Stupidly--I tell her the truth.

"I don't want to." Oh yeah that's a deal breaker. My future as a union negotiator is well on its way.

"Yes you do." The smile becomes Crest white with affirmation of my finer qualities.

I sigh. I know I'm not going to win this one. Wait. One last chance. Second shift has been handicapped since last November when Bob had his stroke. Who will man dispatch?

"Oh don't worry we will"-meaning Debbie, Doug, Dave and Josh." I mentally groan at the thought. They are woefully out of practice plus it will be a Monday our busiest night. I'll be spending probably an hour just fixing things.

Monday comes. Now this weekend there is literally NO ONE scheduled for second shift--both Tonya and I are free and I expect to be approached on bailing them out again but I'm tired and want my four days off in a row which comes once a month with our odd schedule--it is a greatly desired absence. I call in to strike a deal of letting me off Monday and I'll help ONE day of the weekend. Management is out smoozing with the visiitng VIPs and Josh ignores my cell phone call. Can't blame him for that--I ignore his these days what will creitors burning up my unanswered voice mail.

I dress as if for church as my usual outfit is casual minus a touch of class and come in at three which is my more usual start time.

The meeting takes place at a meeting hall about two blocks from work and some people drive down and others walk. I am not offered nor do I seek a ride as I walk on down where a line is forming for name tags and one free drink coupon for either wine or beer neither of which I have any interest in and I give mine to Travis who can handle at least 12 beers before it's a problem.

Brandy has saved me a seat next to her which is tempting but I shrug it off with I don't do parties and find a table behind a wall to myself and also turn down some of the calltakers trying to be nice aboiut having me as a dinner partner.

I have no one but myself to blame for being alone but Tonya and Travis arrive and two others--Chad and Lorna and they sit on the other side of the table and I watch them all drink. The coupon says nothing about cokes. Waiters pester me with offers of weird appetizers. The first fellow is dismissed with a "Don't even think about it." I'm in grizzly bear mode and would rather be back at dispatch monitoring the nightly dramas of people I'll never meet and do some good and annoy others.

(For instance later last night I told a driver to tell the young lady we were towing to clean out her voice mail and answer a phone when I call her. A MANAGER from her home club had taken her information and forwarded it to us with an address but failed to say what store she was at in a region filled with stores and plazas and I was on a call her til she gets tired of hearing her phone go off and gets curious over what moron is calling her. I had the home club rep listen to the tapes and they called back with the store info after I finally got tired of the phone game as my voice mail messages were not being responded to and each one was getting closer to lecture zone.) Note it was not her fault we didn't know what store she was at. It WAS her fault she didn't answer her phone so she could help us help her.

Anyhoooooo I'm reading the annual summary and it's actually good news from 2009 and watching the alcohol remove inhibitions and pretenses. The CEO of Allied approaches our table, introduces himself and upon discovering we were call center personnel has much praise for our efforts. We were #4 in the nation last year in customer satisfaction which makes most the please sir and no ma'am more then worth it. But my military background has taught me subservience very very well and I have been able to make that an asset to getting a point made without reducing myself to hissy fits most of the time.

The meeting is the usual power points and it goes well. A manager from Miami County whines about her branch office weekend schedule and wishes she had OUR weekend schedule and she's told we're there for the member's convenience NOT the employees and I heartily agree with that statement at least. Our travel section stays open until noon Saturday--her's until 3 pm. She had the nerve to whine about safety considerations and I wished her banished to Buffalo NY or even Rochester and THEN she might have a valid complaint. The rest of the meeting goes well. I try to remember the last gathering I'ld been subjected to but fail and leave as soon as possible per orders from Josh--workers could NOT stay for the party. Just as well there was no food there I was willing to eat but I confess to be being very fussy.

I'm back to my happy place by 8:20--first one back--no prize and the world goes back to normal. Apparently I'll have a job at least for awhile longer.

But there is that new call center they built in Cincinatti. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

NOTE: As usual typos will be corrected later.

Later has arrived --think I got them all. Darn--forgot a Logos comment. Another sign of the creeping senility.