Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Still Wearing My Head

Poor Jazzmin, if it isn't her little sisters bugging her when she's trying to draw a masterpiece, it's Ophelia the Dowager Cat.

What a hoot yesterday turned out to be. I was trying to get ready for dinner and the speech around two cloying cats and one perfectly pathetic dog who had been alone all day since Princess has gone back to school. I don't know if I'm the only one who does this, but it's been a life long problem: the more nervous I am, the bigger my hair gets. I just can't leave it alone- curl, spray, comb, curl, spray, brush down, brush upside down. Before I know it I have the perfect style - if I were a beauty contestant from Texas in the 1980s. If it stopped at big hair I probably wouldn't consider it a mental illness, but I have the same problem with make up. There are certain colors of eye shadow and lipstick I never, ever wear but inevitably, I'll try them, in several wobbly layers, on nights when I really shouldn't be experimenting with anything. Lucky for me, I only had an hour between the day job and the speaking engagement so I was able to get out of the house looking more aging disco queen than clown.

Everything went great through dinner, I sat with some very nice ladies and compared notes about vacation spots. As dessert was wrapping up the president gave me the nod to start speaking, I walked, without tripping, to the podium, looked out over the 50 smiling faces and completely forgot everything I was going to say.....
This kind of behavior is so NOT KAT, I can't figure out what in the world
I let get me so riled up that I was actually speechless in front of a room
full of woman not much different from me... 80's hair aside. Nuts, one
day of totally nutty behavior. Jeesh.
I smiled at them for, oh 20 seconds or so that felt like a lifetime, and then said "Have you ever had one of those moments where everything, including your name, just flys right out of your head?" Half of them yelled "yes", the other half nodded and that broke the paralysis. I ended up speaking on mentorship and it's inclusion in the newly forming girls and women's network. They asked lots of questions, they stayed after to ask more. Done. Head still attached. Yay.

5 comments:

Sunflower Optimism said...

I would have been yelling yes and nodding my head too! How many times has that happened to me? See, you instinctively knew what to do - you formed a bond with them through common experience. You ARE good!

So glad your head didn't explode, would have missed your blog.

Kat Campbell said...

Thanks Janet and sunflower, it was a moment for sure.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering what had happened to you Kat, I've had nothing but *exploding head* until tonight! :) Mental note: click *reload*.
Congratulations on the speech and over-coming that dreadful moment, takes a lot to do that. Glad it turned out so well.

Gela said...

Ohmigosh Kat! lol. Good for you, you did it.

I get so nervous standing in front of people. If I have to have a meeting with people at work (like my staff) I just sit amongst them. I feel more comfortable that way.

Kat Campbell said...

Thanks Sandy and Gela, I'm glad you guys made it back!