Madame Secretary II

Wow, State convention at home is MUCH HARDER than going off to a convention elsewhere. It's been years since they had it here, and I'd forgotten the grueling schedule. Besides, the first time around, I was really a spectator. This time I was early to everything and late to leave. I made it on about three hours of sleep a night since I had to drive back and forth an hour each way to get there and go home. (Never again: if they hold this in Houston again I am selling everything not nailed down to get a room. I was so tired and migrained-out by Saturday we had to pull over on the way home for me to throw up.)

This time I e-mailed the Senate District chair and told him I'd be happy to help out, so he asked me to be secretary again. Good thinking, actually, because the meetings were much shorter and I met many more people. Doing that job consisted of two meetings wherein I had to write down names of people being elected and time speakers. Way cool. And while I was up there doing that, the parliamentarian, an old hero of mine, gave me a treat.

Bill is the longtime parliamentary expert in my SD. He taught a "How to Get Involved in Your Precinct Convention" class ten years ago, and I hung on every word. Over the years I'd talked to him occasionally about political stuff at meetings, but he barely seemed to remember me. This year, however, when I worked on the Rules Committee for the SD, I told him that I had passed the Parliamentary Exam with a perfect score, and THAT got his attention.

He began talking about having me move into his slot as parliamentarian. This makes sense as he's getting older, but I also think he likes the idea of mentoring someone. Besides, nobody else seems the least interested in doing it. That's how I found my way to being elected from our SD to the County Rules Committee, a good first step, even if I ran unopposed. Bill got appointed to the committee so he didn't have to go through the election process, and he'll be there to help me out. But at this meeting it sounded as if Bill is thinking of moving me into his slot on the STATE RULES COMMITTEE. Gulp!

So at the SD meeting at State, I was telling Bill how I had been at the Rules committee meeting until eleven the night before, watching him and his counterparts argue over things like adding the word "intentional" to a rule. He hadn't believed I was interested so much until I said that, so I replied "Bill, I've been going to those meetings for eight years, four conventions now; didn't you know that?" Apparently this impressed him to no end because NOBODY goes to those meetings unless they have a particular rule change to advocate.

After we talk and the meeting comes to order, Bill gets up to report on the Rules Committee meeting to the SD body. In the course of his report he mentions me twice as a parliamentarian and as a person who has an abiding interest in the rules, so much so that I go sit through these dull meetings. I have to say, it's nice to be recognized for being a nerd.

Later that evening I met up with a high school buddy who wanted to take me to a Young Republican event. With nothing better to do, I went, and it made me feel old. They're all in their late twenties, but one of them is a city councilman in the small town where my friend lives. Yeesh!

However, at that event the guy running for our SD in the Texas Senate strolled in. Since I was secretary, he remembered me, and came over. We chatted for a bit, but then he burst out with "I have to tell you, I've never heard Bill sing anyone's praises so warmly, ever. Not once, but twice!" Which makes me feel all sorts of special, I have to say. I'll probably end up working for his campaign, but first there's the Rules meeting on Monday where I get to sit at the grown-up table for the first time.

It may take a while, but yes, I am on my way to ruling the world. In such a nerdy way, too.

I'm Done with Nice

Yep, school's out and never was I so glad of it. The year has been completely draining, and so I'm making up for lost time with the pool. I've got a wee burn in a couple of places, but otherwise it's all good poolside.

But here's the downside. We have an audit due in a week or two, and there will be an investigation. Not of me, exactly, but an investigation into Where Some Money Went. I've been kicking up a fuss over this for months, so hopefully this will tend to relieve me of suspicion. Still, it irks me that it has taken half a year to get this dealt with.

Back in December we bought cameras to take pictures of events that we could print for immediate use. For example, if we had Santa come, we could have a picture taken and printed for the kids to take home. The photographers decided the printing was too slow so they decided to return the cameras. This is fine, as far as it goes. However, the photographer didn't take the Sam's Card with her and could not return them herself. She then gave them to the president to return, reasoning that the president could get her hands on the card at leisure.

This is where it breaks down. The president returned them, all right, but it's June and I haven't seen the money.

This isn't the only time, either. In April she sold T-shirts at our carnival and didn't turn in that money either. I finally got it on Wednesday of last week. And, against all policies and rules, she took all the cash in the deposit and exchanged it for two of her personal checks. When I saw one was close to the amount that I was missing for the cameras, I called and asked exactly what the check was for. When she said it was T-shirts, I knew she couldn't then go back later and say it was camera money.

I've asked for the camera money several times, and been asked by others if that money had been deposited. Nope. Nope. Nope.

But when I asked her about the camera money after getting the T-shirt deposit, saying politely "I can't find where I deposited it," she swore she had documentation, and that she'd get it to me the following day.

Have I seen it? Nope. Nope. Nope.

So what now? The audit committee will find that no, indeed, it isn't in the bank. Then they will have to get her statement. If she can produce a piece of paper with her signature and one other saying she had a deposit, then she can try to make the case that I took it. Of course, the one pursuing it is me, so one member of the audit committee already thinks she never handed it in, and any documentation she has without my signature on it is useless. At least there's that bit of support for me.

And if this isn't handled well and doesn't end in my total vindication, I'm walking. I refuse to be dragged through this mess of people not following procedures. How can I expect anyone else to do it when I can't get the freaking president to follow the rules?