: I'm blogging State! (Part 1)
(and simul-blogging on mistapotta.livejournal.com)
It's the night before, and I'm getting packed.
We're staying at the La Quinta Austin Airport, and getting the rooms there were an ordeal in itself.
I booked the rooms the week after Regionals (while others were getting ready for TAKS.) Got four rooms, enough for sponsors and for the students who qualified, and all was hunkey dory.
Then we got notification that one of our alternates was qualifying for state. Seems that the second place person in one of the speaking events dropped, so our speaker got to go. This made five boys, two girls for the state trip.
Of course, five boys makes two boys rooms. I can stuff four in one, but five's a stretch. Besides, the hotels don't like it.
So I called up LQ, thinking that I should be able to get another room. It's the large packages of rooms that are a challenge (like for One-Act Play or other strong schools who plan poorly)
I call up.
"Hi, I need to add a room to my reservation."
"Yes sir, can I have your confirmation numbers?"
"Sure, they are ##########."
"Sir, those aren't valid numbers"
o.0
So I had to make a reservation for five rooms. A bit more than I had planned. And frustrating, because I suspect my original four rooms are out there in limbo somewhere.
But, since the rooms weren't reserved, my credit card wasn't feeling the pinch of holding them, so it shouldn't be a problem. I reserve the rooms, get the amounts, send the information to my Central Office contact, and get the ball rolling on getting a check cut.
Next morning, telephone call from CO contact.
"Mr. Potter, they have you down for nine rooms."
o.O again.
So another call to the LQ to get the rooms straightened out. It was quite easy (tand they were quite relieved to get a block of rooms back, even though they were never really "out."
Flash forward to this weekend.
I get an e-mail asking if it's okay for two students from a fellow school who qualified to join in. CO says it's okay since we have two girls, and thus can fit two more.
Thing is, only one's a competitor. The other's for "moral support." The principal okayed her going last year, and did the same this year.
And, Journalism done by Thursday, where my girls have their first event (mathematics) bright and early 8 AM on Friday.
And, because my girls have my AIM screenname, I get innundated.
CO won't pay for another room, since the rooms are on their dime, and they see nothing wrong with four girls to a room. Besides, they'll be "on their best behavior." It's just to keep them from having to drive back to SA after their awards ceremony (which will end close to 10 P.M.
I have a string of contacts with this girl, since she's been active in UIL all year (and for some reason the school's newspaper's MySpace tried to friend me earlier this year.) So I'm able to get a message to her, and she IMs me later yesterday evening with the go-ahead.
They'll each pitch in $25 to get a new room (which the district won't provide) so their school's girls can be in one room, our girls in another.
Ah, the life of an Academic Coordinator.
~MP
(and simul-blogging on mistapotta.livejournal.com)
It's the night before, and I'm getting packed.
We're staying at the La Quinta Austin Airport, and getting the rooms there were an ordeal in itself.
I booked the rooms the week after Regionals (while others were getting ready for TAKS.) Got four rooms, enough for sponsors and for the students who qualified, and all was hunkey dory.
Then we got notification that one of our alternates was qualifying for state. Seems that the second place person in one of the speaking events dropped, so our speaker got to go. This made five boys, two girls for the state trip.
Of course, five boys makes two boys rooms. I can stuff four in one, but five's a stretch. Besides, the hotels don't like it.
So I called up LQ, thinking that I should be able to get another room. It's the large packages of rooms that are a challenge (like for One-Act Play or other strong schools who plan poorly)
I call up.
"Hi, I need to add a room to my reservation."
"Yes sir, can I have your confirmation numbers?"
"Sure, they are ##########."
"Sir, those aren't valid numbers"
o.0
So I had to make a reservation for five rooms. A bit more than I had planned. And frustrating, because I suspect my original four rooms are out there in limbo somewhere.
But, since the rooms weren't reserved, my credit card wasn't feeling the pinch of holding them, so it shouldn't be a problem. I reserve the rooms, get the amounts, send the information to my Central Office contact, and get the ball rolling on getting a check cut.
Next morning, telephone call from CO contact.
"Mr. Potter, they have you down for nine rooms."
o.O again.
So another call to the LQ to get the rooms straightened out. It was quite easy (tand they were quite relieved to get a block of rooms back, even though they were never really "out."
Flash forward to this weekend.
I get an e-mail asking if it's okay for two students from a fellow school who qualified to join in. CO says it's okay since we have two girls, and thus can fit two more.
Thing is, only one's a competitor. The other's for "moral support." The principal okayed her going last year, and did the same this year.
And, Journalism done by Thursday, where my girls have their first event (mathematics) bright and early 8 AM on Friday.
And, because my girls have my AIM screenname, I get innundated.
CO won't pay for another room, since the rooms are on their dime, and they see nothing wrong with four girls to a room. Besides, they'll be "on their best behavior." It's just to keep them from having to drive back to SA after their awards ceremony (which will end close to 10 P.M.
I have a string of contacts with this girl, since she's been active in UIL all year (and for some reason the school's newspaper's MySpace tried to friend me earlier this year.) So I'm able to get a message to her, and she IMs me later yesterday evening with the go-ahead.
They'll each pitch in $25 to get a new room (which the district won't provide) so their school's girls can be in one room, our girls in another.
Ah, the life of an Academic Coordinator.
~MP