Class Act is as Class Act does
"Exactly *why* am I putting myself through this?"
"'Cause you promised and a Class Act keeps his word, that's why!"
This is the conversation I was having with myself around 6:15 this evening as I rode the elevator up to the contest. But let's go back to the beginning:
Earlier that afternoon I was talking with my Division Governor in Toastmasters on the phone. We were trying to set up a meeting to discuss my plans for my area, as a 24-hour bug made me miss the Area Governors' meeting. The irony here is that I helped set that meeting up - but I digress. She was coming into the city for a speech contest. I had rehearsal from 7 to 9:30 pm so I couldn't make the contest and help judge.
"But," I reasoned, "if we can meet at 5:45 for about fifteen minutes before the contest starts, we can have our meeting and I should still make rehearsal on time!" She agreed and gave me the address for the contest.
Our District Governor likes to joke that for an organisation that stresses the benefits of effective communication, it's amzing how little of it actually goes on between the District officers. To make a long story short, the subway stop I was given was wrong, the directions were nonexistant, the address was off slightly (there's a world of difference between 33 Maiden St. -the address I was given - and 44 Maiden St., which is where the contest actually was - which for those of you not familiar with lower Manhattan is the home of the FEDERAL RESERVE - yikes!), and by the time I finally got to the contest site, my Division Governor herself hadn't yet arrived! It's now 6:30, which means that even with my Transportation Angels working overtime, I was not going to get to rehearsal on time. (To be fair, my TAs got me to within 5 blocks walking distance by 7 pm - thanks, guys!)
Still, I tried. And that's a large part of being a "Class Act": carrying on, regardless.
"'Cause you promised and a Class Act keeps his word, that's why!"
This is the conversation I was having with myself around 6:15 this evening as I rode the elevator up to the contest. But let's go back to the beginning:
Earlier that afternoon I was talking with my Division Governor in Toastmasters on the phone. We were trying to set up a meeting to discuss my plans for my area, as a 24-hour bug made me miss the Area Governors' meeting. The irony here is that I helped set that meeting up - but I digress. She was coming into the city for a speech contest. I had rehearsal from 7 to 9:30 pm so I couldn't make the contest and help judge.
"But," I reasoned, "if we can meet at 5:45 for about fifteen minutes before the contest starts, we can have our meeting and I should still make rehearsal on time!" She agreed and gave me the address for the contest.
Our District Governor likes to joke that for an organisation that stresses the benefits of effective communication, it's amzing how little of it actually goes on between the District officers. To make a long story short, the subway stop I was given was wrong, the directions were nonexistant, the address was off slightly (there's a world of difference between 33 Maiden St. -the address I was given - and 44 Maiden St., which is where the contest actually was - which for those of you not familiar with lower Manhattan is the home of the FEDERAL RESERVE - yikes!), and by the time I finally got to the contest site, my Division Governor herself hadn't yet arrived! It's now 6:30, which means that even with my Transportation Angels working overtime, I was not going to get to rehearsal on time. (To be fair, my TAs got me to within 5 blocks walking distance by 7 pm - thanks, guys!)
Still, I tried. And that's a large part of being a "Class Act": carrying on, regardless.
posted by jtc at 7:26 PM
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