Workshop abroad

This amused me.

Since last year, Hil has been organizing a workshop abroad (in International City) for all the people in our division who do the kind of work I do. Back then she asked for a preliminary show of hands who could attend and of course I said yes. Then this year she asked for a solid list of who was coming. Business has been bad for our business unit lately, so Somebody Important decided we could send only one person to this workshop. The obvious choices were me or one other guy who was recently hired and who supports sites in another part of the country. Somewhat reluctantly I proposed that he should go, because a big part of these workshops is the networking and he is new to the company. I already know some of the people who will be there, and it will be valuable for New Guy to meet them too.

When I first heard about this workshop, I proposed to Elly that I might be able to piggy-back on the travel so that I could stop off in the UK and say hello. It was sort of a hare-brained idea, but she thought it sounded intriguing and so we had penciled it in for the distant future. When I withdrew in favor of New Guy, I e-mailed Elly that it was a no-go. Too bad. Deep sigh.

Then last week I heard from my boss's boss that there had been some "discussions" on the subject. Apparently Hil had urged that I really had to be there because of ... all the stuff I do, I guess. I'm not the only one in the US doing this work for our business unit. New Guy does it too. But Hil said ... well, I'm not sure exactly what she said. But she also went to her boss -- and his boss -- to persuade them that I had to show up. And apparently she carried the point. I was informed that an exception will be made and I should buy my tickets pronto.

I passed the news along to Elly, but I'm not sure how feasible it will be to buy interlocking tickets on short notice. Still, I was amused. Am I really all that important? Or is it just that I seem to be Hil's favorite American collaborator these days, possibly because of the almost-but-not-quite flirtatious energy between the two of us?

No idea, really. And I shouldn't let it go to my head. But I am amused.