Chocolates from my Boss and Diamonds from my Husband...

I am about a week out from the conference, and ran to check the conference bags yesterday before our awesome logo was stitched on the lot of 2000. I returned with several stitched bags as samples. Our director of strategic relations caressed and inspected as if he was admiring a BMW 135i. "I NEED one of these," he explained while his team oohed and aahed in true peanut gallery fashion. I so appreciate their humor. When I showed them off to the software engineers, they asked if these were the speaker gifts.

"No, these go to every attendee at the conference." They were visibly impressed, and a few registered right then just for the bags. No kidding. My Armenian friend told me she needed a "kickin'" bag like that, since she didn't have any room in her leather attache case for her laptop.

When I returned to my desk, what to behold but a box of chocolates from the CEO. I confess, I knew it was coming since my conference counterpart also received one. I sent a thank-you e-mail to the CEO. He said he would have delivered it in person, but was busy skiing with the CTO of HP. For the man who never seems to stop working, it is nice to know that he does have a LITTLE fun once in a while.

According to my conference counterpart, the CEO asked us in one of our many meetings if we liked chocolate. I don't recall that conversation, but considering the purported stress-relieving properties of chocolate, I imagine it was an attempt to: 1. show appreciation and 2. reduce stress. One of my fellow office-dwellers joked that he was trying to convince me to do the next conference.

On that note, I met with my would-be boss. He said that they had started negotiating for me, but that the final step would be the CEO. [sentence about how I think that will go... wink, wink ;I]

When I walked in the door that evening, I heard the dryer buzz and quickly folded the load of darks, thoughtfully started by my one true love. The bathroom mirror was free of fluffy feathers where Kawi sits and looks at himself, and the dishwasher was running in a spotless kitchen. Two little birds had apparently gotten enough attention that they were quite content. I came home to a house full of diamonds, carefully polished and placed.

We left for dinner (compliments of my work) and then I returned home and continued to work until after midnight.