i had a networking event tonight at angel stadium. that might sound like an alright way to spend an evening but there were two problems for me. 1. i'm a dodgers fan which means i despise the angels and frankly the entire american league or as my dad puts it, "minor league baseball" and 2. networking events are the absolute worst.
i mean think about it, the sole purpose of these "happy hours" is to encourage shameless self-promotion and forced conversation. don't get me wrong, one of my favorite pastimes is chatting with strangers but when i'm forced to do it, i get all queasy inside. i feel like i'm speed dating but in "business bals" mode.
fortunately for me, my co-worker met me there tonight. i've always been drawn to this woman but by the nature of our positions at the alzheimer's association, we actually don't interact too often. she runs our latino outreach program and insists on communicating with me only in spanish to encourage and support my practice. she also just exudes goodness. she's gracious, soft-spoken and compassionate.
frankly, if she wasn't 25 years older than me i'd say that maybe i have a girl-crush on her!
tonight was great because we actually spoke at length for the very first time. i learned about her family, the early years of her life in ecquador, how she met her husband of 30 years (such a great love story) and how she got involved with social work. all this over a single glass of wine.
oh, we did do some "networking" too and met some strong sponsor prospects as a result.
all in all, it was a very nice way to spend an hour and a half.
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