Call your boss a “bitter old man” and he’ll punish you. How else can you explain Stuart Sweet going to Dallas with the rest of the blog team… just not me?
The Custom Electronics Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo kicks off this week. It’s America’s biggest trade show for home theater installers and it’s held in Dallas. When I signed on at Solid Signal, I secretly hoped I could go to CEDIA Expo to get an inside look at this industry. By all accounts, it looked like I was going to get to attend. Then, at the last minute, Stuart (Not So) Sweet pulled the rug out from beneath my size 11 loafers.
I think I know why Stuart did this to me. It was my “bitter old man” comment I made about him in my Fall TV Preview. In my defense, it was hard to avoid! His outlook on the season was all doom and gloom. The only light at the end of that tunnel was the oncoming freight train of his negativity. Not only did I have the nerve to disagree with him, I took it to a whole new level with that comment. Perhaps this is why I won’t be taking in all that this amazing CEDIA show has to offer?
Then again, maybe Stuart doesn’t trust me at a trade show. I mean, it’s Dallas, the “Big D,” home of big food, big hats, and big fun. In other words, there are a lot of distractions in that amazing city. Maybe Stuart believes I’ll abandon him the first time I see a bronco buck or the first time I get a chance to have real Mexican food? This has happened to me before.
More than a decade ago, I took a job writing for a small magazine. During my first months on the job, a similar industry trade event took place in Atlanta. I got excited about attending this industry trade event, but was told I “wasn’t ready” for it. That was a swift kick to my pride! After a year of “proving myself,” I finally got to shows in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Acapulco. (It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it.)
But what if Stuart’s reasons for not taking me to CEDIA Expo aren’t so nefarious? I could’ve simply been a business decision. With so much important work to do, he knew that somebody would have to stay back to “hold down the fort.” That he was trust me to keep things running while he’s away is a tremendous compliment. Yeah. This is a good explanation, and it’s certainly a lot less paranoid then the other two!
Well, now that I’ve worked out all that angst, do you think Stuart will bring me back a souvenir at least?
