Worst Work Trip Ever!

National Finals is over. Hallelujah! For any of you who are unfamilliar with my job, here is a quick course in the Center for Civic Education. We write textbooks. Civics education textbooks. The high school book culminates in a mock congressional hearing where the students defend their knowledge of the government and constitution to judges, professors and the like. There is a state competition in each state and these winners go on to the national competition. 1200 high schoolers descend upon Washington D.C. and it is up to me and my co-workers to make sure that they all participate in a fair and challenging competition without killing themselves or knocking anyone up. There are also 72 volunteer judges, 120 volunteer coordinators, 50 international delegats and 50 new teachers to be catered to. Needless to say, I am exhausted. When I competed in the program myself in 1998, I had no concept of the sheer size and scope of the organization in which I was participating. Now I do and I want to crawl under a table and die. I slept for a total of 25 hours in 5 days. I have a gigantic bruise on my leg that is the color of grapes that I don't even remember getting. I got yelled at in front of the associate director of my organization and subsequently burst into tears. I got in a fight with the security guards at the Pentagon City Mall. I cleaned up nervous teenager puke. I never want to see most of my co-workers again.

It's good to be home. Too bad I have to get on another plane and go to Texas on Wednesday. Blah.