May, 2004

I used to work for a really amazing group of people. Crazy. But amazing. In May of 2004, I went to the SPBT conference, lovingly known as SPBT. For those of you who care, it's the Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers. It was hosted in Orlando at the Dolphin/Swan hotel. At Disney. On the Boardwalk. I stayed ON the Boardwalk. Maybe that doesn't mean much (especially if you've never been there), but I think our room was $300+ a night. Youch.

I was 24, engaged to be married in 6 months, and pretty clueless as far as fancy-schmancy-ness went. This was my induction to the world of fancy-schmancy. Before SPBT started, we had massages in our hotel. Sweet. We ate at Don Schula's restaurant. It's one of those places that doesn't have prices on the menu and the menu happens to be scrawled on a football. Not that it really matters; they have to bring you a flashlight to read the "menu" anyway. One of those places where the saying goes something like, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." Well thank God those amazing people were paying, because I'd have stuck with a glass of water and a straw if I had been paying.

After we dined with Mr. Schula, the big show started. We. Worked. Our. Asses. Off. That year, we gave away pedometers as chachkis. I wore one pretty much the whole time we were there. I recall taking over 10,000 steps one day. IN our booth. IN heals. That's about 5 miles inside of a 20 foot square booth. Again, youch.

After the show was over, we had massages. This time, we went to Saratoga Springs for a day at the spa. This was my first (and last, incidentally) "day at the spa." I've been back for pedis, massages, etc., but this was different. Not that I think I ever care to relive it quite like that, but W-O-W. An hour and a half massage followed by unlimited time in the whirlpool, sauna, shower. I don't think I've ever been that relaxed at any other time in my life. Maybe I would care to relive it, come to think of it.

That night, we ate dinner at the Contemporary. It's on the top floor of a hotel, overlooking the lake where they do the nightly Disney fireworks. I don't remember the main course, but this is where I was introduced to Green Goddess salad dressing. Don't ask me how I remember all of this - I just do. I also remember the boss's daughter ooing and ahhing over the fireworks and making the statement, "There's nothing like Disney!" She was all breathy and mesmerized and maybe she was right.

I guess my point - if I have one - is that memories are just weird. Of all the days for me to commit to memory, a day at Disney with a bunch of co-workers has just somehow "stuck." Of course there are other days like this, but this one is just weird. It's nothing to do with my family, a milestone, or any other breathtaking experience. It's just one of those random experiences that's "stuck" with me for 5+ years now. If you can recall what you ate, where you ate, and exact lines of dialogue from a single day of your life, why?? Why is my gray matter wasted on this random, seemingly meaningless day? Maybe it's not all that meaningless. Maybe it has greater meaning that I'll never discover. Maybe it's just with me to remind me how frivolous life can be or to remind me that before May, 2004, I'd never heard of Green Goddess dressing, never eaten in a 5-star restaurant, and never set foot in a spa (I guess just to remind me that somewhere along the way, in May of 2004, I kind of grew up). Who knows? Maybe it's just stuck in my head and won't come out because there's a glitch in the matrix. Whatever, I think it's weird.