Planning a conference can be a lot of work. Luckily, I get to do so with a team of people, all of whom have their own role to ensure all boxes are ticked and the event goes off without a hitch.
As we discussed the centerpieces, which are put together by inmates at our state prison, one of the committee members informed us of some sad news, “Captain Ivy won’t be delivering the plants this year.” We were pretty disappointed, primarily because his name was so fitting. We were, however, hopeful that Officer Aphid or Lieutenant Evergreen might be able to deliver instead.
Later in the evening, we realized the Color Guard had not yet been confirmed but were, per tradition, the first agenda item. The committee member in charge of the plants was also in charge of the Color Guard, so I gave him a call. Apparently, he sent an email three months ago requesting the service, however, never heard back from anyone. Based on how things were going for him, I suggested we change the agenda to read “Person of Color Guard.” This comment, and the fact that he never confirmed the Color Guard, did not, surprisingly catch him or anyone else off guard.