Ok. I admit, I have been known to whine and pout. My family can attest to that. I think everyone enjoys a good pout every now and then, and I don't really think that I do it more often that anyone else. The past couple weeks I have pouted and whined a little about having to go on a business trip for work, and I don't think my pouting was uncalled for. I had to go to Jackson, Mississippi Monday morning through Saturday night, and work 14 hours straight each day at a JR League Christmas shopping show/fair/market/thing. This involved setting up the booth, standing at the register in one place for 12 hours, running to the parking lot and back to unpack merchandise for a demanding 50ft line of customers, and so on. It was gruesome, I knew it would be, and I wasn't entirely thrilled about the state my feet would be in by the end of the week. However, being the relentlessly optimistic person that I am, I knew there would be at least something to gain from my trip. Here's my list of positives from this past week:

1. I have now been to Mississippi and can check it off my list. It wasn't impressive at all, looks exactly like the rest of Alabama and Georgia, but I'm glad to have another state to color in my map of places been.

2. Gasoline in Mississippi is under $2. Don't believe me? I took a picture to prove it. And of course I filled up!

(look real close... can you see? $1.99!)

3. I didn't have to pay one penny the entire week for my meals or my endless supply of Dr Pepper. Thank you, boss.

4. I have a new appreciation for being alive. There was a moment this week where that fact almost was no more, but thankfully I am alive. Here's what happened: I was in a hotel room by myself the first two nights, and I noticed Tuesday night how inefficient the AC unit was. Since it was about 2am and I couldn't sleep due to the stuffiness in the room, I went to turn up the air. As I punched the button for HIGH COOL, all this happened at once: the entire machine lit up with a bright blue electric light, an ear splitting ZAP and POP came from the machine and the outlet, and red hot sparks shot out of the outlet. Can you say scary? I've never in my life been more frightened. I should have been electrocuted (my hand was on the machine) and the room should have caught fire (the upholstered chair and the window curtain were both right up against the outlet). But I survived, and needless to say, they gave me a new room.

(The state of my killer outlet)

5. I now know that I can keep an unnatural cool under threatening circumstances. Sign me up for the emergency row, Delta. You can count on me.