Excelling Boxes

I’m becoming less apologetic for the way I act. I like to write so the assumption is that I prefer to speak to people. This is not the case. I like to have conversations while eating with people that can keep up with me. Just last night I had dinner with two twenty-somethings that were visiting from out of the country. They had just attended a metal concert in Las Vegas and were headed home to New Zealand. One I was related to and the other I had just met that evening. It was a lovely night where carbs were enjoyed while chatting about music, hobbies, and travel. Also, I’ve learned that if you identify your Hogwart’s House and Patronus up front, the rest of the dinner conversation falls into place. This interaction is rare in that I lucked into meeting up with other creatives that really enjoy books and music.

What I’m about to delve into is when that’s not the case. I’m planning a fall trip and it involves people I’ve known for a while. I’ve minced words with them in the past and it’s ended with me yelling while driving towards the destination. This time I’m not taking any chances. I’m going full Sabrina. There’s a Google sheet going with rows and columns of the tentative itinerary complete with a breakdown of what each is responsible for.

I want everyone to enjoy themselves. The little things that some of my friends may not remember, I like to drive home with short to-do lists.

I’ve finally succumbed to using Google Sheets on my iPhone. I can update and highlight boxes in real time. I can screenshot updated docs and text to everyone in the group chat and there’s never a conversation about how someone was left in the dark. Note, this isn’t for work. This is how I deal with family. I was sent a request from aunts recently to help host a Christmas event. Others in the chat said sure or were vague. I created a datasheet with everyone in the group that included what they were asking for and a timeline that had to be followed for goals to be met. It was a short conversation. My approach may seem too impersonal, but it’s so transparent that I think you can nearly call it love.

Hotel accommodations have to be made off the bat. I need to know where we are staying so I can map out where meals will be had and how we’re getting to events, tours, etc. If I don’t have that mapped out in my head ahead of time, we’re not going. People that think it’s fun to show up in a town they don’t know and wing where they’ll eat are people that I will never share space with. Those people either have a month or two to hang out at their spot, or they’re just silly people and I would never break bread with them. Are we sitting at a restaurant two blocks from our hotel? Do they have wifi and have I read the reviews and the menu prior to us arriving? If the answer is no, I guess we’re not going.

I’m not rigid to the point that I’m not open to spontaneity or a change to the schedule. I’ve been anal about scheduling since I was a kid. It’s just been a part of my personality and I organically became in charge of that aspect of our lives for my family. I have a knack for figuring out how something can be ruined and I work my way back from it.

This trip also includes a 5-hour drive through a state I’ve never been. I’ve got my itinerary down to when I plan to walk out of the hotel lobby into the rental. The other passengers in the vehicle know they will be in the car, but I believe that’s as far as they have thought it out. In the end, they will most likely enjoy themselves more than me. As we’re leaving the destination, they will be happy with their photos, souvenirs, memories, etc. I will be happy that we didn’t crash and that the brunch spot I booked three months in advance turned out to have a live show during to kill two birds with one stone. I think we all just enjoy down time differently. I doubt I will change. I will try my hardest to have a good time and the way the spreadsheet is shaping up, I’m sure I will get pretty close to that goal.