#LATISM12: Work, Work, Friends, a Wardrobe Malfunction & More Work!

I’m kind of sad it’s all over.  Although at the same time I’m pretty excited about finally being able to bring my life back to some kind of normalcy.  For the last couple of weeks, contrary to what I had planned for myself, my life had literally been taken over by the LATISM12 National Conference here in Houston.  This year marked the first time this national conference has ever taken place in the southern part of the United States, and as one of the key coordinators for the conference in my hometown, I had to make sure we could make Texas proud.

Based on the feedback so far, I’m happy to report it kind of seems like we have!  The conference was a huge success, with lots of rave reviews so far… although all of that didn’t happen without a little dose of drama too, including my first and very own wardrobe malfunction.  ¡Ay qué escandalo!

I know that’s what y’all care about, so let me get to it.  What?!  It would be my first priority… So anyway, a couple of days before the conference Anjelica had forced me to drive out to our local outlet center – about an hour away – to buy some more presentable clothes to wear at the conferencia.  I say forced because according to my protests to her suggestions my tiliches were just fine.  So what if my shirts were a little faded, who was really going to notice?  Finally, I just gave in and we drove to this mega outlet mall.  I hate going there because it is always crowded and it is just so big.  My poor patitas are all  tired by the time we leave.

Pues, this was not the exception.  We did, however, manage to buy a bunch of nice clothes at deep, deep discounts.  I’m talking 75 percent off y toda la cosa, including some brand new jeans that I actually really liked.  Anywho, the first full day of the conference I put them on and went on about my business.  I thought they were pretty cool so yeah there was even a little strutting.  Shh, no digan nada!

When I got up from the registration table to grab something, though, I kind of felt a breeze on my backside… if you catch my drift.  I reached over to see what was flapping and hitting my thigh, which at this point was partially exposed, and realized that what I was holding in my hands away from my pants was actually my pants.  There was a lot more patting before my eyes nearly bulged out of my face and I plopped myself back on my chair.  The rest of the morning and afternoon I did not get up even once.  I sat there reaching up to hug people from my chair, struggling to keep my legs under the table too, as they were now exposed too where my pants had begun to fall apart from the knees as well.

Finally, when Anjelica came by and she wasn’t as busy I asked her to come close:

Me:  Hey… come here.

Anjelica:  What happened?

Me:  Come here… no I mean come hear.  Let me tell you something.

Anjelica:  (pulls in close a little confused) What happened?

Me:  Can you do me a favor?

Anjelica:  What?

Me:  Can you go upstairs to our hotel room and get me some pants?

Anjelica:  Some pants?  Why?

Me:  Because (whispering now and pulling my leg slightly out)… mine are ripping everywhere.

Anjelica:  What?  What did you do?

Me:  I don’t know?  They’re just ripping everywhere! (at this point I began to picture myself as the Hulk, bulging out of my clothes from frustration and stress, although I wasn’t getting any more buff anywhere…)

Anjelica went upstairs, found me another pair of jeans and brought them down to me.  I could go change now!  Only 1) I would have to get up and walk across the main lobby holding the back side of my shirt down, and 2) once I had done so, all of the stalls in the men’s restroom were taken.  I didn’t want to have to ride the glass elevator all the way up to our room, but I couldn’t risk taking off my pants and putting the new pair of jeans on in the middle of the restroom where anyone could walk in on me changing.  I walked back and forth between the elevator and the restroom a couple of times before I decided I would just have to try and change in the open restroom area.

I stormed in determined!  Thankfully, someone had just exited one of the stalls.  He looked at me kind of weird when I walked in with a pair of extra jeans in my hands, but I just slammed the stall door behind me and changed.  I balled up my torn jeans, and returned to the work of registering people in attendance.  Oops, I think I might have left those blue jeans there under that table.  Thankfully none of the other volunteers ever said anything about them.

Other than that, LATISM12 went by pretty fast and it was a whole lot of fun getting to greet so many nice people I had met online.

I’m kind of glad that was my only emergency!