Helping out

Some of the days I'm on reserve I've been helping out in the office of my brother-in-law, Pat. I have basically been making tons and tons of phone calls or answering calls. They have been doing dinner/seminars in different locations about mutual real estate investments specifically student housing and assisted living facilities. On June 22nd they had seminars going in both San Jose and Salt Lake City. I learned that they were really short handed in San Jose. Brian's wife Stacy was going to be checking in around 100 people by herself. Stacy is terribly shy and would feel totally out of her element. I decided to try and help. I was on reserve so I was stuck in LA until 5. I was going to be on reserve the next day at 5am. That meant if they wanted my help I would have to take a 4:45pm flight to San Jose (hoping that work wouldn't call me the last 15 minutes of my reserve block.) Then I would have to catch a flight back the same night at 9:35pm.

The seminar started at 6:30pm. People would be arriving at 6:15 to get checked in. I spent the day at the office. Then I left in time to catch the flight departing LAX. I didn't get off the airplane in San Jose until around 5:55pm. At that point I was feeling like my decision to go was a bad idea because if I wasn't at the hotel by 6:15 to help check people in then I wasn't really needed. I started running from the gate all the way to the street to catch a taxi cab. I jumped in the back seat and exasperatedly exclaimed "I need you to get me to the Hotel Valencia ASAP!" It was like something out of a movie. The driver was swerving in and out of traffic. I was afraid for my life on a few occasions. I pulled into the hotel at 6:10, paid the cabbie, and ran up to the seminar. As I turned the corner to go to the ballroom I saw that Brandon Pierce was at the table alone. No sign of Stacy. Brandon looked so glad to see me. He explained that Stacy had taken the kids to the baby sitter and got stuck in traffic. He had been checking people in alone. I made it there in time to help with the rush of people. Stacy didn't show up until almost everyone was checked in. I guess it was worthwhile for me to go after all. I was dropped at the airport and didn't make in back to Dennis's house until midnight. What a crazy day!

If there is one thing I can't stand it is condescending people. There was one lady that I had left a message for leaving our phone number 2 times. She called back the next day and complained to Brandon Pierce that I had spoken way to fast. She was upset because she had to listen to the message 3 times. At the seminar that lady (we'll call her Carol) asked which of us was Alysha. I told her it was me. She proceeded to go off about how my message was way to fast. I apologized and told her that I had received that message and really appreciated the feed back. I mentioned that every phone call I made afterward I had really consciencely slowed down. I was really nice. She would not let it go. I told her that I am a high energy person but that she was right and that I was working on it. She would not let it go! Her friend finally stepped in and told me not to change a thing. She said that they were both like that when they were young but that age has a way of slowing you down. Then Carol asked how long White Pacific Securities had been around. I wasn't sure if she meant Pat and Brian's 1031 exchange department or the whole thing. I had a rough estimate for both but wasn't certain. I said I wasn't sure and turned to ask Stacy if she knew. She wasn't sure. The lady was so rude. As they turned the corner I could hear Carol telling her friend "They don't even know how long the business has been in operation." Her friend came back around the corner and really snidely said "2004!"

It is really frustrating having to deal with people like that. They think that because they have money they are better than everyone else. I wanted to tell her "Look lady I'm just helping out here tonight doing a favor. This is not my full time job. And to be honest you have been pretty condescending and disrespectful." Unfortunately I couldn't get a word in edge wise.