My Private Life With A Private Guide
By Kelli Wilson
(9/17/09)

When did a sick day become no fun? Alright, well, I guess being sick is never fun but “back in the day” sick days had so much for us to look forward to! Staying home, eating soup, getting waited on, watching daytime television and not worrying about what responsibilities you’re supposed to have. You realize how much you care about your job or your internship when you have to take a sick day (or five). Instead of feeling excited that you are able to stay home, you feel even sicker about what you are missing and how far behind the temper tantrum your immune system is throwing will get you.

You can probably guess what happened to me this week. Monday morning I woke up with that burning feeling in my throat and that stinging feeling in my head. That feeling where your mind is telling you it’s Monday and time to get up but your body is telling you to get back in bed. After talking to Daphne we decided I should take the week off to get better. Although I did not feel any better as the days went on, I decided to still go to school since teachers aren’t always as understanding as bosses. However, when I entered my second class, the professor took one look at me and, fearful of the breakout of swine-flu on the CU/Boulder campus, told me to go home.

What do you get done when you’re banished to your bedroom? Well, one thing that was nice, besides the extra hour of sleep, was that it gave me a chance to further my research on the upcoming and oh-so-exciting Biennial! When I first began working with Daphne I had no idea what the Biennial was. Now I hear about it everywhere we go, and we even met with the ovational Gareth Heyman from MorEvents to talk more about it (Thank goodness I had updated my knowledge of the event-- I was able to provide Daphne with information she couldn't remember when her brain went on vacation during the middle of the meeting!). Can you believe that our great city of Denver has been chosen for the 2010 Biennial of the Americas? For seven weeks our city will be hosting this fine event for people coming from all around the Western Hemisphere. Tourism in Denver might never be the same when all these new faces see what our city is made of! (If you can’t tell I am extremely proud to live in Denver!!)

Also, I was still able to attend a planning meeting with the President of A Private Guide Inc., Sid Wilson, on Wednesday. Although my head ached and my right eye had a strange gooey substance living in it for the better part of the morning, it was a very insightful experience for me to be able to sit in on a meeting with Sid. It made me feel like a part of the company and I was excited to be included in something like that.

It is weeks like this when I realize how lucky I am to be working with a company and group of people who actually know my name and don’t just know me as “the girl to give your coffee order to”. If they had not been so understanding I fear I would have been sitting in the office all week partially working but mostly moping in the corner. I did not get as much done this week as I would have liked to, and that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach is there to remind me, “Even though you’re sick Kelli, you missed out on a lot.” Thank you swine flu or headaches or common cold or whatever you are. I have now had two trips to the doctor and am looking forward to getting my life back together and on track next week!

Kelli Wilson, Intern
A Private Guide, Inc.