When I say I am tired, I mean I am tired. Lets recap because I think it's been an eventful last couple of weeks
[Insert law school organization here]
I have spent the last few weeks helping organize my organization's end of the year banquet. Long story short, there was a lot of miscommunication between the organizing committee, the venue, the school accounting office and me, the treasurer.
The venue, claiming they have done business with our school before, has always demanded, and according to them, has always received 100% payment up front. However, school wide policy allows for a deposit of 50% of total costs and final payment only after services have been rendered.
The organizing committee "secured" a venue, food and labor. Unfortunately for me, when I said the organizing committee had "secured" the venue, I mean the organizing committee DID NOT secure the venue. By the time I learned of this, our organization had already sent out invitations and had already placed a deposit with the venue.
I, the treasurer, had to mediate the demands of the organizing committee, the venue, and the school. However the venue was not very pleasant to deal with. The demanded 100% payment up front or else. Yes. Or else. My conversations with the venue manager was very unpleasant to say the least. Actually, to be more descriptive, he was a fat, shady old guy with a mustache who encouraged me to falsify documents with my school in order for him to get 100% payment up front.
Here a protip for everyone: Be very cautious of men with mustaches. They are very cunning. In all my business dealings with people, it's the guys with mustaches that are always out to screw you. I see a mustache as a manifestation of their personality to hide their true intentions.
Knowing that the venue was not being very understanding and the fact that our banquet was in 5 days, I immediately seeked out alternate venues to have our banquet. I found one and negotiated a price and payment plan that weekend for $4250.
With three days before the banquet, me, the president of my organization, and the director of our organizing committee met with the manager of the venue to come to some sort of an agreement. The manager quickly gave in and accepted my school's demands of 50% payment up front and 50% payment after services are rendered. Nice. Got one of my goals. However, at the same time I finally learned that the venue would be charging us $8500 for the banquet.
$8500??!?! Shit. We first decided we had to cut some things out of the contract to lower costs. That only brought us down to about $6500. We were still way over budget and way over what the alternate venue would have charged us. The manager of the venue said, "look, I can't move you to any other room because they are booked. Where ever you go at this point, you will have to come back. It [the $6500 price] is a very good deal." It was at this point that I realized that the manager of the venue was stuck with us as well. If we skipped out on him, he would lose out on the opportunity of making money off of our business. This was when I really went to work.
I told the manager of the venue that unlike what he believed was the case, there was an alternate venue that my organization can fall back on. Not only was this venue cheaper but it would provide a 10 course meal rather than 1. Parking is provided for and wine is included in this lower price point.
We negotiated back and forth until the manager finally gave in and offered to give us 1) the venue, 2) a dinner, and 3) a wait staff for $4500. It was a good deal in my opinion and I took the deal. It just took over three hours of sitting in a dank room negotiating with a fat old man to bring down the price from $8500 to $4500.
Looking back though, I probably could have gotten a slightly better offer. I had told the manager that the alternate venue gave us a $4250 offer. I should have just told the manager the alternate venue gave us a $4000 offer. This would have forced the manager to come even closer to the "offered" price. I also should have given the manager the option of meeting me half way between the $4000 price point and his offer of $4500. This would have saved my organization a little more money.
But overall, I think my organization got most of what it wanted. I would give myself a B+ for my negotiating that day. I got most of what I was seeking but 1) I could have gotten a slightly better price and 2) I need to learn how to better control my emotions. I can be a very angry person and it showed that day. I had my arms folded around in front of me and a scowl on my face that would make a baby bunny cry. However, can you really blame me? I blame it on sitting in the same dank room with a shady mustachioed fat guy for over three hours.
I'm tired. I don't know if I can recover in time. Trust, responsibility, all can be made very hollow.
I lost my flash drive. I lost it the Wednesday before spring break. It contained things I could care less losing but it also contained some very sensitive data. I have pictures...less than flattering pictures of myself working a charity event. Trust me when I say that the charity event was designed in a way to result in unflattering pictures. I also have unclassified versions of my open letter and other personal documents and effects. I'm angry at myself for losing my flash drive.
"America has lost its sense of values. Fifty years ago, during my parents time, people used to be proud to call themselves an American. People today seem to be more interested in themselves and their well-being than in the greater good, the rule of law, or any sense of morality. We've lost our way."
That was paraphrased from an old man I met early last week. But let me paint a picture for you and have you tell me if you think he was full of it or really a just and noble individual.
Wednesday:
I was browsing around the local school computer store, looking at the various computers they had on display. I noticed this old man talking to a sales associate about computers and which applications he could use to enhance his productivity. I noticed him because (1) the old man was somewhat loud; (2) he was definitely older than the average age of the school computer store's clientèle; and (3) he wore all white. Look, its strange for anyone to wear all white, makes you look like you just escaped from an asylum.
Well, because the store had no other sales associate, I waited for the old man to finish his discussion with the current sales associate. Old man talked about Steve Jobs and the stock backdating scandal, computers in general, yada yada yada, all the while I am patiently waiting for an opportunity to be assisted. Old man eventually noticed I was waiting by and brought me into his conversation too.
Finally, I had an opportunity to tell the sales associate that I had a problem with my computer. I explained my problem, detailed what I was doing when the problems occurred and detailed the steps I have taken to diagnose and rule out certain causes of my computer problem. I noted that I had a tight budget and did not want to spend a great deal of money.
The sales associate said to come back whenever I am free and they would spend a day looking over my computer. I thought about it and thanked the associate for his help and began to be off on my way. It was at this point that the old man stopped me and told me that if I was interested that he could supply me with an extra copy of a new operating system for my computer.
Me: Really? How much do you want for it?
Him: I said 'give' didn't I? ::winks:: I was a poor college student at one point too so I know how it is.
Me: Oh, well. Thanks. I really appreciate your generosity.
Him: Think nothing of it! Here's my card. Call me anytime and we can set up a date where I can give you a copy of the operating system.
Me: ::Reads card:: Thanks [insert name of old guy]. It was nice meeting you and I will definitely give you a call.
Friday:
Fast forward to Friday of that week. We meet in a restaurant and he pulls out a copy of the operating system. So far everything looks legit. He gives me the cd, but instead of letting me keep it, he asks that I burn a copy of the cd onto my hard drive and then later boot up the disk from my hard drive. Interesting. Not necessarily the "extra" copy that he had mentioned earlier.
However, I did burn the disk onto my hard drive. While the cd was being ripped, the old man ordered some food and we talked some more about politics, what he was doing later that day, my job interview earlier in the day and so forth.
I told him about California's recent tailpipe emissions initiative that was blocked by the EPA and how even attorneys at the EPA, in internal memos, concluded that the EPA would lose in any court battle with the State of California. The old man got on his soapbox and said "well, that's great and all but California cannot be trusted with that sort of power."
He talked about the tax that California imposed on purchases of out of state cars and how that was wrong. To treat an individual differently because he bought a virtually identical car out of state as opposed to in state was a pure and simple money grab in his view. That it was noble for two young attorneys to convince their partners to bring a class action lawsuit against California and win. And throughout all of this, he emphasized that the attorneys won $42 million dollars for this class action. I just smiled and let him do his talking.
He went on to talk about computer software and casually asked if I could buy him this piece of software with my student discount. The old man knew exactly how much the software was going to cost and gave me exactly that much in cash. Clearly this guy's "generosity" was premeditated. His plan all along was to allow me to burn a copy of his operating system and in exchange, I would use my student discount to get him software at a cheaper price. My suspicion that this old guy was not as ethical as what he tried to make himself out to be was reinforced when we went up to the counter of the restaurant and had the audacity to claim that his cup of soda had a small hole in it and so he wanted a quick refill. Bull. Shit.
This was written sometime last week. I didn't want to post an edited version of my email until my professor had seen it first. She was a visiting professor that taught me property my first year. And yes, she does remember me =P
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Hi professor,
