Got in the car and drove to Jersey City. Met with the new President of Saint Peter’s University. Wanted help with a speech. Big doings. Major fundraising event that night, and it was raining cats and some dogs too.
Arrived. Showed me around. He thought an hour or so would work. Not so much.
Speech not bad, just pedestrian. No time to rehearse. Off to the venue.
Danger. First appearance as President. All those wealthy Alums talking about the good old days. I worry the horderves will be more interesting than the speech. It was one of those events where you can’t even hear yourself pick your teeth.
The President is pressing wealthy flesh. I render my coat to the check out girl. Climb the steps to the balcony. I have a bird’s eye view of the lectern. Fingers crossed.
Opening amenities are opening inanities. Slow start. Long oleaginous praise for Alums.
Uh oh. President in trouble at the lectern. Can’t read speech. Looks around for a life raft. Stumbles and bumbles. Finds a way to cut it short.
What happened? Apparently a colleague suggested securing the pages of the speech with plastic sleeves because it was raining. You know, the kind of plastic sleeves high school kids use for their binders. The glare from the plastic sleeves blinded the President.
Lesson: You gotta watch out for what ya ain’t watchin’ out for.