Going, going, already gone.

This is the week.
Everything is up in the air...new job week.

I go to my new office tomorrow morning to get my keys (yeah!) so that I can start moving my stuff in. I have orientation meetings starting this week. I actually attended a committee meeting last week that confirmed for me that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

First, we met at a winebar. You pick your bottle of wine off the fully-stocked shelves and they'll open it and pour it for you. They serve lovely plates of bread, cheese, fruit and nuts to snack on while you drink your wine. The space is populated with granite bistro tables, leather couches, and is home to a wide array of local art that is for sale. It has a very trendy, upbeat feeling to it. It is hard to feel like you are working when you meet at a winebar.

The three other women that joined me were awesome. The first was the lawyer that I'll office with (who I want to be like when I grow up). The second and third were women in their 30's who work as organizers for the teacher's union. One of which had sat in my endorsement meetings when I ran for school board in '01. (The union did a hands-down endoresment.)

Since '01 I have lost a lot of weight--grown my hair out--and dyed it blonde. She had no idea who I was. She started asking me all kinds of questions about my background (I knew exactly who she was!). And when I said, "And then I ran for school board in 2001," she did a major double take and started screaming, "Oh, My GOD! YOU! No way, you're Kristen....I can't beleive it. You were so amazing. You got this job??? That is so cool." We caught up a bit. Laughed. Talked organizer trash-talk (there is a lovely vanacular that organizers prefer). It was awesome. We talked about building our political empire.

We also started planning events for the spring and summer. There will be a "coming out" party of sorts for me on April 24th to introduce the world to the new Executive Director...there will be (hopefully) a slew of legislators present. I'll wear a nice suit with a skirt and high heels. And probably sip nice wine and eat fancy snacks. And get paid to do this...it is so up my alley.

I said that I had a plan to grow the donor base to 1000 supporters one year from now. They said if I could do that it would be amazing. Enough said. Competitive Kristen is ready to go.
I am creating donor files and record sheets. I've been searching the online files of major donors to political campaigns from the past 4 years. I have an idea for an allied men's membership piece.

I'm psyched. I want to start my new job. I am mentally ready to be done being a gamaliel*organizer. I want to be a political fundraiser. And I will be. In a matter of hours.

In the meantime I have a meeting every night this week and a dinner (work) engagement on Friday night and my last fundraiser on Saturday morning. I'm trying to keep my head in the game. But it is so gone.