Shock The Monkey

Shock The Monkey                                       4147  (106)

Thursday, April 6, 2006-1:05 A.M.

When I carry around baggage, I really carry it around...I have moments of embarassment dating back to third grade that I remember vividly and play in my head like noxious little music videos without the music when I'm laying in bed and the room is dark but my eyes are wide enough to count the veins in my eyelids.

One of my more recent embarassments was a corporate Christmas party that I did for a group of engineers.  It didn't go as well as planned, and I severely underestimated their playfulness, and was rewarded with a group of staring, condemning faces.  I was pretty sure I'd never take another corporate gig again.

Then I got a call from the Transportation Council of the Rochester Business Alliance to be the keynote speaker for their 82nd annual dinner.  My father was a shipping supervisor for almost 40 years, so these were my people.  I accepted the gig, and peformed tonight at the Downtown Hyatt Hotel here in my hometown of Rochester.  The gig went swimmingly, and I had a great time.  The major difference was that I worked up a set list before I went up, so I didn't have to edit and scramble in my head if a bit fell short.  I had confidence, I was organized, and I got the presentation to end by 9:00 P.M...the organizer's plan.  The monkey is officially off my back.

The nice thing about the show was that there were many folks in attendance who knew my father and worked with him and remembered him well, and that was a nice ice breaker for me.  I actually got set up, and the President of the Transportation Council apologized...just before my keynote address, they gave a posthumous award to a man who had died of cancer, along with a presentation of a plaque to his widow, a tear-jerker of a testimonial, and a standing ovation.  And now, your funny guy!  I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but I think I got through it well.  I acknowledged the situation, and made the transition to the ha-ha's, mentioning my father and then dovetailing that into some jokes and stories.

I have a day off, and then it's off to Utica, NY, where I've already had a day shaved off of the week (and the money that went along with it), but the corporate show is providing the bank for this week, and Utica is just sprinkles on the ice cream.

It's an early day tomorrow, Harmony has an appointment, so it's off to bed.  Here's hoping that you give your monkey the slip as easily as I did mine.

Ralph Tetta

Rochester, NY