To my girls

To the ones that keep me sane (somewhat) at the 'Shoe...

The database girls...to Mirta and Alissa who deal with a constantly changing environment that is somehow, at the same time, routine and unchanging from day to day. Dealing with unhappy guests, unhappy hosts, unhappy employees who think many of their problems are our department's fault. Staring at tiny numbers on the screen day in and day out. Living with the reality that in this one department, if a tiny mistake is made, it can cost our company millions of dollars and can cost us our gaming licenses and careers. To Mirta and Alissa. And to Tanya, who above anyone that I work with, keeps me together. She deals with my mood swings and my constant over-organizing and under-organizing at the same time. She dealt with the loss of a manager in our department by taking on COUNTLESS additional responsibilities without complaint. She is often at work with me, side by side, into the late hours of the night...again, without complaint. To Tanya.

The graphics girls...to Sway and Lili who try their best to accommodate every single last minute request (usually with nowhere NEAR enough information). Who keep the front-of-house looking good and who keep our guests informed. Who deal with strict deadlines without a negative thought. Who are creative minds stuck in the world of making signs and informational cards. To Sway and Lili.

The retail girls...to Kathy and Stacy. Who have just gone through a very rough and emotional time, dealing with staffing adjustments, including the loss of some employees in their department. Who sat side by side with me, dishing out rough news, trying to console a room full of crying employees during an extremely hard conversation. Kathy, who keeps the department running smoothly and Stacy, who never fails to smile when times are tough. To Kathy and Stacy.

Having dinner and drinks at my house for these girls is by far the least I can do. Nothing would be the same without them. And we had a great time together and will never forget - Mirta's pole vault, Alissa's knowledge of the Edsel, Tanya's inability to figure out which side to pull the cards from, Kathy refusing to drink my long-expired coffee, Lili's insane closed-eyes drawings and Stacy's belief that people have six senses. Good times!

And to the employees we lost since the last get-together, I truly hope that things are going well for them and miss having them around the office. I wish each of them the best of luck and hope to see them soon and to hear the news of exciting things that are going on in their new careers and in their lives in general.