Interpersonal skills or the lack thereof

It was really cool to see so many people turn out for the hurricane relief lunch yesterday at Tijauna Bar and Grill. It felt great to at least be part of something rather than sit by and wait for someone else to act. Kidd said this morning there was a total of over $275,000 raised yesterday from the on-air donations in all of his markets and the benefit lunch in Dallas. Absolutely amazing. JJ Kincaid will be out at Stonebriar Centre in Frisco today from 2-6pm with another chance to help the Red Cross. So far I think the overall reaction to the tragedy proves that the meaning is not in the act that caused the devastation, but in the benevolence that follows.

I realized something about myself while I was talking to groups of people at lunch yesterday. My social skills are terrible in small groups. At one point I was standing there with Kidd, Al, Nick from the Kiss promotions team, Kellie's best friend Amy, and our boss Patrick, and I could not think of one thing to say that would have been the least bit interesting or would have made any sense at all. My mind was a complete blank. We were all sort of standing there casually with a few other people scattered about so it wasn't like we were all standing there in a perfect circle waiting for someone to speak, but I just felt like a complete loser. Boring and void of personality. It's one thing to talk to Kidd on the air every day, but I'm not in the same building with the rest of the show and I can't see them while they're talking to me, so most of the time they're just voices in my head and I have no problem answering those. Standing next to them in person is another thing entirely. I become verklempt. And it's not just them. Anytime I'm standing in a group of four or more in a casual conversation I'm the quiet one. I don't like that about myself and I'm trying to get better about it. But yesterday I got in the car after lunch and gave myself the "I'm good enough, smart enough, and doggone it people like me" speech and I was better. Then I got home and got some pup love from Sophie, Pierre, and Marlee Bean and I was cured of all self doubt. I can always think of interesting conversations to start with them.

I'll have another chance to test my small group skills tonight. Angela and I are going to our first Chick Happy Hour. I can't tell you how many people have told us how cool it is and that we must check it out, so we're finally going tonight. It's at Round Up and that's one of our usual hangouts so maybe I'll be so comfortable with the surroundings I won't feel the conversation pressure. Maybe a Seven and Seven will warm me up. Then you won't be able to shut me up.