Day 17: Tuesday, January 15
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

Flu or Not the Flu? That is the Question.

Last Saturday we had our annual Board Retreat, and two of the Board members missed due to the flu.  It seems to be going around more this year, at least among people I know.  And it is particularly long lasting.

So this morning when I got up and didn't feel well, I immediately thought "Oh NO, I CAN'T get the flu, I just don't have time for that."  You know what I mean, I'm sure you've been there.  Things upon things stacked up waiting to be done, and you don't feel so great.

I stayed at home and kept company with my computer.  Not the best friend to have around, but he doesn't talk back and only occasionally forgets his manners and hiccups. Oh, plus the sidekick of the mobile phone.  The three of us spent a nice day at home -- WORKING!

I'm not really complaining.  If you are over 50, you will probably remember the days when there wasn't much you could do from your home, so if you felt sick but needed to get something done at work, you had to drag yourself in to the office. Now -- FREEDOM!!!  Sitting at home working today wasn't as great as if I had just gone back to bed, but it's better than dragging into the office feeling half dead (and maybe passing some illness onto the other KHC staff).

So some Kentucky Round-Up stuff got done today... finalized the ticket design.  Tweaked the billboard design. Got list of benefits lined up for Tarter.  Reminded speakers of their times.  Reserved room for tomorrow's meeting and sent a notice.   Signed a contract with the Clarion (our "official" hotel) .. and a bunch of other stuff too detailed to list.

The good news is - it's not the flu. So I'll be back to full speed tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Kelsea our newest employee is not feeling good... so maybe THAT'S the flu?

Argh!  It finds you wherever you are.

Wishing you health until at least tomorrow...

Day 18: Monday, January 14
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

Ground Zero:  My Desk

Today we got confirmation of another sponsor: Tarter Gates.  Actually to be honest, the deal is not quite sealed, since we still need to negotiate some benefits.  But I'm optimistic that we can reach an agreement.  Tarter is a good company -- I wrote about them before in this blog... Kentucky Proud!

I opened the newspaper this morning and saw our article about Kentucky Round-Up on the front page of Business Monday in the Lexington Herald-Leader.  Janet Patton wrote it, and she has been good about keeping the ball rolling to get it published. There is nothing that makes a cup of coffee taste better than when you are reading the paper with coffee in hand, and see your event highlighted. Thank you Janet!

Our billboard design for Northern KY (I-471) is almost complete.  Juggling around John Michael Montgomery's head with a our horse cartoon-- and some words... how much can a person take in while driving down the interstate?   Very little, it seems - but just enough, I hope.

We are mailing free tickets to elementary schools, but that has turned out to be more difficult than we thought.  Some need to see everything and fill out a form to get approval.  But others just say 'SURE, send the tickets!'. And no one -- well just one -- answered any emails about it.  So Kelsea is on the phone for hours tracking down the right person.

Tomorrow we start mailing out posters to members.  If you want a poster, just email me and I'll put one (or two, or three) in the mail to you. We want them plastered everywhere...!

And --- MY DESK IS A MESS!  Over Christmas holidays I came in while the office was closed to clean my desk and start sorting through files that have been building up for 6 years at the KHC office.  I got about halfway through the file drawers, but did manage to put my desk in excellent neat condition.  Now I am back to Ground Zero (am I allowed to use that term or is it reserved for the New York Memorial to 9/11 victims?).  Well, where ever I and my desk are, it is not a pretty sight.

See you tomorrow.

Day 19: Sunday, January 13
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up:

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

Sundays and the American work ethic

There's nothing better than a new horse.  Today a good friend took me to visit with her new mare, a blue roan walking horse.  It's almost as exciting as having a new baby.. for some anyway. Or I suppose a new car.  You look over every inch of their body, clean them up better than they've been cleaned for years, watch for personality traits and behavior oddities...and dream of taking them out "on the road" this spring.

But back this blog's topic, Kentucky Round-Up.  Because it was such a rainy Sunday, I was able to get a lot done.  Composed a long email to go out to members. (Telling them about it but asking for help), added three pages to the website, corrected others, wrote an article for newspapers, updated the project management software we are using.  Slowly but surely tasks get ticked off on the list.

Which brings me to the point of working on Sunday.  I am not very religious, but most of the time I try to keep Sunday as either a day of REST or a day of PLAY.  Most Americans work too hard.  It is our possessions that keep us working (the economic motivation) plus somehow our culture rewards "accomplishments" even when it is not attached to money. (the "values" motivation).  Most of us pretty much acquiesce to that culture. Capitalism could not survive without the accomplishment motivation.

Nevertheless,  Sunday is usually pretty sacred in terms of "no work" for me.

But there are exceptions, and Kentucky Round-Up is one of them.  It's big, it's new and it's complicated.  You have to be flexible.

I will warn you, though --- if you try to find me the week after Kentucky Round-Up, you will have to look somewhere warm and sunny.  AHHHH...

See you tomorrow.

Day 20: Saturday, January 12
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up:

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

I've Been Fired From NASA

Who knows about countdowns better than NASA?  According to my in-depth research on NASA countdowns, it is heavily recommended that you say all the numbers.

Let's say you work for NASA, it's time to get ready to launch the shuttle going to the moon, and you start the countdown:

"25, 24, 23, 22.....uh... 20, 19...

They get real agitated if you miss a number.  For some reason.  

This countdown to Kentucky Round-Up, while not quite as scientifically significant to the future of mankind, nevertheless should have all its numbers.

My Bad!  I missed 21.  That was yesterday.  Friday, January 11, Day #21.

I have a real good darn reason for not writing the blog last night, but who wants to listen to that?  So I'll just get down to business.

So YESTERDAY we decided to move ahead on the large billboard in Northern Kentucky. One problem the Kentucky Horse Council often has is we forget about the huge interested audience/horse lovers in Northern Kentucky AND the Cincinnati area.

The billboard is one of those new digital types and sits right on 471.  Lots of traffic, lots of eyeballs.  The Kentucky Round-Up horse logo will be gazing down at those speeding cars, right next to a huge photo of John Michael Montgomery.  Drivers will look up and think 'Hmmm.... what's that all about?"

It feels like we are in the big time now!  Only time will tell.

See you tomorrow.

Day 22: Thursday, January 10
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up:

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

Working for No Pay

The theme of the day... working for no pay. That is the classical definition of a volunteer.  Why do we do it?  (I'm certainly not a volunteer for the Horse Council, but have volunteered for all kinds of other groups...4-H, church, Habitat for Humanity...)

Why do we do it?

Because there are just certain people who are not happy unless they are so busy that they don't have time to think.  That's my theory.

There is a thrill to be running 100 miles an hour.  Adrenaline rushes can be habit-forming. Breathlessness brings extra oxygen to your brain... a natural high. Then there is the undeniable fact that if what you are working on something halfway fun, you have a REAL excuse for not doing housework or laundry, neither of which can be described as halfway fun.

Somehow when the Kentucky Round-Up project came up, a wild group of these somewhat crazy volunteers showed up (last spring) and have been working all year -- yes for no pay.  Most already have full time jobs or own small companies -- no, not bored housewives or retired folks looking for something to do.  Most have their hands already full with jobs, families, animals, other interests... but that's not enough!  They jump in with both feet to the Kentucky Round-Up Merry Go Round.

I must admit I have grown fond of them.  But I am hoping that we make some money on this event so we can get these people some mental health counseling. They exude friendliness even when things are going badly; they shrug their shoulders when there appears to be no solution and just comment, "Oh, we'll figure it out." (and they DO); they go out for dinner after a long meeting and eat cheap Chinese food just to spend another few hours together.  Now if that doesn't mean mental illness, what does?

So now we are looking for even more volunteer wacko's  (Oh did I say that?  I mean wonderful selfless individuals) to help set up, work during the day and tear down the various exhibits, concert paraphernalia, corral panels and such.

How many hard workers are there in Kentucky?  There seems to be no end to them. And thank the Lord for that! None of us would survive without them.

Until tomorrow...

Day 23: Wednesday, January 9
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up:

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

More Sponsors and Vendors Jump On Board

It's all good news today. Three new sponsors today totaling $2,250.
We are still "in the hole" on this event, but some of those expenditures we will not have to make again, at least not for a while.  Such as...
--- Re-usable banners and signs.
--- Design Services (We'll freshen up designs for 2014, but won't start from scratch)
--- Generous orders of Kentucky Round-Up shirts for sale (and for volunteers)
--- Website development and web address purchase

OK, so they aren't the lion's share of the expenses, I admit.
But we are being super generous with free tickets, and priced the booth rentals way below market value... to get this thing started.
I think we will have a huge turnout, and it's gonna be one hellava day!

We'll get in contact with new people who want to get into horses and don't know where to start, and we'll lead them along the path all year long.

We'll get horsemen in who will realize that, YES, we DO need a full blown horse fair in Kentucky.

We'll have sponsors visit and say "Hmm, this is a good deal!"

We'll have other businesses who DIDN'T sponsor say "Hmm, I gotta get in on this deal next year."

We'll have committee volunteers who will say "OK it just about drove me nuts, but it was worth it."

And for me... My adrenaline will keep me going all day, into the night, and then I'll crash but I'll still say "What a good feeling to pull this huge event off in such a short time.  And what good friends I made in the process."

See you all tomorrow.  Signing off while in a really good mood!

Day 24: Tuesday, January 8
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up:

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

NO ANALYSIS, JUST FACTS.

Did you ever have one of those days which seem to be over before it started? WHOOOOOSHHHH.... Day Gone.

This was one of those days. I'd better not have many more of these days or I'll be 90 before I look over my shoulder.   Here's how it went.

8:00 Answering emails sitting at kitchen counter.  

[OK I admit -- still in my pajamas.   It's the best way to read emails.  Unless you own a sailboat with wireless.]

9:00 On the road to the Kentucky Horse Park, (I-75),  and on the phone discussing the KY Equine Survey with Dr. Stowe, the UK faculty member who is heading up the analysis.

[Don't tell anyone I use my cell phone while driving.]

9:30 Meet Chad (our KHC V.P.) at Alltech Arena to evaluate the classroom locations. 

[No perfect place for a classroom in that Arena -- too much light, noise.. but we'll make it work]

10:00 Meet with Chad and a Concert Production Rep at Alltech Arena to discuss stage, lighting, sound setup for the KY Round-Up Concert.

[His first question:  What's the height of the drive-in door to come into the arena?  Answer: 13 ft. 2 in.  Response:  High enough.  12'6" would have been close.  Second question:  What's under the footing in the arena, will the truck sink in?  Answer:  Under the footing is a solid surface; they've had tractor pulls in there...]

11:00 Drop in at KHC office, pick up educational posters for concourse at Alltech

11:30 Working lunch with the volunteer who's  coordinating concourse activities at KY Round-Up.  Decisions on signage, Children's Museum, volunteer shirts, floor plan layout, more...

[It's amazing how much you can get done when there are just two people, and food.]

1:30 Back to Office, work with Kelsea on setting up Used Tack Sale at the Round-Up.

[NOTE: If you or your club wants to have a used tack table, it's $25 for the space, you set up as you wish and handle your own money.  Also a wall to post things for sale, $1 per flyer.  Contact Kelsea at krookard@kentuckyhorse.org.]

2:30 Hit the road to meet with UK and Alltech about coordinating the KENA group and the Alltech News and Brews. [The one non-Round-Up task I did today]

3:30 Dropped in at the Lexington Public Library to put up a poster, and sign out kids horse books for the Reading Corner at the Round-Up

[I really wanted Misty of Chincoteague in a picture book format, but they didn't have it.  I did get Black Beauty and a number of other cute stories.]

4:15  Ran into two Kroger stores to put up posters

[Fastest trip to a grocery store I ever had.]

5:00  Home and out to feed horses and chickens.  

See you tomorrow.