Saturday, March 31, 2007

Dorks-R-Us

I worked another bowling event today - this time in Saint George. After arriving at the bowling alley, Merridith and I realized that the single mini-styrofoam cup of coffee we'd each had back at the hotel wasn't doing the trick. Luckily we'd noticed a place called Perks right across the street. By "street" I mean "huge, heavily-trafficked, six-lane boulevard." We decided to trek over there. As we were crossing in front of all this traffic stopped at a red light just for us, we were making fun of our selves for wearing name tags and matching blue shirts. We got to Perks and started walking around the perimeter of the building, only to realize that we couldn't go in...this was a drive-up-only kind of establishment. Huh. There was a car at the window, which we stood behind. Another car pulled into the nearby driveway, and Merridith started begging under her breath, "please don't be coming for coffee...please don't be coming for coffee..." They were coming for coffee. Now we're wearing name tags and matching blue shirts, AND waiting in line, on foot, between two cars at a drive-up only coffee establishment. It was feeling very Napoleon Dynamite somehow. At this point one of the employees inside noticed us and came out. I pleadingly asked, "Are we allowed to get coffee from you even though we don't have a car?" He laughed at us and invited us up onto the sidewalk near the employee entrance to wait. When he came back out with our coffee, Merridith invited him to consider becoming a Big Brother. As if he'd be willing to take any advice from us, the two coolest people in Saint George.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

National Public Radio Member Here!

I am such a grown up.

This week is the KUER Fund Drive. They keep mentioning the $10,000 challenge grant American Express is offering if KUER can register 1,000 new members. And it just so happens that I heart Diane Rehm and Neal Conan and Terry Gross. So I pledged and became a new member. I'm going to get a Rand McNally World Map and a subscription to Newsweek! I tried to listen for my name on the radio, but I had to go pick up the rental car for my business trip to Saint George.

Huh. Business trip. I'm such a grown up.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

I Rule and Here's Why:

  • My co-workers kept telling me over and over yesterday that this was the best, most organized, most fun Bowl for Kids' Sake they'd ever been to
  • Savannah and Patrick, who volunteered at Bowler Check In (thanks so much, both of you!!), said they had fun, and Savannah kept telling me about the rave reviews she was hearing about me from my co-workers
  • Our Finance Director was really excited about the fact that even though we were a little bit shy of our goal for day-of, we still brought in three times what last year's day-of brought in
  • The crew at the bowling alley's concession stand told me that they heard so many bowlers who were coming up for their pizza talking about how they were totally having the best time
  • A cameraman from Fox13 showed up and one of our teams from Basic Research, dressed as bunnies, got to say, "We're the Basic Research Bunnies and we're bowling for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah...and ITS RUNGE TIME!" (it should be on tonight - watch for it)
  • Deb and Jason, who volunteered to take pictures from 10:00-6:00 (you two are the best!!), said they had a great time, the whole time
  • Our CEO hugged me...twice, and told me I was doing a great job several times
  • I managed to fill my last three emcee spots at the last minute and didn't have to talk into a microphone once
  • Everyone at Bowl for Kids' Sake seemed to love it, including me - I felt dorkily proud of myself all day yesterday, and still do. Yay me!

There's still St. George and Ogden, but I should be able to go to those and be bossed around, instead of doing the bossing. Ahh...the relief. Its over. For the most part.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Celltastrophe

I was just in the restroom washing my hands when I heard a crash and a woman in one of the stalls started screaming. She came out with a lithium battery in her hand, noticed me frozen in fear, and said, "Oh my god. There is someone in here. I just dropped my phone in the toilet. Good thing I flushed first."

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Oh My God! Are You Serious?

I just watched Jesus Camp. I just spent an hour and a half alternating between saying "Oh my god!" and "Are you serious?" I don't want to give anything away. I just want you to watch this movie. And vote.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

One Down, Three To Go

I did it. I successfully managed my first Bowl for Kids' Sake. It was small. One session. 41 bowlers. But it went smoothly. My favorite part was over-hearing one of my male co-workers asking one of our male Littles, a teenager who's getting ready to start high school next year, "How's the ladies?" and the Little responding, "Fly."

Ha. Boys.

Next weekend will be the big one. Five sessions. Up to 120 bowlers each session. Ten hours of bowling. Yikers.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Snooze Control

I need help! I have the worst snoozing problem. It used to be really bad. It got better. For a while I even got up on the first buzz, buzz, buzz. I attributed my improvement to being 30. Grown-ups get up on time. But now I'm 30 and five months (today, actually) and its horrible again!

My set-up is this: there is an alarm clock next to my bed that goes off five minutes before the real alarm clock - my preliminary wake-up call. The real alarm clock is across my bedroom inside my closet, so I have to get out of my covers and walk across the room to turn it off. Isn't that supposed to do the trick? Aren't I supposed to be up after that? No. Take today, for example. The preliminary alarm goes off. "Oh, god," I think to myself. Five minutes later, the other alarm goes off. I remember that we just had daylight savings, and justify snoozing because my body thinks its actually 5:30 a.m. I can't get myself into the shower, but I can have an entire internal conversation about daylight savings time and allow myself to snooze for 9 minutes...or 18...or 27...or 36...

How can I stop this from happening? This is not a rhetorical question. I really want your suggestions.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Twenty Again

Brittany and I went to another reggae show on Friday night. Eek A Mouse.

We got to Suede while the opening band, the B Foundation, was playing. I was quite surprised to hear this punk-y, Sublime-ish band opening at a reggae show. And since I was expecting the same old hippie crowd we see at every show, I found it very refreshing that the only people I recognized were Brittany and Charlie the bartender (who, p.s., was wearing a Dixie Chicks shirt that had me laughing my ass off). I commented to Brittany that I felt like we just stepped outside of Salt Lake City, and I liked it. The dread-locked guy in the weird hat covered in mirrors and feathers even made me feel a little like I was on the Jam Cruise, and I liked that even more. Then a guy in a Pennywise t-shirt walked past me as the B Foundation started covering a NOFX song. I flashed back to college. I honestly felt 20 again. It was fantastic. Oi! Oi! Oi!

Oh, yeah. And Eek A Mouse was awesome, too.

Friday, March 9, 2007

The Lone Demonstrator

I was just on my way into work and as I was vearing southbound onto 900 East from Van Winkle, I noticed a man standing on the island next to the traffic light. His back was to me. He was holding a sign. Then he started pumping his fist in the air. I thought to myslef, That's a little aggressive for a man who wants my spare change. But as he turned around, still pumping his fist, I caught a glimpse of his sign: "Impeach Bush!" I wish I was driving slow enough to read his reasoning for impeaching Bush at the bottom of his sign.

Really, though. How many Utahns is this one guy on Van Winkle and Ninth going to convince to impeach Bush? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a demonstration more impactful if the demonstrator is in a group of other passionate demonstrators? I feel like some group ought to rally and demonstrate a demonstration for the lone demonstrator.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

My T.V. is Dead to Me

NO! No. I don't mean that. I love my t.v. It keeps me company.

I'm just bitter because those jerkfaces at the cable company got smart to the fact that I had the Style Network for free. And they took it away. Now I can never again watch Finola Hughes as she answers the question, "How Do I Look?"

That is not Comcastic.