May 23, 2007

Notebook




I hereby call to order this extremely tardy blog update. The first order of business is an apology for no updates in 8 days. The second order of business is for me to say, HOLY COW, I just watched the LOST finale and IT WAS TOTALLY INSANE.

This entry is called "Notebook" because it will be a random collection of notes and anecdotes Bob Talbert-style (remember him, all you Michigan readers?) from the past week or so that may or may not be coherent but which are hopefully semi-interesting. You can find picture descriptions in italics.

Indians: Let's go back to the Fond-du-Lac reservation in Cloquet. They had a casino on the reservation, and we learned that on the 15th of every month, every single member of the tribe gets $400 automatically loaded on a Visa card. The money they receive comes directly from casino profits. AND- children don't receive the money, until they turn 18. At that point they are given a lump sum of $40,000. Forty thousand dollars! Insane. Unfortunately there is no financial counseling or advising options, and much gets spent on drugs or alcohol. Seriously, what would you do if someone handed you a free $40,000 when you were 18 and still in high school?

I've included a pic of our team with two ladies from the reservation plus Amos, our truck driver. Some day you will hear much more about Amos.

Jersey: After Minnesota we spent two days driving to New Jersey. Now, I know Bon Jovi is from there and all, but New Jersey is HORRIBLE. Specifically the roads and drivers are the absolute worst I have ever experienced. And rude and loud and obnoxious. Ugh Ugh Ugh. I will die happy if I never have to go back to New Jersey.

About the driving. Our hotel was located across a highway from a mall, where I decided to go on a day off. According to the front desk however, there was no way to get there on foot, only by driving. In the course of trying to cross the street, I ended up getting on the Garden State Parkway; then some other highway; then some OTHER highway. Finally I managed to exit and was about to turn onto a side street to collect my bearings when I got rear ended! Good lord. It was this guy in a Honda, about my age, which just hadn't been paying attention. His car was messed up but the van had not a scratch, thank heaven. Otherwise it would have meant hours spent on the phone, making a police report, accident reports for the company, paperwork, etc etc. Since the van wasn't hurt I elected not to tell.....anyone. Ha! So, one of the pics o'the week is my reflection in the bumper while taking precautionary pictures of the "damage" while Eddie, the guy who hit me, stands in the background.

New York City: We stayed at a hotel just ten miles outside NYC and had some time off so I went in for an afternoon to be a tourist. It was my second time there and I can still honestly say I prefer Chicago any day. Give me clean streets! Give me space to actually walk on the sidewalk! Give me Michigan Avenue! Give me above-ground public transportation!

LPGA Pros: On Monday we brought Big Pink to a country club in north Jersey to exhibit at the LIFE event, an annual golf tournament benefitting the Val Skinner Foundation, which is actually the founding sponsor of Komen on the Go. At the tourney we had dozens of LPGA pro players in the trailer checking out our resources. They were all very nice. I think there is a high percentage that are lesbians. Because of the way our trailer gets set up, with a "faux hedge" around the bottom, it literally looked like it was rising up out of the golf course.

Team: Our work ensemble of six has simultaneously begun to bond and fracture more. Fracture in the sense that the four of us who don't work on this project year-round have discovered we're all basically on the same page with the "Nick and Kim are getting really obnoxious with their overzealous optimism" train of thought. So a bit of an Us vs Them is beginning to form. The most annoying thing for me is the way they will make statements about how "We can do better!" or "We've got to really step it up today!", but they cannot give us any specific things to improve or change. I cannot even express how frustrating this is. They get all broad and philosophical about "stepping up our game" but when asked are completely unable to provide specifics. Ugh Ugh. I miss my REAL boss!

However, we have begun to bond more in the sense that we're getting to know each other better and have been hanging out and telling stories that are non-work-related. Yesterday we found out that Rasheedah, who it turns out is 30, has been estranged from her mother (a paranoid schizophrenic) for five years. They have had no contact and have no idea where each other is or what each other is doing. And her father has never been in her life, so she's sort of orphaned in a way. Also, Kim told us that her she lost her younger brother to suicide two years ago. He was 18.

90210: I picked up season two of Beverly Hills, 90210. It is pretty bad. How did I never realize how horrible the acting is?! And yet it's still so fun to watch...I just yell at the screen a lot more now than I did when I watched in middle school and was so caught up in the "drama" of it all...

Podcast: I talked with some company people and have received the ok to record interviews with women (and men) who come through Big Pink so that I can put together some experimental podcasts. As of now it's just something that would be shared within Event 360, but they are interested in potentially pitching the idea to Komen as a regular thing for the fall leg of this tour. I think there is a real possibilty of really making a name for myself with this podcasting project. I'll keep ya'll updated.

On the Horizon: Tomorrow we are exhibiting at an Apple Discount Drugstore in Salisbury, Maryland. I am fully prepared for it to be a lame day. Then we drive to Norfolk, Virginia where we'll be settling in for four days to exhibit at the Af'ram Fest (read: african american) over Memorial Day weekend. It will be interesting to be in the racial minority of such a large group (100,000 visitors to the festival expected over three days).

More updates soon, for real! Night ;)

1 comment:

Monsterbeard said...

I can't even conceptualize the idea of being handed $40 thousand at 18. That seems like a disaster no matter the counseling. Ick.

Did the Apple store have iPods? Or the new iPhone? Did you pick one up?