Yikes! Advertising Event Leads to My Red Cheeks.

Most wouldn't know it, but I am pretty involved in a couple professional clubs in Tulsa, one being the American Marketing Association. This year, I had agreed to be the VP of Collegiate Relations, a fancy title for someone who makes sure area students are aware of our events and scholarships - a very low task oriented role (aka: looks good, but is really a fluffy title). However, the VP of Programming had to resign. This person is very important to AMA because he or she must plan all the events, line up speakers, do all the programming. Well guess who was asked to step up and who said yes. Me. So now I'm even more busy and important than I used to be, but I don't need to state the obvious. Last night was our summer event. We rented out the Circle Cinema and watched the winners of the Clio Awards. (The Clios are like the Oscars of advertising.) For the first hour there was food and drinks and chatting and eating and drinking. Things were going very well. About 60 people were there. The food was fabulous, the decorations were awesome, and I was mentally patting myself on the back and telling myself how awesome I am for a job well done. Then we go to watch the commercials. Most of them were innovative, creative, funny, artistic, and/or brilliant. The cool thing about the Clios is that commercials are entered from all around the world, so there is an international flare. Also, advertising from other countries is usually more racy and less censored than here in the USA.

So, here are two short commercials from Bangkok. I find them quite clever.





A few more that were good (well actually, they were all good and if you have the time, you should go to http://www.clioawards.com and look up the winners list and then try to find the videos online):







So, we're watching all these commercials and this one comes on. (Warning: be prepared for some cartoon porn.) This commercial won in the category of public awareness. Before the commercial, we are given the information that it is a service announcement for AIDS and the title is "Vibrators". I start to think, "Uh oh, this might be slightly too racy for this crowd." But I assumed the commercial's message was going to be, "don't get aids, masturbate instead of having unprotected sex," which wouldn't be too bad. This commercial is not what you think it's going to be.



Holy Hell! Did I just show that to a bunch of Tulsa's top marketing professionals? Crap. And, did anyone get an AIDS awareness message from that? There were lots of condoms, but a more to the point ad could have been created. Oh well, at least it wasn't the last one and closer to the beginning so it wasn't too fresh in people's minds. Plus, they're marketers. They know what's up.

After the event, my roommate and I decided to go celebrate how fabulously awesome we are and went out for some drinks. On the way home, we stopped at QT to get some snacks. People, DON'T MESS WITH PERFECTION. I got my beloved bacon chicken melt, and it has been tampered with and became a dollar more expensive. Not only does it not taste as good as its savory ancestor, it is more expensive. First, Village Inn jalapeno poppers. Now, this. I guess I no longer get to enjoy late night dining. What a cruel world we live in.

So did my eager mother give me nine pizzas or not?

The verdict said it was in, but it doesn't seem to be. Is Pluto the ninth planet or not? I wish humans were smarter and more technologically advanced.

Sometimes I think it's a miracle I'm alive

Some Bad Ideas in History:

1. Eve eating the apple.
2. The Trojans thinking a wooden horse was a sign of their victory.
3. The Japanese suprise attacking Pearl Harbor.
4. Believing the world was flat.
5. The Aztecs showing the Spanish they had gold in the New World.
6. Putting leaches on one's body to cure colds.
7. Acting like a witch in Salem.
8. The car released by Ford called the Edsel.
9. IBM thinking people would never use personal computers.
10. The United States electing George W. as President.

Some Bad Ideas this Past Weekend in Fayetteville:

1. Letting your friend carry your bag with your digital camera in it while spilling water all over it. (notice there are no pictures)
2. Taking jello shots made with Everclear.
3. Tripping in a manner that semi-ripped off a big toe nail. (thank goodness there are no pictures)
4. Using a Chick-fil-A bag as a barf bag in the backseat of friend's car. (thank goodness there are no pictures)

And, by the way, I did see a fox Friday night while I was driving to a party. I said, "Oh no, I just saw a wild fox. That means I'm going to barf." The two people with me thought I was weird until I proved myself right.

Who's your favorite comic book character?

Because mine is ME! My friend, who is in China right now for a long while, surprised me with a comic he drew of us. Maybe I'll be myself this year for Halloween.

Who's gonna ride your wild foxes?

I haven't thrown up from running since the last time I wrote about it. During that same run, a wild fox ran across my path in the middle of my run. I should have known the fox was an omen then, but two and two didn't equal four quite yet for me. Well, yesterday after work when I was running, I saw for the second time a wild fox run across my path. A mile later, I vomited. Scratch that. Blew chunks hard core. This can only mean one thing for me: wild fox sightings = me barfing. It's science, because it's surely not a coincidence.

And speaking of throwing up. I want to share an email I just received regarding a lunch experience that has become a tradition. I relate it to throwing up because there is usually a 75% chance I will gorge myself until I need to hurl.


From :
Kristy
Sent :
Friday, August 11, 2006 3:10 PM
To :
"'April'"
Subject :
What is MGF?

Inbox
Mazzio’s Gorge Fest aka MGF

The History
MGF is a special event celebrated with friends and loved ones. It began about a year about by April and Kristy. With busy work schedules, evening functions and stressful lives having lunch with friends was a great way to stay connected. So when meeting for lunch and pondering on where to eat, the thought of all-you-can-eat pizza and salad buffet brings a smile to everyone’s face.

Who Attends
In the beginning it was an event celebrated by our group. MGF means different things to different people. For April and Kristy it’s a day of excitement, a day of counting down the minutes until it’s time to indulge. It started out as a group lunch for special occasions such as birthdays, bon voyage parties, etc. Throughout the year we’ve had various people meet us for MGF but they don’t understand the true happiness and fulfillment that it brings to the lives of April and Kristy. Currently, MGF is recognized by the two founders and by Ashley Vedros – a former MGF lover but always makes time for a MGF when she’s in town visiting from California.

Choosing the MGF day
How does one choose what day MGF will occur?
Once it’s been acknowledged that MGF has not taken place in over a month either April or Kristy will create an evite. (An evite is an online invitation sent to those in your address book. The date, time, place, details and photo of what will take place is included in the evite. The evite creator can see who has viewed the evite and the invitee can then reply with yes, no or maybe being able to attend.) With April and Kristy the reply of “yes” is always clicked.
Once the day is set (generally a week prior to MGF) excitement is on the horizon. It’s not until the morning of MGF the countdown begins. The countdown is normally started by a phone call in the morning. Emails through the morning are also sent between April and Kristy counting down the hours until they meet.

The Process of MGF
The layout of Mazzio’s is an intricate part and there’s a strategic seating arrangement. There are both a salad bar and pizza bar. MGF generally starts at 11:30 or 11:45 to beat the noon rush hour. The Mazzio’s location we dine at is downtown so attracts business people. You must be aware of the location b/c rumors have it that other locations tend to be “trashy” – astonishing I know!
We arrive promptly at the meeting time which today is 11:35.
First, you pay. The cost for the experience, time with friend and delicious food is a mere $6.45 including tax. That includes all you can eat salad, pizza and drinks.
Second, you pick you seat. There is a booth near the south entrance that is prime seating. In this area you have direct view of the pizza bar and know when fresh pizza is served.
Once the location is established it starts with the salad bar. Grab a tray, fork and plate and hit it up. Start with fresh lettuce, sprinkle it with cheese, ham, boiled egg, cottage cheese, sesame seeds, croutons, bacon bits, ranch and French dressing.
Leave the salad plate at your booth and jump into the pizza line. The downtown Mazzio’s location provides all toppings on pizzas and are made on the thin crust. It meets everyone’s pizza needs.
I normally get sausage/mushroom, pepperoni, supreme and a combination piece.
Once the food is collected you must get a beverage. April’s favorite is Dr. Pepper while Kristy chooses Diet Pepsi.
Once food and beverages are ready dig in.

Conclusion on MGF
The good food and bonding of friends is why MGF is such a special day. We leave happy, full and filled with love from our friends.



The remnants of a MGF:

I am woman, hear me ROAR!

Since my freshman year in college, a small group of friends and I have had game nights about 3-4 times a year. Though some of the players have changed through the years, two things have always been the same: 1. We always start with Trivial Pursuit so that we are still sober during play, and 2. It is ALWAYS boys versus girls.

And finally, this past weekend, the girls beat the boys at Trivial Pursuit. We won a battle at the never ending war of the sexes using gameboards for our weapons (I think our dueling swords were being sharpened)! And the fact that the overall scoreboard is something like 20-1 doesn't take away from this momentous win. Before you call us girls stupid, it is important to point out that the biggest reasons we have lost all these years are the sports categories and these guys just happen to be really, really smart. Plus, we have beaten them at Catchphrase several times. They had taken pity on us in the past and suggest we divide the teams differently, but we females refused to accept defeat, and we were not defeated! We did lose out, however, on the sweetest part of a Trivial Pursuit victory. Traditionally, the losing team has had to give a dance performance for the winners, but apparently that only happens when the guys win.

I offer proof to our pie victory:


Most of the men, well I guess they have been reduced to boys now. Most of the boys accepted their defeat graciously. Others did not handle it so well, especially one of the originals, who watched as his once mighty and victorious Trivial Pursuit Empire slowly crumbled with each pie piece earned by the ladies.

Later in the night, a few of us decided to play Trivial Pursuit again. This time it wasn't boys versus girls, but the slap of the earlier loss was still stinging. These videos (if you have 4 minutes) offer proof to why we start the evening with Trivial Pursuit and not end with it. You can also see why losing to the girls team is a bit hard to take. Since when was Mark Twain a Russian puzzle maker? I am so ashamed.

I don't guarantee they will keep your interest unless you were there either.

Note: These videos contain adult language

Ask and ye shall receive!

So, I just got this in my junk folder on my hotmail account:

http://www.magiccleaner4free.com

Maybe I should have written about how much I like money instead of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. And also, I did say I like Birthday Cake Remix, in case any other free offer junk email gods are paying attention again. But that is second to money, if you gods are taking notes.

Give me more of that sweet stuff

Two items have brought me great joy and immense pleasure this weekend:

1. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
I have been moving, and with moving comes cleaning. There is nothing these small squares with godlike cleaning powers can't wipe away. They are so good, I am writing a blog about them.

2. Birthday Cake Remix at Cold Stone Creamery
You have not had a good icecream experience until you let your tastebuds come in contact with this heavenly confectionery concoction. I almost shouldn't tell people about it because any other icecream just won't ever be good enough again, and that is almost a curse.

When it's not cool to be cool

My friend just returned to Tulsa from his summer vacation (he is still in school, so still gets those sort of things - lucky). We were exchanging our outrageous summer escapades, and he won. And I want to share a tale, even though it really didn't happen to him. He was just a witness.

My friend was at his friend's house, whose neighbors were having a party, which was too loud for a different neighbor. Now, normally I would say the cool thing to do if someone's party noise is extremely bothering you (if it's not extremely bothering you, then just ignore it), is to go ask the party people to keep it down in a polite manner. The uncool thing to do is to immediately call the cops without asking someone to keep it down first. In my opinion, that is. Anyway, some guy who was bothered by this party's noise, who I am assuming is cool, went over to the house hosting the shindig to ask them to lower the volume. AND THEY SHOT HIM! Luckily, they did not kill him. My friend noticed the commotion once several police arrived on the scene, where he then got the details that have been passed along to me. All I can say is, "holy cow." Next time, you are extremely bothered by a party, perhaps it is best to be uncool and let the po-pos handle it, or just go stay at a friend's, or a hotel even. Loud noise isn't worth getting shot over any more than spilled milk is worth crying over. In my opinion, that is.

And in other news, I am the worst interior decorator I know. This weekend, I will have just finished moving into a house. My bedroom looks like blue cotton candy exploded all over the place mixed with smurf vomit from a smurf who ate blue pastel Easter eggs. The good news is the rest of the house looks good, and it is only a few blocks away from Brookside. Let the games begin.

No voy a hablar espanol porque tienes que practicar ingles

I thought I was growing up. I thought the fist of responsibility had socked me in my face double time. My eyesight is getting worse (confirmed by my optometrist last Friday), my Hello Kitty toaster isn't making the current move into the new house with me, and health insurance has become something to consider. Plus, kids these days just don't get it and don't understand how good/easy they have it (not the same "it" that they just don't get). But then, "Dewey decimal system, hooray! Card catalogs, holla," come out of my mouth at irrelevant and quite inappropriate times followed by unnecessary high fives. I'm so weird and inappropriate and dorky. Hooray!

Also, I am disturbed by Jessica Simpson's new video for "Public Affair". I don't know why though. I love the idea of a roller disco and have been toying with the idea for my next birthday (December 17 - send presents) party (note: this was way before the video came out). But something just irks me about it. And I'm not sure if it's because I've been wanting to use the word, "irks", or if she just took a good concept for a music video and botched it horribly by using it as a weapon in her war of "who's the hotter sister". It just has too much of an arrogant vibe to it. Why, Eva, why? I want to be more famous than the Internet. Puh-shaw!



Luckily, Justin has redeemed pop music for the time being. In the words of Paris Hilton, "That's hot!"



However, did "sexy" ever leave? I didn't go nowhere (please excuse the double negative - it was used for effect). Haha. And, one more note. Isn't YouTube the greatest?

(Note: please consider the lack of seriousness applied to entire entry)