Last night, NBC had some great premieres with My name is Earl and The Office, and religious tradition was a theme in both episodes! Interesting!
In Earl, Joy wanted to make Earl a glass mosaic of his face as a gift to him (since he is serving her prison sentence), so she broke a Lutheran stain glass window. The joke was that Joy had to lay low because the Lutherans were very serious about this vandalism. Also, during visitations, Crabman presented Earl with both a Bible and Torah, greeting him with a “Shalom.”
In The Office premiere, after a tragedy involving Michael, Meredith, his car and her pelvis, Michael wanted everyone to open up about their religious beliefs, much to the chagrin of HR rep, Toby. Ryan, would you allow a conversation about religions at the WFM?
Back to The Office: Stanley is Roman Catholic, Daryl and Pam are Presbyterian, Creed has been in several religious cults (leading and participating), and Kelly is not sure who Buddha is. Also, the IT guy is maybe ... Sunni? We could not understand him. Comment if you did.
Also, Angela’s super conservative feelings came out when she exclaimed that Sprinkles would not go to heaven because she was euthanized.
Editor’s note: You know how Angela can do that really prissy, rigid, religious character so well? That’s because she is a Baylor alum! She has met a few of these people. Ha!
Religion was a major theme on last night's NBC premieres!
There is a non-profit group in Austin that provides medical benefits to musicians. I got an e-mail from the WFM about a benefit for them. Ug! I think there are more worthy charities. Here is a quote from a news clip about this organization:
"I love being a musician in Austin, because I get medical benefits. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this organization."
You don't know what you would do? How about getting a job like the rest of us have to! I'd love to be a musician or religious philosopher for the rest of my life - but I HAD TO GROW UP and work. I have to WORK HARD to understand the products I promote. Engineering is not my hobby ... making music, stamping and reading are my hobbies.
I DO NOT SUPPORT YOUR CAUSE ENOUGH TO ACTIVELY GIVE YOU MONEY, YOU WHINY BRATS.
WFM, call me when you really have an actual charity to support. We are at war, people!
Turns out a gold tooth isn’t enough to get you street cred.
Emilie from H-town has challenged me to prove my street cred by defining a “street” term to the best of my ability. Since I don’t know any street terms, I am going to have to deduce from my own life experiences. I have to deduce from Oklahoma, Swiss and Baylor experiences – the most gangsta places in the world!!
Challenge: Define “ghost riding the whip”
In PR, when you are “ghost writing,” you are writing an article for another person in the company. For example, if a publication needs an article from your CEO, often, PR professionals will “ghost write” or "draft" the article and publish it under the CEO’s name. The CEO has many demands on their time, so they need help from someone to write the first draft.
Emilie spilled the beans on “whip.” I know it means “pimped out car.” I would have never guessed that, so I am glad I have a clue.
So, “ghost riding the whip” must mean chauffeuring the CEO of your gang, or your “gang leader.” Since the gang leader has worked his or her way up in the gang, and they need time for dealing and as Chamillionaire says, “findin’ a chick I wanna bone,” they do not have time to drive.
That is my submission, Emilie! I hope I am right. If not, the black crusaders may be after me ...
I am attending the national PR conference in October. Today they announced that the keynote speaker is Karen Hughes!
While I don't consider myself a fan of the GOP or politics at all, I do consider myself a fan of intelligent female PR pros, and Karen Hughes tops them all!
If you have ever perused my MySpace page, you will notice the "who I'd like to meet" section. First on the list is Karen Hughes. That's serious, folks. SERIOUS.
She is so classy! Hopefully she will not notice my gold pirate tooth.
Also interesting about the PR conference: one of the other keynote speakers is Mia Farrow. I am not sure what her contribution to PR is ... but I'll take copious notes and let you know.
Went to the dentist today because I have a toothache. Turns out one of my back teeth is cracked so I have to get a crown. The cracked tooth is very small so they informed me that a porcelain crown would not be wise because it would probably crack as well.
I have to get a gold crown.
Wuz up! I gots a Grill! I finally have street cred!
I ran into Amanda after the dentist as I was cruzin’ on the street. She was rollin’ in her new Camry – it’s fly! When we stopped at a stop sign, she offered to get me some dollar sign charms for Lil’ tooth. I couldn’t stop cussing and referring to my friends as "those fly bit&$#*s." It was unlike me …
Many have asked, “why Hollis?” I have five answers.
1. Basketball - Hollis Price played college basketball at OU from 1999 to 2003. When Ryan and I started dating, we watched Hollis Price play several games - and we were huge fans. The first time Ryan drove to Oklahoma to meet my family, we met at an OU basketball game. Not only was Hollis Price a stand-up guy (so nice!) he was also very good at basketball. He helped to lead the Sooners to the NCAA Final Four in 2002. He is now a professional basketball player in Lithuania.
2. Give me an H! - “H” names are abundant in my family. My grandfather, mother, two aunts, an uncle and I all have names that start with H. Hollis continues the lineage.
3. The Holly and the Ivy - I love Christmas, and “Hollis” is the male version of the female name “Holly.”
4. Holly the Collie - My aunt (whose name starts with H) had the first collie of our family and named her “Holly.” Hollis is honoring that first collie.
5. Easy transition - Hollis’ official fancy-pants papers name is “Boris.” I think that’s because Border Collies are usually black and white, but he’s all red and white so Boris is some sort of communist “red” joke. Not interested in pursuing a political philosophy debate with my puppy’s name, we changed it to another name, but a name that still rhymed with the original name to make the transition easier.
I have had cats all my life. Mercedes has been with me since I was nine-years old, so I am good at raising cats (if I do say so myself). So this new experience … this puppy experience … is confusing me.
A cat owner’s initial observations about her first puppy:
1. Puppies follow you everywhere. They are not as curious about the world around them as kittens are, they are just interested in you. 2. Puppies are not predictable. I guess I thought Hollis would show up trained because everyone tells me that Border Collies are soooo smart. He’s still consumed with his own tail and his denta-bone. He is no baby genius. 3. Kittens stalk bugs. They catch them and play with the poor little bugs just to torment them. When Hollis catches a bug, he eats it. Whole. "Gulp." Ewwww ... 4. Litter boxes are annoying, but puppie poo stinks much, much more potently than kitten poo. 5. Puppies are not as agile as kittens – I had Hollis following a piece of yarn I was spinning around in circles and he threw-up. Kittens would love that game! Spinning does not make kittens nauseous.
Even though these are initial challenges and surprises, he's still a delight. I am learning so much!
This year’s ACL fest experience is dedicated to two people: Kevin, of course, for the hook-ups and Alan for introducing us to both The Killers and Midlake.
Friday night was a blast. The Killers closed with our favorite song of theirs which usually includes a large Gospel choir. They vamped the baseline until the audience sang the choir part. I was glad they did that, because if not, Sarah and I would have been asked to perform the gospel part on stage and I was very tired. The show was extra fantastic because we got to watch the show with Kevin and Sarah’s family in the hospitality tent. Fun stuff.
K-bone got us backstage for Midlake which was unreal. For those of you not familiar, Midlake is the band that Ryan moved our vacation for, so they are obviously a high priority in the Marchbanks household - being backstage meant a lot to us. They closed with “Head Home” and added an extra special jam at the end.
Another highlight was the frito pie that Ranch 616 was making at their booth. They opened a little bag of Fritos corn chips, poured in chili, cheese, pico and ranch dressing and handed you a spoon. Tara coined it, “Heaven in a bag.” It was. Tito’s was back with their Sweet-O – it was delicious. Interesting that my ACL post is just as much about food as it is about music.
Thanks again, Kevin and Alan!
Also this weekend: Ryan’s sister and my sister were both in town and got to meet little Hollis! Morgan and Jon moved into their house and our puppies met, which was high drama. Neither of them behaved themselves!
So, Ryan and I woke up early Saturday morning to ride the mules. Boy was I scared! What if a hiker scares my mule? What if my mule trips? What if my mule is really tall? (I don't know why I was concerned about the height of my mule ... being like three feet higher on a mule does not matter when you are on a 500 foot cliff – silly me!)
But then I met my sweet mule, Chester. What a delightful mule! He was really focused on, well … EATING. It was funny to watch him eat everything, but it was not funny to watch him try to eat something halfway down the Grand canyon. Not cool, Chester. Not cool.
Chester sounds like a good name though, huh? Morgan told me not to get “Buck” or “Lightning.” Based on her criteria, I felt safe. Ryan was on Razzo or Razzy … I don’t remember Ryan’s mule's name because I was on a mule riding down the grand canyon. I was a little pre-occupied.
So - we start the trip. It wasn’t scary except for the times that the mule would run around the switchbacks. Oh, and it was also scary to look down. See that picture where Ryan snapped a picture off the side of his mule? See those little green shrubs? Those are trees, people!
At lunchtime, we ate at Plateau Point where you can see the Colorado River below you and the Canyon above. It was so peaceful (except that it was 115 degrees). But it’s a dry heat. As the sweat evaporates, you feel cooled off. Very different from the OK and TX heat I have lived in all my life.
After lunch my mule went a little crazy and ran away from his pack. That made me nervous for the ride back up because Chester was not pleased.
On the way back up I kept looking at the vast canyon above me and thinking “how did I get down here? That is so high up!”
When we arrived back we drove to Scottsdale and checked into the Westin Spa. The next morning Ryan and I were up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains. We were both happy because he could watch people golf and I had a history book with me and Starbucks coffee. Perfect!
We spent the day with a good family friend, Robert. He lives in Phoenix, and took us to the Biltmore for Birthday Brunch and showed us all the mansions in Paradise Valley. We went to Taliesin West, so it was a Frank Lloyd Right day! And we went to the Whole Foods of course.
Tonight we are off to Austin City Limits! Thanks, K-Bone! My sister comes in Saturday to meet little Hollis and have dinner. Busy weekend!
Arizona Recap One: Sedona and Grand Canyon Sunset!
We survived our trip! The survival gives away the ending to “Arizona Recap Two: Grand Canyon Mule Ride!” but this fact is unavoidable. We got to Sedona late Thursday and woke up at 6:00 a.m. Friday to hike Cathedral Rock before the heat set in. As you reach the top (1.5 miles one way), you are surrounded by tall rocks to the left and right, a canyon in front and mountains behind you. It was beautiful and worth the 600 ft. climb! Next, we went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s students. The view from the chapel was breathtaking.
Cathedral Rock? Chapel of the Holy Cross? Though we did not feel energy from the “hippy crystals” supposedly underneath the city, Sedona was definitely a religious experience for us!
Ryan gives me a hard time because every vacation with me involves at least one monastery, chapel, cathedral, historic mission or religious statue. Maybe this time I was subconsciously trying to get props from the man upstairs before the mule ride? Who knows …
We ate post-hike breakfast at the Coffee Pot Restaurant then headed north for the beautiful drive through Oak Creek Canyon to the mama of all canyons – the Grand Canyon. This was Ryan’s first time to see the majestic beauty of the canyon (which I will argue is another religious experience).
We took pictures all along the south rim and checked into our hotel (Thunderbird Lodge) on the rim. That evening we had a nice dinner at the legendary El Tovar hotel and said our prayers for the adventure to follow Saturday … Stay tuned …
Today we leave on vacation! This will be a jam-packed vacation filled with anxiety-inducing stunts.
We are headed to the Grand Canyon for a mule ride! That’s right- I am going to be on a mule over a cliff. Please pray on Saturday, September 8 from roughly 8:00 am – 3:00 p.m. PT. Thanks for spending your day kneeling for my safety. I really appreciate it.
Suz – if I take a hike in Arizona ON a mule, can I post about it on Cactus Country Hikers?
First, we’ll spend a night in Sedona where we’ll hike around Red Rock. Then, we head up to the Grand Canyon where we will be on a mule for seven hours. Then we head to Scottsdale to stay at a resort we can’t afford because I just have to treat myself after being on a mule for seven hours. Then, we head home.
Isn’t that a quick trip? Here are the top 10 things I am looking forward to …
10. No changing planes! This is the first time I have gotten a direct flight in a long time
9. Listening to my new iPod
8. Watching the beautiful scenery during the drive up to the Grand Canyon
7. The jokes Ryan will come up with to get my mind off the fact that I am hundreds of feet in the air on a mule
6. The Westin - those beds will be sooo comfy!
5. "In-and-Out Burger" in Scottsdale
4. Being on Pacific Time – it’s like a gift of two hours!
3. Turning around and seeing the Grand Canyon after I get off my mule – that means I survived
2. “Thai Spices Natural” – a hippy veggie curry place in Sedona
1. Zero percent humidity. (Damn! my hair is going to look soooooo good!)
We made this decision because we have love to share. We made this decision because we are ready.
Maybe we are not ready, but I turn 27 today and I might be going through a mid-20s crisis. And I know Mercedes isn't ready.
We bought a puppy! ... had you going, didn't I? He is six weeks old - we pick him up in two weeks (after our vacation). He is a red and white border collie. We are naming him Hollis.
Oh, Hollis! How long have I waited for you! Mercedes is going to die. I don't mean literally ... maybe I do ... Hopefully we all can just get along.
