Sales trip: Beauty and the beast...

I went to Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago, arriving the day after they had won the AFC Championship. It was like a ghost town. I had a feeling the denizens of P-Burgh were slinking away from all loud noises and bright lights. The thought of sunshine would have been unbearable.

I can’t imagine what it would be like the day after they won the Big Game (can I say Superbowl?). I mean that literally. I’m an Eagles fan (shown here in a more optimistic moment before the season began and 2 blew the team up) I cannot imagine what the day after winning the Superbowl would be like…I have no frame of reference.

So I drive into this ghost town, half-expecting tumbleweeds to roll by. I had my first three meetings of the day then head for the hotel. This is where the surreal nature of the sales person’s job hit me once again. I went down to the bar for a drink to unwind after the day. There were two separate conventions going on.

The first was Fein Power tools. It was what you’d expect, a bunch of burly, mostly-flannel-wearing guys, standing around talking power tools. Drills…mitre saws…all that cool stuff. The second was a group of beauticians, catching up on the newest trends in hairstyling, lipstick and blush. So it’s these younger women and hairstyling guys mingling with power tool dudes. It was time to pull up a chair.

The interactions were interesting, but there was also a macabre factor when the beauticians brought out the styling heads. They set the disembodied heads on the bar and on the tables surrounding the bar, and started partying with the Fein guys. I still wish I had the presence of mind to bring a camera. Heads on tables, power tool guys, and power tools.I just kept waiting for someone to turn it into the massacre it appeared on the surface…

Finally, Some Good Viking News

I took this test to find out my Viking name and personality. Here's what I got. Good luck.

Rauðúlfr Quicklegs
Your Viking Personality: You're a fearsome Viking, but you aren't completely uncivilized. The other Vikings make fun of you for that. You have a thirst for battle, and tend to strike first and think later. You might be able to hold your own on the battlefield, but you're no "berserker".

A long sea voyage aboard a Viking longboat would be difficult for you, but you might be able to manage it. You possess some skills which other Vikings respect.

You have a fairly pragmatic attitude towards life, and tend not to expend effort in areas where it would be wasted. Due to your gregariousness, you don't strike fear into the hearts of your victims. Try to be a little more surly in the future.

...and speaking of Vikings...
I'm the one on the left in this video...absolutely PRICELESS!

C-I-L-L the Refs!

Let's face it: The referees are terrible. They don't know how to call things correctly. They don't hear very well, either. And now we find out, they can't even spell. I'm not talking about the Big Football Game (I'm not sure I am allowed to say Superbowl...). I'm talking about the Reno Nevada Spelling Bee.

Apparently, Sara Beckman spelled "discernible" correctly but got rung up anyway. There was no immediate dispute, so she lost her right to appeal. Her parents are doing what any red-blooded American Family would do. They're considering suing:

Her mother, Cindy, calls herself a "momma bear with her bear claws out" and is ready to go to court.

A school spokesperson responded:

[H]e hopes everybody can sit down together and work something out. He says defending a lawsuit over a spelling bee isn't a good way to spend school district money.

Interestingly:

Sara says she'd just like another chance, since it's her last spelling bee.

Sara, you're going to have lots of chances to spell things correctly. It's called life.

A Quote to get you focused...

I found this one amusing: "Men are clinging to football on a level we aren't even aware of. For centuries, we ruled everything, and now, in the last ten minutes, there are all these incursions by women. It's our Alamo."

---Tony Kornheiser

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Apparently, Alex Tew does. He rented out space on this site for a buck a spot, with one million "Space Available" signs...he sold out. Careful, though: Alex is careful to point out that he bears no responsibility for where the Internet takes you once you click on a link.

Thanks to my friend Eric for the heads up on this one.