Dichotomy

Today, the kids from Oklahoma Christian School came for a tour. In the events center, the Oklahoma Malt Beverage Association was having a conference. I love where I work.

And no, to my knowledge the Malt Beverage Association did not leave any samples.

To add to the fun, the power went out suddenly in the entire capitol complex. Most of our computers are on battery back-ups, including mine. The battery back-up, however, seems to be a bit old and run down, since it died after about three minutes. Good thing it was close to lunchtime!

Oh, and head over to Another Hot Oklahoma Night to see an update from yours truly about the happenings on the Rock and Roll exhibit scene. Woohoo!

Because I'm a Good State Employee

Like an exemplary state employee, I went in to work today. Anyway, I actually was looking forward to it because there was a large group of Girl Scouts coming in to work on a state history badge. It makes me happy when scouts come in as I am a lifetime member of the organization. So, I spent the afternoon talking about my job and, let's face it, I talk about my job a lot, so it was no big deal.

The funny part is, the kids always seem politely interested until I hit the whole "I dust the airplane" things. Then all the sudden I'm the coolest person in the building.

Is driving a scissor lift and suspending myself two stories in the air really that exciting? Or has it just lost a bit of its glamour because I do it on a regular basis now?

The reactions are still funny, though.

Work Triumph!

The venues section of the Rock and Roll exhibit is currently occupying way too many of my thoughts. I did, however, have a great work triumph on Thursday.

I met with the owner of the Diamond Ballroom, a local venue that has been around since the early '60s. Billed as "The Largest Dance Floor in the Southwest," the Diamond was originally your typical dancehall that now shows smaller acts and the occasional big name. It's a pretty cool place.

Anyway, when I talked to the owner on the phone, he told me that he thought they might have some of the things I would be interested in, including old photos and basically anything that could be used to tell the history of the place. When I met with him, he had more, well, stuff than I could have imagined. The old owner, who he'd bought the place from a little over a year ago, had been the owner since nearly the opening and had scrapbook upon scrapbook of clippings in his office. Not just for the Diamond Ballroom, but for other local venues and music shows at amusement parks that no longer exist. And he donated one of the signs that hung on the front of the DJ booth bragging on the Largest Dance Floor in the Southwest (because size does matter in dance floors).

Most of the artifacts for the exhibit are loans, and most haven't arrived yet. I informed my supervisor that he needed me to go on all of these trips because I could get the donations. I told him it's because I'm prettier than he is.

The Interview

Questions courtesy of the wind beneath my wings, Kerry.

The rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying you want to be interviewed.
2. I'll email you five questions of my choosing.
3. You update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. They will answer these questions. Because I said so.

1. If you were suddenly able to get a job at any museum in the world (assuming language wasn't a barrier) which one would it be and why?
No language barrier problems--I would work at the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. They have an amazing sense of humor about the product they praise and it sounds like it would be a fabulous place to work simply because I could let my warped sense of humor run wild. Of course, if I could just spend all day every day exploring the collections storage of the National Museum of American History and get paid for it, I would totally do that.

2. If you could meet one famous person alive today (and famous for anything you'd like) who would it be, and what would you most like to ask them?

Prince William, and I would ask him to marry me. Just kidding! This question is always hard, because there are so many good answers, so many people and so many questions. So, for now, my answer is Walter Cronkite. I would like to ask him how a guy who started at WKY in Oklahoma City became the man that the nation relied on for their news. And then I would proceed to ask him about every major news story in the middle part of the 20th century.

3. What is your guilty pleasure website, one that you read, but that you know has absolutely no redeeming qualities, yet you have to read it anyway? If you don't have one, what's your one big guilty pleasure in life?

I am obsessed with icanhascheezburger.com and all of the related sites that you can get to from there. Probably the worst of these is the Fail Blog, which is an absolutely hilarious look at how people, well, screw up. Constantly. Of course, beyond the internet I have to admit that I watch The Girls Next Door and Keeping Up with the Kardashians on a regular basis. I'm a bad person.

4. What is your worst habit?

I let laundry pile up. Both before I wash it and after it's clean. And I sometimes tear my toenails instead of filing them. Too much information? Maybe.

5. When you were a kid, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up? Do you think if you could go back and show your kid self the life you're leading now, she'd be happy with it?

Oh, I had a whole list of things. When I was little, I was going to be Miss America, a star, and a veterinarian all on my way to becoming the first woman President of the United States. I had the oath of office memorized and everything. I also had this idea that I would get married at a younger age than my Mom did. I think that my kid self would be happy with my career (especially since I just did a veterinarian exhibit ;-) and I think she'd be excited that I have my own home and have great friends, but I think that she would be disappointed that I'm not at certain places in my personal life like she thought I would be. But, then again, what does she know? She's only six.

Anyone else want an interview? Let me know!