Marketing and PR 101

KFC was recently in the news for an unfortunate incident involving three teenaged employees who put on bathing suits and took a bath in the industrial restaurant sink. Personally, I can think of few places I would deem more disgusting than a KFC sink basin, but I suppose different strokes for different folks.

KFC's PR people must have freaked. The restaurant chain already suffered from a somewhat-less-than-fantastic reputation - and now they had this nightmare on their hands. The last thing anyone wants to think about when they order their bucket of fried chicken is the last employee who bathed in the sink.

I imagine that the PR folks brainstormed several ideas that would restore their pre-slutty-teens-in-the-sink image. I don't pretend to be an expert in marketing - but I did work at a marketing firm for 11 whole months - and I have to say that in my semi-professional opinion - this was NOT the way to go:
Liver Meal? Seriously?
I took this picture outside the KFC that's about 2 miles from our house. Can someone who doesn't live in Greenville tell me if this is a NATIONAL promotion or something unique to our area?

National Council of Bubbies and Nanas

Today I went to a NCJW (National Council of Jewish Women) meeting. I'm not 100% sure why - I think I see how close the Jewish community is in Atlanta and was hoping to find some measure of that here in the Ville.

Larry David could not have written this skit any funnier than it actually unfolded. I walked into the synagogue and was greeted by the oldest women on the face of the earth.
Not like "oh, these people are my mom's generation."
Not like "oh, that one reminds me of my Grandma Susie or Grammy".
More like, "I hope everyone in this room survives through the meeting."

I got to hear about bursitis and arthritis and phlebitis and every other physical ailment you can imagine. I found out why that lawyer is a schmuck that shouldn't be trusted and how the ultrasound said it was fraternal grandsons, but really, all you could see was the tushies.

The guest speaker (the only other woman in the room within 3 decades of my own age) was from a local battered women's shelter and was talking about what we can do to help. She reported that South Carolina is the 2nd ranked state for the number of domestic abuse-deaths in the country, to which the woman sitting to my right commented (under her breath, but loud enough for the whole room to hear), "redneck schlubs." Nice nana, real nice.

Great Find

In my eternal quest to regain the body that I hated when I was 25 - I have been going to the gym in the morning before work (misery - another rant for another day). In order to spice up cardio (which I loathe) I have been following the Couch to 5K running plan. The problem is - you have to spend the entire time watching the clock so that you run/walk the correct intervals.

If only there was an mp3 that I could download that would do the work for me (while simultaneously providing me with music to keep my mind from focusing on how much I despise working out.) Ask and you shall receive. I can't say that I listen to Hip Hop music on a regular basis - but it's music that I know (for the most part) and I'm looking forward to the distraction.

Since everyone that I know either (a) runs an obnoxious number of miles every day (b) bikes 50-100 miles on a Saturday morning or (c) is naturally so thin that exercise might actually be detrimental to their physical health . . . I doubt that this will be of any use to you -but if you know someone looking for a similar program, please - share with them.

Coulda, Woulda, Schoulda

The resident program here is fantastic and we are fortunate to be in the program with some of the most wonderful guys and wives imaginable. At least monthly, we all get together - sometimes to celebrate something, sometimes just for a slice of pizza. This month, one of the precious babies of the program is turning one - and we got the cutest evite inviting us to her first birthday party celebration - an Easter Egg Hunt.

As I hit the "reply" button, dozens of semi-witty and somewhat self-deprecating responses came immediately to mind. Mostly stemming around the fact that while, as members of the Jewish community, we've never actually been to an Easter Egg Hunt - if it involves finding and accumulating some sort of hidden treasure (as I believe it does) - we certainly feel that we could kick any goyim's tuchus from here to next Tuesday.

But I can't write that. Because I'm not sure the humor of it will be appreciated. So I backspaced my reply (which I KNOW would have be appreciated by my brother-in-law, Mindy, and any number of my my uncles) and instead wrote: "Can't wait to celebrate."

Reviews

A few reviews of few recent experiences.

Flip: A new restaurant in Atlanta, advertising itself as a "burger boutique." Delicious. Very unique creations, as well as the old standby. I had a traditional burger. My dad had something called a Shrimp Po Boyger. Imagine if a burger and a po boy had a baby. Atlantans - I highly recommend it - but go early (like 5:30 early) so that you can get a table without a wait.

Testimony: New book by Anita Shreve. Essentially about what happens when you mix alcohol, sex, and New England boarding school students. Shreve is an excellent writer - and somehow manages to tell an excellent story through the eyes of about 20 different characters in both the past and present tense, and it both first, second, and third person. Sounds impossible to keep track of - but Shreve makes it remarkably easy.

Family: I STRONGLY recommend my family to anyone. I had the pleasure to have dinner with my dad, time with my Grandma Susie, lunch with my mom, and post-lunch with my brother while in Atlanta. (I don't come from a dysfunctional family . . . just a very busy one :) My family is absolutely wonderful and I miss them terribly. I give them two thumbs up and five stars.

Snow Day

Although I do feel cheated that the entire city of Greenville was "snowed in" during my week-long break from school, therefore robbing me of an otherwise perfect snow day, it was nice to have husband home for the day (he was supposed to take his board exam today - but the testing center was closed.)
We probably got about 5 inches of snow last night and for anyone that lives in the south - you know that means the city was paralyzed.
We lost cable and Internet last night and all day today - but luckily kept electricity - providing the perfect opportunity to do those household tasks that I'd been putting off for months.
Fortunately, I had my new Kindle and didn't have to take the aforementioned opportunity since I was reading all day.

Daily Funny

Today my sister-in-law called while I was making lunch.
Her: What are you making?
Me: Hot Dogs and Maccaroni and Cheese
Her: Sounds good. Are you celebrating something? Like, perhaps, a child's birthday party?