It’s 3 p.m. and I know that many of you have already started on your fun-filled Memorial Day weekend. Whatever you do and wherever you go, I hope you have fun and I hope you don’t get stuck in traffic on I-64. Whenever you get there – wherever that may be – grab a cold one, eat a hot dog, and save room for some apple pie. Summer is officially here. That’s why we celebrate Memorial Day, right?
Um, not really. Many of us have forgotten the “memorial” part of Memorial Day. Between the furniture sales and concerts and 5K runs and block parties, I hope you remember the real reason why Monday is a federal holiday. Memorial Day is the day we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. It’s only been an official holiday since 1971, but Memorial Day – originally called Decoration Day – was started in the aftermath of the Civil War, when people decorated the graves of fallen soldiers on both sides of that awful conflict that claimed over 620,000 American lives. And although that war is far removed from our memory, perhaps it’s easier to remember and mourn those who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq and other places fighting terrorism – more than 6,300 Americans. #sadfact
In 2000, President Clinton issued a memorandum called the National Day of Remembrance, asking Americans to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women who have died in the defense of freedom. On Monday, at 3 p.m., I hope you’ll take a moment on your way back from the beach or backyard barbecue to remember the fallen.
Monday, May 22
Sr. Account Manager Kaitlin Riddle represented Madison+Main and our client – Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General – at The Conference Board in New York on Monday. She was there to pick up our award from the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), where she hobnobbed with the other winners FedEx, the Mayo Clinic, Con Edison, Cisco, and Met Life. (Yeah, we’re kind of big deal now.) The lowlight of her trip was walking 42 blocks in the rain, clutching the trophy because she was afraid she’d drop it. She survived, and so did the fancy award.
Communications Manager Kent Brockwell visited Meadow Event Park last Saturday for the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives‘ annual Gaff-n-Go Rodeo, which is basically the Olympics for power company linemen. He was a guest judge for the annual T-shirt design contest that all of the regional cooperatives compete in. Congrats to Delaware Electric Cooperative for creating the winning design.
Tuesday, May 23
On Tuesday, a teacher at my son’s high school literally screamed at me. I had a brain warp, and turned into the wrong lane when dropping Jack off. I waved, and said sorry, but apparently that wasn’t good enough. The guy ran across 3 lanes of traffic, threw his umbrella in front of “The Beast” – aka my bad@ss Jeep – and said I almost ran over his foot. I was taken aback, and was speechless for a moment… but only for a moment. After he threatened to write me up and report me to the school’s Resource Officer, I calmly suggested that he lay off the coffee or ask his doctor about Valium. #sheesh
That little incident put me in a great mood to tackle an issue with the IRS, which ended after 2 hours 46 minutes… after the original rep stated she couldn’t help and transferred me to a non-working extension.
The ONLY highlight of the day was meeting Kim Brundage, a highly talented photographer and personal branding consultant. Kim was so sweet and the conversation quickly had me forgetting about earlier conflicts. Thanks Kim for keeping me from “going postal.” Check out Kim’s amazing work.
Wednesday, May 24
On Wednesday, Sophie Fisher, our Marketing & Partnerships superstar, celebrated her 1st anniversary with Madison+Main. We got together and scarfed down some delicious grub from Zzaam. (We finally settled the debate and learned that it’s pronounced Zom) It rhymes with dot com, as in zzaam.com) At lunch, the Madison+Main-iacs “roasted” Miss Fisher. Matteven found a little video Sophie made for one of her classes at VCU four years ago, and shared with group. Check it out: #cups.
We also had a great meeting with Stephanie Ford, Director at Warren Whitney, to discuss more opportunities to partner on some projects. It was great to learn more about the management consulting firm’s work.
Thursday, May 25
On Thursday night, the Main-iacs went to Richmond Ad Club‘s Happy Hour at Flora. Sr. Graphic Designer Kaity Carr wowed the crowd by eating three deep-fried crickets. #thegirlaintright
Friday, May 19
Sue and I are on our way to Ocracoke to celebrate 20 years of wedded bliss. She’ll be lounging by the pool and I’ll be on a beach fishing, but I am confident we will see each other sometime over the weekend because we’ll be on the same small island. By the way, our little favorite sandbar is also a favorite of “Dr. Beach” – aka Dr. Stephen Leatherman — who named Ocracoke #3 on his annual list of best beaches in America.
“Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.”– Charles de Gaulle