My son Jack is 15. We got him a magnetic sign on the back that says “Student Driver.” Perhaps we got the sign to warn other people on the road, or maybe to give other drivers a notice that you’ve got to be a little patient if it takes a while to make a turn or that there is a reason he’s driving 10 miles under the limit.
When I read the news, I see stories about the rise in accidents among young drivers. Turn the page, and I see that kids can’t pass the basic SOLs.
So it occurred to me this week: Why not make the driver’s test much tougher. Wouldn’t that be a simple solution? Maybe we could make getting a license tougher by adding questions about math and vocabulary.
Sally is a very loquacious young lady, but she always turns off her cell phone before driving. She is 500 yards from making a right angle turn.
1) When should Sally indicate with her right turn signal?
2) What does “loquacious” mean?
3) How many degrees are in a right angle?
I know teens who may not study religiously, but I think they would if their license depended upon it. What do you think?
Monday, October 9 – In 1492…
Apparently, the Madison+Main-iacs love Columbus Day. On Monday, the Madison+Main Worldwide HQ was a ghost town. Kent was off celebrating his thirty-frtghph birthday at Vitality Float Spa. Kaitlin was hacking her way out of Yellowstone National Park. Kaity was checking out Mount Rainier National Park. Meredith was seeing the sights in New York City. Matt was recouping from a weekend of clubbing in D.C. As the hashtag goes, #WorkHardPlayHard

Tuesday, October 10 – Pipe Dreams (or Nightmares?)
On Tuesday, I finished up a wonderful extended weekend at the Virginia Council of CEOsretreat at the Greenbrier. This is one of my favorite events of the year. I really enjoy meeting with my colleagues, and having great team-building exercises. #coveredinmud

On the other side of the coin, I don’t enjoy coming back to the office to be knocked back out the door by a cloud of noxious, putrid sour milk smell. It seems that we had a few gallons of expired milk in the second-floor fridge that someone (Erin) decided to pour down the drain. Unfortunately, a pipe broke somewhere in the middle of the milk exodus and the creative department on the first floor got caught in a unexpected mid-afternoon rain shower of curdled milk. #PlumbersAreSaints #SendScentedCandles

Wednesday, October 11 – Happy Birthday, Erin!
On Wednesday, Junior Graphic Designer Erin Rebmann celebrated her second 29th birthday by baking and decorating a beautiful cake, then diving in face first. In her 30 years walking this earth, Erin has accomplished a lot, and we are so happy to have her on the Madison+Main-iac team!
Besides Erin’s one-woman icing-fest, Sophie went to the Chesterfield Chamber luncheon, where Christina Dick, former Richmond Ad Club president, talked about using social media as a business tool. After work, Kaitlin and I had a productive dinner meeting with Atlas 42.
Thursday, October 12 – Meeting Madness
On Thursday, Kent and Meredith had a great lunch meeting with Marketplace Events COO Lisa Kropf and BEDD Head Media co-owner Bruce Evans to discuss RVA and new ideas for future home and garden events.
Afterwards, Kent and Kaitlin took the lovely drive out to New Kent Winery to meet with Lindsay Dombroski. We were discussing marketing plans for their newly renovated wedding venue, The Vineyard Estate at New Kent Winery. Take a moment to check it out. It’s stunning!
Friday, October 13 – Heading to the Richmond Home Show
Today, Art Webb and Kaitlin are joining me to attend the Virginia Council of CEOs Total Leadership Workshop with Stew Friedman at the University of Richmond’s Jepson Alumni Center.
This is a big weekend for our client Marketplace Events. They are back in town for the Richmond Home Show all weekend long, and I’m looking forward to heading over later today to check it out and offer a helping hand. Earlier this morning, Kent and Meredith were at WTVR CBS6 with our featured celebrity guest Mark Bowe, host of DIY Network‘s hit show Barnwood Builders. He was featured on Virginia This Morning with Jessica Noll and did a great job.
I wonder if he has any tips on building a smash-proof backdoor for my house?

“I had to stop driving my car for a while… the tires got dizzy.”
— Steven Wright