Earlier this week – the one day I was in the office, as it turns out (more on that in a sec) – a couple of peeps from the Training/Development team approached me for an impromptu brainstorming session. They are in the midst of rebranding what had previously been called New Employee Orientation and were looking for help with a name, preferably one with a catchy acronym.
The gal was leaning toward calling the program New Employee Welcome Day, but I immediately cautioned her against that. When she asked why, I replied, “I don’t think CheeseGov wants to promote NEWD sessions.”
The look on both their faces was priceless. The naked truth is, neither had given the acronym a second thought, whereas my mind immediately went there. Not sure what that says about me, but I digress. We finally settled on NEED (New Employee Engagement Day), which is a much better choice. Not nearly as titillating, but I suppose that’s the point.
That was Tuesday. Normally I work onsite in Madison on Wednesday as well, but I’d scheduled an appointment with a chimney sweep that morning. We’ve been using our wood stove a lot since it’s been so cold this winter, and it occurred to me that I have no idea when Dick last had it inspected and cleaned. Paranoid that MarTar Manor might go up in flames at any moment, I figured it was best to have a professional come for a lil’ preventive maintenance. There was a big winter storm forecast that day, so all the better. Avoiding a long commute over a two-lane highway in whiteout conditions seemed prudent.
When I ran this by my supervisor, not only was she supportive, but she said her husband once upon a time worked as a chimney sweep. What are the odds?! I didn’t even know the profession still existed until scheduling that appointment a few days ago. The only chimney sweep I know is Dick Van Dyke, and he hasn’t Chim Chim Cher-eed in six decades.
The snow arrived right on schedule, but the chimney sweep did not. He called an hour before he was due to show up, asking if we could reschedule. This didn’t surprise me in the least. I can’t imagine climbing up a tall ladder onto a roof even when it’s sunny and dry, let alone in the middle of a raging snowstorm (assuming that’s what he has to do; it’s not like we have an actual chimney, so even if Santa shed two-thirds of his body mass, there’s no way he could wriggle up and down a skinny little flue). He’ll be coming by next Thursday instead. (The chimney sweep, not Saint Nick.)
This meant I had a bonus WFH day in which to watch the snow pile up.
We ended up with 5″ of light, fluffy snow when all was said and done, making this our biggest snowfall all season (so far). While we could use the moisture, at least this made shoveling the driveway easier. Good thing, because we did that twice.
I said “so far” because we’ve got another storm moving in just in time for the weekend. Amounts could run anywhere from 2-7″ or more, so the only thing I know for sure is, we aren’t going anywhere this weekend. Friday’s an in-office day for Tara; the snow’s not supposed to really get going until 6 p.m., so hopefully she’ll be back home by then.
A few nights ago, we saw the new season of Top Chef advertised on Hulu. Eager to dive into our favorite cooking competition, we quick-fired it up.
Right off the bat, we were confused. Tom Colicchio had hair; Gail Simmons looked like a fresh-faced sorority girl; the host was neither Padma Lakshmi nor Kirsten Kish, but someone we had never seen before; and the contestants were wandering the streets of San Francisco instead of Canada, the location for Season 22.
After 15 minutes, I said to Tara, “Something’s fishy here” and hit pause. That’s when we discovered we were inadvertently watching Season 1, which aired 19 years ago.
That certainly explained a lot, as people don’t generally age in reverse.
Here’s the thing: I didn’t start watching Top Chef until the third season, and Tara jumped aboard even later. For all intents and purposes this is a new season for us, so we’ve just continued watching (even though I think I know who wins based on a couple of familiar faces from later seasons). It’s interesting to see how the show has evolved over the years; there were a lot more amateur chefs in 2006, no Whole Foods or Restaurant Wars or Last Chance Kitchen, and even the challenges seem…well, less challenging.
Because I fancy myself a completist, maybe we’ll watch Season 2 next.
Mark My Words 
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