i'm going to be extremely busy all week--tons of catching up to do from thanksgiving and some personal craziness as well. i might get a chance to tell a story or two but while i have a quick minute, i thought i'd mention these two little gems:

the first is a story from quite some time ago, this past summer. a friend of mine races go-karts and had qualified to go to this pretty big deal race in colorado in august, but was slightly lacking in the funds to get him there. "you should ask the governor," i suggested one day. "play up the fact that you're from RI and want to represent the best state in the nation and he'll definitely at least give you $50, which you didn't have before." so, he wrote out a letter to the governor and sent it with a little poster of himself racing and a resume of his experience.

this was back when i worked in this office from 9 am to 2 pm, then raced home to do office hours from 2-4 pm, so i wasn't here when dillon called to check and see if the governor had gotten the letter.

what i WAS around for was a phone call from dillon, telling me he'd spent the last half hour repeating his name as loud as he could, only to repeatedly hear "i'm sorry, i really just can't hear you, i can get most people but you're going to need to talk louder, i don't hear very well."

the next morning i came into the office to find the governor at his desk. "i hear you got a phone call last night and couldn't hear what the guy was saying?" i asked. "no!" the governor exclaimed. "i couldn't hear a damn thing that kid was saying! could you?"

"well sir," i explained. "i didn't fly B-17's in the war. i can hear most things."

"i wish you had!" he joked back. "we'd be pretty funny, then!"

oops, looks like i only have time for the one gem. the other one wasn't that funny, anyway. have a great week, everybody.