Blogger Archive

My fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Howard, is the single coolest person I’ve ever known. Sorry, JLo … it’s true.

Way back in the early ‘80’s, Phyllis Howard was duly influencing young and impressionable minds. She was nurturing, considerate and kind. She helped countless tweens get through the day-to-day grind of 4th and 5th grade and mentally prepared for the horrors of middle school. And 20 years later at a class reunion, I got to thank her for that.

Back in the day, things moved pretty slowly at Grandview Park Baptist School in Des Moines, Iowa. It was a simpler, gentler time – a time when you’d be banished to hell for even THINKING about listening to the “Xanadu” soundtrack. Unfortunately, I always had a thing for Olivia Newton-John (uh, and I still do). I remember asking Mrs. Howard if I was going to forever burn in eternal damnation for listening to ONJ. Anyone else would have said yes … and included a bible verse specifically linking Olivia to hellfire and brimstone. But Mrs. Howard said, “If it makes you happy … then do it. Just don’t do it in my class or I’ll get smited.” I can’t be sure those were her exact words – but the gist of it was that I could be free to be me … and I had her blessing.

Look back at your favorite teacher/instructor/professor. What made them infinitely cooler than others? Was it something they did? The things they said? I distinctly remember Mrs. Howard had cordoned off part of her room and filled it with books and magazines she thought we would enjoy. It wasn’t nearly as stuffy as the regular library upstairs run by the militant Mrs. Peneger. If I wanted to read about how Blair achieved her perfectly feathered-hair on “The Facts of Life”, I’d go to Mrs. H’s Reading Room. If I wanted to read up on why I was the harbinger of Satan for listening to New Wave music, I’d go upstairs to be chastised by Mrs. P.

Mrs. Howard would allow our artistic capabilities to flow with wild abandon. My doodling skills were sharpened within days. She would encourage random banter and inspire chitchat when warranted. Once in ’79, Pope John Paul came to Des Moines … and the earth stood still in Iowa. Grandview Park Baptist even canceled classes that day – so we could spend time praying for those damn Catholics. In Mrs. Howard’s class, we discussed differences in religion … odd because, up to that point, I thought everyone was a religious zealot like me.

She’d take the class fishing or camping or off for shopping or cooking expeditions. She was a Renaissance-woman-meets-Martha-Stewart. Now Mrs. Howard would have to have released forms signed in triplicate plus insurance waivers lest anyone end up with a fish hook in their head. Good Lord!

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to fawn over Mrs. Howard like no other. I told her she was unequivocally my favorite teacher and that she deserved all the accolades and kudos that go along with that. Or canonization … whichever.

We still got along swimmingly. Some things never change. And the best part of our reunion, you ask? Mere seconds before she and I walked in to Grandview’s chapel, I swear I heard a clap of thunder. Chances are without her next to me, I would have been struck down like the hedonistic, narcissistic Olivia Newton-John-worshipping Satanist that I turned out to be. And I’m a better person for it … and I owe it all to Mrs. Howard.
And so do you.

You simply KNOW it’s gonna be a good day when a client says, “We should shoot on the beach and have a surfboard in the shot, yes?”

Little did I know how much fun I was going to have earlier this week while in the mind-blowingly gorgeous city of Solana Beach, California. I was working on an upcoming cover story for Career College Central Magazine and our interviewee, Michael Clifford, lives just outside of San Diego. So off we went to visit him in his native environment.
An environment where I stood out like a sore thumb because I was not eating vegan, covered in sand or wearing a wet suit.

Solana Beach is a sleepy little surfing town nestled in between other little sleepy little surfing towns. Everyone moves at their own speed … which is somewhere between napping and serious R.E.M. It’s delightful and if I robbed banks for a living, I’d move there in a second.

Michael thought it would be keen to have a surfboard in the shot … but not just any surfboard … he wanted an Evolution surfboard. Fortunately, he’s good friends with blondiful, bronzed surfer-god & Evolution CEO Clark Riedel. In surfer world, he’s like the Dalai Lama of surfboards. Celebrities come from far and wide to ride the waves with Clark’s boards under the nimble feet. I had no idea what a big deal he was. Of course, I live in a land-locked state devoid of surf and/or celebs.

His mantra? “Surf for life.”

When Clark showed up, I figured the paparazzi would soon be in tow. Surfers gawked. They preened. A few tried to rappel down from the cliffs to get a better look. Oh sure, they tried to act cool and aloof, but were reduced to drooling when Clark broke out one of his impossible-to-find, if-you-have-to-ask-you-can’t-afford-it surfboards.

Mercifully, I had done enough homework to not feel like a moron around Clark. I mentioned breezily that my doppelganger Mick Mackie made the famous Mackie Surfboards in Australia. Color Clark unimpressed. You could tell he was being pleasant, but was trying to get me to wrap things up so he could dive head first in to the rolling ocean.

I’m constantly amazed at the people I get to meet at this job. And I’m even more amazed at how cool this gig is. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Well – check that. If the shoot involved a neon-infused Evolution board and a shirtless Mario Lopez … all bets are off after that offer.

In the meantime, hang loose, as they say, for the upcoming story … it’ll be coming out before the end of the year … say, around winter … when I’m desperate to be back in Solana Beach.

PlattForm’s internal philanthropic committee – the aptly named “Team Phil” – has a laundry list of charitable organizations that we work with throughout the year. Some are our charities of choice – like our upcoming ADA “Step Out To Fight Diabetes Walk” on September 27th.

Other Team Phil events are of a much smaller-scale, but still wildly important. A few weeks ago, there was a local story in the KC Star about Jana Mackey, a young woman from Lawrence, KS who was brutally murdered by her boyfriend. Even more tragic was that she had been a well-known advocate for women and assisted victims of rape and domestic violence.

There’s a Public Advocacy fund being set up in her name right now. One of PlattForm’s team members was friends with the victim. Our co-worker was so incensed at this senseless crime; she quickly rallied Team Phil to help raise awareness about domestic violence.

Typically, PFormers aren’t usually wan to just shell out miscellaneous dough for any ol’ cause. So Team Phil decided to make a day of it … an upcoming bake sale, BBQ, winner-take-all trivia contest and pool tournament. And I’ll guarantee it’ll be a successful event.

Why?

1) It’s for a good cause.

2) It’s for a good cause AND there’s food involved.

According to a recent Fort Hays University study, more than 100,000 Kansas women are the victims of domestic violence every year. And while a bake sale might seem trivial or old school … hopefully, the money we raise will help raise awareness. And, more importantly, keep Jana Mackey’s legacy alive.

This is not the first time Team Phil has helped combat domestic violence against women and children. Last year, PlattForm’s Video Production Department produced a powerful pro-bono video for the YWCA of Wichita. Some of the women’s stories and some of the statistics in the piece are both heartbreaking and woefully disconcerting. You can see it below.

But in the end … the more the word gets out, the more we can do to stop this on-going cycle of abuse.

When you join PlattForm, you are automatically expected to be adept in planning/throwing/hosting parties and/or showers and/or wingdings.

It’s borderline mandatory.

We are a company that lives for Happy Hour. We thrive on streamers. Our lives are not complete unless there’s confetti.

So it’s really no big surprise that PlattForm has branched out to hosting a benefit concert to raise funds for our upcoming American Diabetes Association walk. Best of all, YOU’RE invited!

On Saturday, August 16th, I’d highly suggest traipsing down to Jerry’s Bait Shop to eat, drink and make merry. (Jerry’s is conveniently located within stumbling distance of PlattForm’s new digs. Specifically, 13412 Santa Fe Drive Trail in Lenexa.) A $10 donation gets you in the door for a free pizza buffet from 4pm- 8pm … and the opportunity to listen to some of KC’s finest local musicians.

You like acoustic? Check! We’ve got the one and only Jason Kayne keeping it unplugged for you. Blues rock more your speed? Check! BB Miller Band will keep you rockin’ in the free world! And if you’re ready to kick up your spurs, you won’t want to miss the one and only Billy Doores Band’s country-fried country music. Of course, Billy’s band features PlattForm’s own Trey Bland on drums. (Yes, a shameless plug — I know. But it’s still for a good cause.)

In case you didn’t know – diabetes has gone from being rampant in America to becoming a national epidemic. Nearly 8% of the population suffers from diabetes. That’s a whopping 23.6 million people! Five million of whom are undiagnosed. And diabetes does not discriminate. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

So stop on out to Jerry’s Bait Shop on Saturday, August 16th. Drink some beer. Listen to some rockin’ tunes. Eat some pizza. All for only $10 … with proceeds going to benefit the American Diabetes Association! (Visit www.jerrysbaitshop.net for more info!)

Can’t make the concert? Never fear – you can help sponsor one of PlattForm’s employees in our upcoming ADA Walk on September 27th. Or, even better, feel free to join us. We always say the more, the merrier.

Speaking of merry, I gotta go … I’m late for another Baby Shower. Mercifully, NOT mine. At least not that I know of! Must be something in the water around here.

Recently, at my 20 year high school reunion, I had the chance to mingle and kibitz with many of my former classmates … many of whom went on to bigger and better. (The rest just got bigger. Thank God we chose an all-you-can-eat buffet!)

There were surgeons and lawyers and beauticians … oh, my! One of my classmates has won three Grammy awards which make my sole Emmy win pale in comparison. Everyone had a story and I wanted to hear all of ‘em. What struck me funny was that most people were doing absolutely nothing related to their degrees or field of study. Or they were in the midst of a full-on career change.

I always knew I wanted to be in TV. Or on TV. Or watching TV. I’m not picky. I even got my degree in Broadcasting to prove to the world I was not only educated, but well-versed in sitcoms, game shows and Oprah.

I had a ball at my reunion playing catch-up with everyone. People broke out pictures of their kids right and left. Of course, I dutifully pretended to care. And while I’m not Catholic, 99.2% of my classmates were — which would explain why they have so many kids they should live in a shoe.

The guy you thought would be a banker … went into banking. And yes, he’s still incredibly dull. The girl you thought would be a stripper … followed her dream.
And the list goes on and on. And yes – in case you were wondering — we had our fair share of Medical Coders and Medical Assistants and Pharmacy Technicians.

Few people surprised me, but those who did literally SHOCKED me. The biggest jock in our school ended up in advertising … where, go figure, he’s still big man on campus on the West Coast. All the girls voted “Most Likely To Become Successful Corporate Drones” all chose Mommy-hood instead. Funny to think while they became Becky Home-Ec-ky, I was busy being Rebecca Homewreck-a. And so it goes.

But it was good to see everyone and relive my youth for a night. Even Anne, my mortal enemy in high school, had mellowed. And it was phenomenal to hear everyone’s educational and professional success stories. Heck, several of my classmates even went on to become teachers and professors. Or so I heard. I was too busy schmoozing with my classmate who owns Denver’s hottest bar in LoDo to pay attention.