DATE: May 5, 2008
TITLE: 'WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DID TODAY?'
FOCUS: First day working out of the house
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Question: "Are you mad about the possibility of bad weather today?" Answer: "No. Why?" Question: "Because of your tee time."
• (After missing a phone call) "Were you getting your sweat pants out of the dryer?"
• "What time did you start drinking?"
DATE: May 18, 2008
We didn’t have crazy plans for the rest of the day. I was going to pick up my Little Brother Anthony and “just chill” around the house. (His phrasing, not mine.) TK was going to go to yoga.
TK: “What about Anthony?”
ME: (eyes wide, staring at the clock) “Crap...I mean YIKES!”
NOTE: One phone call to his mom, saved me 30 minutes – she agreed to drop him off at the house.
ME: (still driving like a contestant on “The Amazing Race”) At 2: 15,
2:07 p.m.
I stood at our bedroom door and mumbled to myself, “Why do we have so much crap?”
• I thought it was cool that they shot footage of me and Anthony working on his new model airplane, which was a birthday present. (photo below)
• I was so proud of Anthony for agreeing to be interviewed and doing such an amazing job.
• I was so appreciative of Sana and John for taking a group shot next to the CBS 11 satellite truck. (photo below)
It was perfect ending to a chaotic day.
• (After missing a phone call) "Were you getting your sweat pants out of the dryer?"
• "What time did you start drinking?"
DATE: May 18, 2008
FOCUS: Advice for working out of the house
HIGHLIGHTS:
• I have started my third week as CEO/President of e-Partners in Giving, which means I'm now an expert on working from home.
• Advice: Open the blinds
• Conversation with drive-thru guy at Sonic
• Conversation with drive-thru guy at Sonic
These are good reminders why working out of the house is NOT the perfect and/or ideal situation. It’s really good – don’t get me wrong – but I would NEVER use the adjective “perfect” to describe it.
There was actually a wonderfully great incident this weekend that made me utter part of the Dark Side oath: “I wish I had an office.”
PREFACE:
There was actually a wonderfully great incident this weekend that made me utter part of the Dark Side oath: “I wish I had an office.”
PREFACE:
My wife (TK) and I were driving home from my mom and dad’s on Sunday afternoon. We had a nice breakfast with my folks and my little sister, Allison….stopped by my grandmother’s to say a quick hello….headed back to Fort Worth around 12:30 p.m.
We didn’t have crazy plans for the rest of the day. I was going to pick up my Little Brother Anthony and “just chill” around the house. (His phrasing, not mine.) TK was going to go to yoga.
At 1:03 p.m. my cell phone buzzed and all hell broke loose. (Again…this turns into a fantastic story, but for 107 minutes…I prefer the verbiage “neurotically hellacious.”)
1:03 p.m.
(driving outside of Keene, Texas, approximately 30 minutes from home; phone buzzes…”Private Number”)
ME: “This is Drew.”
WOMAN’S VOICE: “Hi! This is Sana from CBS 11….” (All I really heard was "CBS 11")
ME: (kind of interrupting & praying that Keene, Texas, hadn’t missed the memo about cell phones and specifically cell phone towers) “Yes. How’s it going?”
CBS 11: “Are you in town?”
ME: (slightly pushing on the accelerator a little firmer) “Ummm…kind of. I’m driving back to Fort Worth right now.”
CBS 11: “We were wondering if we could visit with you today about leaving TCU and starting your own company….”
1:03 p.m.
(driving outside of Keene, Texas, approximately 30 minutes from home; phone buzzes…”Private Number”)
ME: “This is Drew.”
WOMAN’S VOICE: “Hi! This is Sana from CBS 11….” (All I really heard was "CBS 11")
ME: (kind of interrupting & praying that Keene, Texas, hadn’t missed the memo about cell phones and specifically cell phone towers) “Yes. How’s it going?”
CBS 11: “Are you in town?”
ME: (slightly pushing on the accelerator a little firmer) “Ummm…kind of. I’m driving back to Fort Worth right now.”
CBS 11: “We were wondering if we could visit with you today about leaving TCU and starting your own company….”
I won’t bore you with the whole back and forth, but Sana Syed was going to be at my office/house – along with a cameraman and a satellite truck – in less than two hours.
ME: “That’s perfect….see you then.”
1:06 p.m.
(right foot VERY heavy on the accelerator…speed limit signs irrelevant….my mind actually going faster than the car.)
ME: “That’s perfect….see you then.”
1:06 p.m.
(right foot VERY heavy on the accelerator…speed limit signs irrelevant….my mind actually going faster than the car.)
ME: “That was Channel 11.
They’re going to do a story on e-Partners today.”
TK: (pumping her fist in the air) “Yes!”
Then I explained to TK that by the time we made it home, we would have one hour to make the office/house “TV Ready.”
TK: “Yikes!”
1:07 p.m.
TK and I start to put together a game plan to attack the office/house. Here are some snippets over the next 26 minutes:
NOTE: Our house was not dirty or messy, but definitely not ready for CBS 11. Again…if there was only a definite line between home and office. Despite what I tell the IRS...there's really not!
ME: “You start with the kitchen and I’ll work on the office…
1:07 p.m.
TK and I start to put together a game plan to attack the office/house. Here are some snippets over the next 26 minutes:
NOTE: Our house was not dirty or messy, but definitely not ready for CBS 11. Again…if there was only a definite line between home and office. Despite what I tell the IRS...there's really not!
ME: “You start with the kitchen and I’ll work on the office…
TK: “Let’s just throw everything in the back bedroom (our bedroom) and close the door…”
ME: “Do we have any extra laundry baskets? I’ll just shove all my clutter in those.”
TK: “Let’s move that table out of the office…”
ME: (interrupting) “Move furniture? Are you kidding…No, you’re right…let’s throw that in the bedroom, too.”
TK: “Let’s move that table out of the office…”
ME: (interrupting) “Move furniture? Are you kidding…No, you’re right…let’s throw that in the bedroom, too.”
TK: “What about Anthony?”
ME: (eyes wide, staring at the clock) “Crap...I mean YIKES!”
NOTE: One phone call to his mom, saved me 30 minutes – she agreed to drop him off at the house.
ME: (still driving like a contestant on “The Amazing Race”) At 2: 15,
I HAVE to stop what I'm doing and get cleaned up and shave…”
TK: “What are you going to wear?”
That topic over-shadowed “Mission: Get the House Ready” for the rest of the drive.
TK: “What are you going to wear?”
That topic over-shadowed “Mission: Get the House Ready” for the rest of the drive.
1:33 p.m.
Pull into the driveway
Pull into the driveway
1:34 p.m.
Start throwing anything not nailed down into the bedroom; Tanya started hiding the toaster and other irrelevant appliances that I assume made our counters look cluttered. (When asked about it later, “I didn’t want CBS 11 to know that we eat toast.”)
2:06 p.m.
Office/house starting to take shape (unless you opened our bedroom door…it looked like a PODS storage unit.)
Start throwing anything not nailed down into the bedroom; Tanya started hiding the toaster and other irrelevant appliances that I assume made our counters look cluttered. (When asked about it later, “I didn’t want CBS 11 to know that we eat toast.”)
2:06 p.m.
Office/house starting to take shape (unless you opened our bedroom door…it looked like a PODS storage unit.)
2:07 p.m.
I stood at our bedroom door and mumbled to myself, “Why do we have so much crap?”
2:08 p.m.
I was mopping the office floor, while Tanya was hiding the blender.
I was mopping the office floor, while Tanya was hiding the blender.
2:10 p.m.
Anthony shows up…I apologize about the chaos and hand him some Windex and a rag.
Anthony shows up…I apologize about the chaos and hand him some Windex and a rag.
2:15 p.m.
I start to shave and take a junior high shower (damp wash cloth under the armpits and a couple squirts of cologne).
2:17 p.m.
I start to shave and take a junior high shower (damp wash cloth under the armpits and a couple squirts of cologne).
2:17 p.m.
TK: (sticking her head into the bathroom) “What are you going to wear?”
ME: (wearing a shaving cream Fu Manchu) “Wear? What am I going to say?”
2:33 p.m.
Decide to go casual with my attire – jeans and purple button down (Go Frogs!)
2:40 p.m.
Spray some Febreze and light some candles.
2:42 p.m.
Take a deep breath…sit down and ask Anthony about school.
2:43 p.m.
Doorbell rings
ME: (wearing a shaving cream Fu Manchu) “Wear? What am I going to say?”
2:33 p.m.
Decide to go casual with my attire – jeans and purple button down (Go Frogs!)
2:40 p.m.
Spray some Febreze and light some candles.
2:42 p.m.
Take a deep breath…sit down and ask Anthony about school.
2:43 p.m.
Doorbell rings
YIKES!
The rest of the story is pretty awesome:
The rest of the story is pretty awesome:
• I feel so blessed and grateful that I got to share my story.
• I love the fact that I got to spread the word about giving back.
• I love the fact that I got to spread the word about giving back.
• I thought it was cool that they shot footage of me and Anthony working on his new model airplane, which was a birthday present. (photo below)
• I was so proud of Anthony for agreeing to be interviewed and doing such an amazing job.
• I was so appreciative of Sana and John for taking a group shot next to the CBS 11 satellite truck. (photo below)
It was perfect ending to a chaotic day.
At 5:30 p.m. – 4 hours and 7 minutes from the initial phone call – Anthony and I sat in my immaculate living room and watched the newscast on my freshly dusted TV.
ANTHONY: “Did you know they were coming over today?”
ANTHONY: “Did you know they were coming over today?”
ME: “Nope.”
We were both glad they did, though.
We were both glad they did, though.
Posts
