Barbeque Pork (Day 7)

I met the pride of North Carolina eating face-to-face today. And I ate it.

Barbeque pork seems to be the highlight of some people’s food intake around here. It was good, but just not what I would order on an everyday basis. And next time I go back I think I might try the chicken. The good news is they have options.

So I won’t have to insult anyone by declining the offer to go with them when they want their barbeque pork. I just might not have a meal highlighted by an oinker.

Today started on a good note, with episodes of my favourite show, House, running while I got ready for work, on the newly-hooked up television courtesy of me and my last two trips to Target to get a cable and a screwdriver.

When I got to work, I didn’t really have a task leftover from yesterday, so instead of asking for something to do, I didn’t. Simple as that.

Instead I answered some emails and then decided to go back to the Summer College Leagues and figure out who I had talked to and who was going to get back to me soon, and who I hadn’t heard from at all about the updates for the 2011 directory.

As I was starting to go through the leagues, Editor 3 came up to me and asked if I wanted to work on a feature for the last edition of the year. It’s a double-edition magazine to finish the calendar year and I would be writing a feature on a team who has won a Bob Freitas Award.

Apparently, because my knowledge of minor league baseball is limited, Freitas was or is a great man (I do not know of his life status) who did a lot to benefit the minor league system, and from my understanding, whatever he did has something to do with making the entertainment experience more enjoyable.

The award goes to teams who have a positive impact on their community, and bring people to their parks, and host events outside of games, and things like that. I was learning this as I was waiting for Editor 3 to let me know what team I would be working on, and their contact information and details.

I am not a patient person and when he didn’t email me after 10 minutes, I thought something might be wrong. Instead of walking the 15 feet to his office door from my cubicle, I emailed him to make sure he had my correct email address.

I did this despite receiving an email from him two days ago. I used the excuse that someone had used the wrong address to try and send me something yesterday (true), and thought he should have the right one (false, I knew he had the right one).

He didn’t get back to me then either. When I hadn’t heard from him in 45 minutes, I panicked. And I did what I do in every panic situation when I don’t have an answer. I asked my mom.

The panic must have worked because before my mom got back to me, Editor 3 had sent me the information that I needed. I started my research on the team right away and read everything I could on the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League.

Instead of calling the contacts that Editor 3 suggested I first tried to email them. I want to say it was as a courtesy to the people that I would be calling, or because he hadn’t given me their phone numbers, but really it was because I was afraid of people hearing me make the phone calls from my cubicle and judging my interviews.

Two of the three contacts emailed me back right away and told me I could call them and gave me their phone numbers. Now I had no excuse not to dial away.

Luckily, I was interrupted by lunch. I was off to get some barbeque pork, and that took up some time. Today, because Editor 1 is away in Arizona for the Rising Stars game tomorrow, it was Editor 2 and one of the high school guys, whose name I know is either Conor or Nathan, but once again, names are not my strong point, and I cannot narrow down the possibilities any further.

What I do know about him is that he is a Seattle Mariners fan, because he is from Seattle. And I learned that in Washington, they have license plates on the fronts and backs of their cars, unlike in North Carolina. I also know that today he was wearing a baseball hat with the worst of all the Jays logos on it.

The logo is from 2000, and consists of a Blue Jay with a bat in one arm, flexing with the other, showing off his maple leaf tattoo. It is ridiculous and I had to ask Mariners fan where he got it. He said he found it in his boss’s basement, or his boss found it, but either way, a basement is a good place for that stupid logo to stay.

When I got back, I had another email from one of the contacts, and I figured I should probably take the time to call him, even if I embarrassed myself from my cubicle. He was giving me his time and I had asked for it.

I tried to wait for the moment when the highest number of people around me were talking. I figured if they were talking to someone, they would be listening to them, not me. 

I called the president of the Hooks and he told me that he was out for lunch and had just ordered barbeque chicken. I guess in Texas chicken is the big thing. And everyone in the south seems to love their barbeque. I told him I could call him back and he gave me a time.

In the meantime I thought I should call the other contact who had responded to me. He is the president of the Texas League. Our conversation was short, and when I listened to it back to transcribe it, I decided the level of embarrassment that could come from the conversation was pretty minimal.

I felt a little better about calling people, though I don’t think I got any fantastically great information from him, and that was really the point.

I called back the president of the team and got hold of him on a second try. He offered a lot more information, though I am still not sure how I am going to get 800 to 1000 words out of this team and their organization. But I still have the general manager to talk to, providing that he responds to me.

At the end of the conversation he told me he wanted to announce the team’s winning of the award on Monday and was wondering if there were any specifics he should give or anything like that. I had no idea how to respond to that so I told him I would check with my superiors and get back to him as soon as possible.

And of course, when I checked, I found out that he is not supposed to do that. The awards won’t be given out until the Winter Meetings in December, and that is when the teams can make their announcements. I was a little worried, but Mr. President of the Texas League seemed okay with that when I told him.

I transcribed both of the interviews and then decided to ask for more work. Why? I’m not sure. When I realized that Editor 2 had left for the day I went to the office of Editor 3 and told him basically that I’m a loser and if there was anything I could do over the weekend, I would.

What I actually said was that I still didn’t know anyone, and I really had a lot of extra time if there was anything he wanted me to work on or start. I also told him I would start the article on the Hooks, even though it isn’t due back until November 16. What else do I have to do?

He said he was sure he could find something for me, and he was sorry that my roommates weren’t more social. I told him they’re quiet, and neat, so at least they’re not the worst people I’ve ever lived with. Maybe someday I’ll make a friend though.

When I finally left the office, he still didn’t have anything for me to do on the weekend. But he did say that he would have another story for me to do on Monday.

So I set off in search of an Office Depot. I had been researching cheap printers, because I figure I need one. I have trouble writing stories and articles with quotes, without being able to have them on paper in front of me. It sounds like a stupid problem to have, but I sought a printer anyway.

I typed “Office Depot” into the GPS, oh the faithful GPS, and set sail for the first location it gave me. It was the same place that I had looked up online and seemed to be the closest to the office. I followed its twists and turns until it told me I was at my destination. Only I wasn’t.

So I went back to by theory that the GPS can’t steer me wrong twice, and I tried the next location of Office Depot. This time I found it, and I was at some sort of mall. That might come in handy later, if I remembered where I was.

I got myself the cheapest printer they had, some paper, and a cord to plug it all in. They also had a free rewards card, so I got a 10 per cent discount, even though I am sure that in some way it is not truly free. I was probably tricked.

From there I went back to the gym, and then back to the apartment.

Since my TV works, I have plenty to do now. And on the agenda for tonight, an episode of House and then some Talladega Nights. Sounds like a recipe for success to me.  

To the television.