A Major Award

Today, as quite a surprise to me, I won a MAJOR award. I was just sitting at my desk at my part-time job, and the next thing I know, my co-worker, Michael, approaches me with a box and said 'Congrats....you are the recipient of this major award!' Well, needless to say, I was very excited. Who doesn't want to be the recipient of ANY award? And there I sat, suddenly a major award winner. Co-workers were congratulating me left and right, shaking my hand, patting me on the back...genuinely excited for my success. I think somewhere in the distance, I heard a band playing a triumphant march. It was all very sudden, very whirlwind, very high-energy and very exciting.

A first glimpse of the award.

The award said it was being awarded for my support of....something. And evidently, it was for something I supported on October 29, 2007. Oh yeah - and it was from Disney Destinations, LLC. So I sat for a moment and started putting things together.....October 29th? Well, looking back through my blog, it looks like I took a trip to the National Arboretum on that day. And I DID take some friends with me. So......hmmmm...I guess what I learned today is that Disney Destinations must own the Arboretum. AND...um...maybe they were really happy I showed up? But they needed to wait 3 months to get this major award made for me. So yeah...I was pretty honored. Oh...plus the award tells me how hot or cool it is in my office. SEE what I mean? MAJOR award.

See what I mean? My support? Thanks, Disney!

The major award came in this fancy box.

Here is the award set up on my...well, on Shanna's desk. (Shanna...take your vitamins.)

OK...so not only is it a pretty impressive award...BUT...it's even more impressive when you realize that it's an award that has an ON and OFF switch!

You guessed it....the base actually lights the award UP! Major...AND classy....

The big winner.

Co-worker Val was very excited to get close to the award....

and really study its craftsmanship. Secretly, I'm pretty sure Val wants to get the award next time.

And then the bottom fell out of my day....and it went from being a major award to a major bummer. One co-worker, whom I won't name by name...but for the sake of this story will just call....oh....Zangoglia. Yeah....so Zangoglia came up near the end of the day and said, "You know, Matt, that's not a major award at all. Michael's team got that from one of their clients, Disney, and no one knew who it went to....so it's been in that closet over there for 3 months. And since today was the day that closet over there got cleaned out....which we call 'Clean The Closet Thursday' around these parts...the box either had to be chucked out or given away. You just happened to be at the right place at the right time. So stop calling it a major award. It's a Galileo Galielei Thermometer. And right now, it's 68 degrees in here." And then Zangoglia walked away.

Buuut...it was actually 72 degrees in the office today. I looked at the thermostat on the wall. So yeah....this towering "award" was slowly turning into a tower of lies and deceit.

So in the end, I guess I wasn't TOO sad to know the actual truth...because major award or not, it's going to look PRETTY darn amazing next to my crystal bowling pin. And someday, if you're nice, I'll show you.