Biking flamingos spotted outside MN State Fair.

Additionally...

Our organization has a Republican National Convention detailed preparedness plan in case of the following:

(I'm not kidding)

• Gridlock
• Security breach
• High-profile guest in building
• Blocked traffic
• Overnight attack
• Broken glass
• Arrested employees
• No parking
• Stalkers
• Medical emergencies
• Bad behavior
• Loss of power
• Loss of Internet
• Technical breakdown
• Loss of cell phone service
• Loss of water service
• Out of control protesting
• Bomb threat
• Fire
• Tear gas
• Terrorist attack

It's going to be an interesting few days...

Good to know, boss.

I'm one of eight videographers on a "street team" for my news organization during next week's Republican National Convention. Two of our managing editors gathered us together for a meeting this week, and here's how they started it.

"We just wanted to let you know... you will likely get arrested."

They quickly assured us it's not necessarily because we'll be doing something wrong, but rather because police often mass arrest people on the streets during times of protest and riot.

"Whatever you do, cooperate," they said. "And don't worry, we have a budget for bail."

Giddy up!

Blind dates are for two.

The thing about setting your friends up on a blind date is…you probably shouldn’t go with.

I have this newly-single, wonderful guy friend. I also have a single and fabulously awesome girl friend. They are both starting to peek their heads into the dating world, but aren’t the type of people that are going to try to pick someone up in a bar. So I decided to throw a pizza party.

And by pizza party I mean the three of us went on a date. Those two, some pizza, a restaurant, and me. Looking back, I shudder at the awkwardness.

The guy and I got there first and I was disappointed to find that the only open table inside of the place shot high-powered beams of sunlight straight into the faces of those facing the window. Unfortunately, the guy decided to sit with his back facing the sun, so that left the poor girl with the decision of whether to wear sunglasses during the dinner, or sweat and squint profusely. She chose the latter.

I sat next to her and started the date off talking about a hilariously entertaining scavenger hunt I had gone on that weekend. We laughed, we ate, there were smiles all around.

But after a few conversation misunderstandings and a clear divide over favored parts of the country, it began to be pretty apparent that the pizza and I had more chemistry than the two of them did. Man was that good pizza.

Many people told me not to go along. But I though it would be less pressure on both of them if it was more of a friend thing. I didn’t realize that my presence there would turn me more into a talk show host than anything else. “So, did you know that Suzie is really into [blank]?” “Well, that’s so funny because Mark was just telling me [blank] the other day…”

It doesn’t help. It does not help to have you there. In no way does it help. I repeat…It did not help to have me there. Don’t do it! Don’t! Resist! Leave them be! Leave the awkward to them!

They can handle it.

It wasn't my tarp!

The three days I went to work last week (as I had Monday and Tuesday off), I chose to ride my bike. In that time, I happened to forget how incredibly treacherous driving to work can be.

Today I was gingerly driving down I-94 in Minneapolis in the kind of traffic I would describe as "manageable", when all of a sudden a large, gray tarp barreled toward my car. I was only about 10 feet behind a car, there was another car right behind me and the lanes to my right and left were not open, so I had no choice but to steer the car directly over the tarp. So I took a deep breath and rolled right over the thing. I felt it underneath my car but when I looked in my rear view mirror, there was NO TARP BEHIND ME. Where was it?!

Soon after, cars behind me started changing lanes. Were they possibly avoiding me? I didn't know how a huge tarp could attach itself to the underside of my car, but when I changed lanes to go in front of a car and then it immediately changed lanes to avoid being behind me, I knew it was unmistakable. Something was going on here.

A couple minutes later this guy drives up next to me and starts yelling something out of his car window. I look backward, and the tarp went flying off the back of my car toward another car. "THERE IS A TARP ATTACHED TO YOUR CAR!!" he was yelling at me. "ARE YOU SURE?!" I said. I motioned for him to look at the back of my car as I drove forward. He gave me the thumbs up, noting that it was gone. "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT WAS!" I screamed at him. "IT WAS A TARP!!" he yelled.

Slowly, people attempted to drive behind me again. Mortified and worried that people would think it was MY tarp, I slunk over to the right lane where I stayed until I sheepishly exited at my stop.

Though on my bike I've been yelled at, hit on, sprayed, rained on, hurled over the handlebars onto rough pavement (twice) and pelted with a swarm of gnats flying directly into my eyeballs, I have to tell you...this would have never happened on my bike.

Coworker email exchange gone wild.

I'm going to be out of town for the next couple of days. So instead of sending the normal "blah blah out of town" email to my coworkers, I decided to spice it up a little. Then this email exchange ensued.

Anna email:
I am off to the cabin I say
To reunite with family and play
I'll come back on tues
Then take a short snooze
Then come to work on wednesday

Coworker email:
The meter's a little bit off...

Anna email:
YOUR METER IS A LOT A BIT OFF!

Other coworker email:
And to all a good night!!