The Ice Bucket Incident
May. 20th, 2008 06:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wwcitizenThis afternoon just before a meeting, I was outside taking a break from the hecticity of the day. Across the way a man was being called off a planter in front of the building having tried to gaze into the Ground Zero chasm. This is standard practice since it's not only a possible security issue, but more importantly a safety concern.
The gentleman complied and looked at me for "confirmation" that he had been treated fairly. I showed him the "Please Stay Off The Planter" sign and we started up a conversation about Ground Zero. His wife joined us as I was telling how to get to the PATH station to look into the construction site, if they still have it open.
At that moment it hit me that this man was wearing a baseball cap with "ECU - East Carolina University" on it. My father taught and practiced clinical psychology at that university, all my siblings attended that university, and I had piano, art, language, voice, violin, and some science classes there when I was in elementary school. When I mentioned this to them, he extended his hand and asked me my name, and we chatted about their graduation dates. It was quite exhilerating to talk to someone from my hometown in NC.
Well, one thing led to another and we discovered that I grew up with his son, Eric. He got so excited that he called Eric and we said, "Howdy" for a minute or so. His mom once I got off the phone said, "So, were you with Eric on the DC trip with the ice bucket incident?".
I said, "Yes, ma'am, I was, but I don't remember who it was that actually did it.".
The "incident" transpired on Thomas Circle in DC at the then Holiday Inn in the red light district of DC. The boys in the room next to mine dumped a bucket of ice onto an unsuspecting prostitute down on the street. I couldn't believe that that was such a big deal that PARENTS would remember it. I remember us boys talking about doing it in the hallway, but then when I was watching out the window, I couldn't tell who actually threw out the ice. It was her son, Eric.
Well, didn't we have a good laugh! That certainly brightened my day for sure and put a smile on my face that hasn't disappeared since. The "ice bucket incident". Who knew?
The gentleman complied and looked at me for "confirmation" that he had been treated fairly. I showed him the "Please Stay Off The Planter" sign and we started up a conversation about Ground Zero. His wife joined us as I was telling how to get to the PATH station to look into the construction site, if they still have it open.
At that moment it hit me that this man was wearing a baseball cap with "ECU - East Carolina University" on it. My father taught and practiced clinical psychology at that university, all my siblings attended that university, and I had piano, art, language, voice, violin, and some science classes there when I was in elementary school. When I mentioned this to them, he extended his hand and asked me my name, and we chatted about their graduation dates. It was quite exhilerating to talk to someone from my hometown in NC.
Well, one thing led to another and we discovered that I grew up with his son, Eric. He got so excited that he called Eric and we said, "Howdy" for a minute or so. His mom once I got off the phone said, "So, were you with Eric on the DC trip with the ice bucket incident?".
I said, "Yes, ma'am, I was, but I don't remember who it was that actually did it.".
The "incident" transpired on Thomas Circle in DC at the then Holiday Inn in the red light district of DC. The boys in the room next to mine dumped a bucket of ice onto an unsuspecting prostitute down on the street. I couldn't believe that that was such a big deal that PARENTS would remember it. I remember us boys talking about doing it in the hallway, but then when I was watching out the window, I couldn't tell who actually threw out the ice. It was her son, Eric.
Well, didn't we have a good laugh! That certainly brightened my day for sure and put a smile on my face that hasn't disappeared since. The "ice bucket incident". Who knew?
