Prank Call
Charlie’s Corner: Keep Your Membership Current!
Editorial by Charlie Williams (Humor)
So I was just a sitting there in my trailer home, swatting flies and enjoying all the technology of the oscillating fan, when the phone rang.
“Hullo?”
“Hi Charlie, Brian Hawthorne from the BlueRibbon.”
“Yea, so.”
“‘Yea so?’ That’s the kind of response you give your old Buddie Brian?’”
“Yea, what?”
“Charlie, it’s not that bad, I have a new opportunity for you.”
“Yeah, what?”
“The Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Parks Department are having a meeting and I want you to go.”
This shut me up quick, I flashed back to the last meeting I went to with Brian, I drifted off, all Martin Sheen, Apocalypse Now kind of drifted off. Not a good experience for anybody.
“Charlie, you still there?”
“Yea,” I said mistily.
“Are you crying?”
“Nnnnnn…yes, a little.”
“Oh come on, it’s not that bad, we are just going to discuss the geospatial data on wildlife habitat effectiveness into the analysis, which will lead to re-evaluation of the decision nexus.”
I was really crying now. That first meeting was a very bad experience.
“Brian, are you being mean to me?”
“No Charlie, I’m not trying to be mean to you.”
“Brian, is there ANY way I can get out of going to this meeting? Anything?” I’m begging at this point.
“Well, actually, Charlie….”
I could hear other people laughing in the background, sounded like the BlueRibbon office gang and I was on speaker phone.
“Well, actually, Charlie, my bike needs washed and filters changed.”
“Well that sounds like a good deal to me, Brian.”
More laughter in the background.
“No really, Charlie, the easiest way for you to get out of going to this meeting is to send your $20 membership dues in. I’ll go to the meeting for you.”
The people in the background are laughing their tails off now, but I was not upset, I was relieved; I didn’t have to go to the meeting.
“Go ahead and laugh,” I yelled in the phone!
“Oh, Charlie, we were just teasing, it’s pizza day here and we’re all standing around having lunch; we thought it would be fun to give you a prank call.”
I was coming back to my usual good humor and said: “It worked, I’ll get the check out today, just please, never make me go to another meeting.”
So really, readers, think about it: do you want to go to a meeting and try to discuss geospatial data? Uhhh, I didn’t think so. Keep your membership current, or Brian will be calling you some day.
—Questions or comments on this article should be directed to the BlueRibbon Coalition: Phone: 208-237-1008. Email: <brmag@sharetrails.org>.